Chatham County Coastal wind zone

Barndominium Builders in Savannah, GA

Savannah is the only coastal market we build in, and three things change here that change nowhere else in Georgia. Design wind is a per-parcel figure rather than a single county number, a new home in a flood zone has to sit two feet above base flood elevation inside the city and three feet in unincorporated Chatham, and standard Galvalume panel warranties stop 1,500 feet from salt water. We engineer and specify for the address, not for Georgia in general.

Savannah at a glance

County
Chatham County
Population
150,080
Cities and towns
Savannah, Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Bloomingdale, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island, Vernonburg
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Building conditions in Savannah

What actually changes from one Georgia jurisdiction to the next: who issues the permit, what wind speed the structure has to be engineered to, and what the ground is like. These are the numbers your drawings have to satisfy.

Build conditions for Savannah, Chatham County: design wind speed Confirmed per parcel, inland. BUILD CONDITIONS SAVANNAH, GAChatham CountyINLAND WIND ZONEWIND-BORNE DEBRIS ZONE * DESIGN WIND SPEED Confirmed per parcelCoastal Chatham; the county's own guidance says it varies by location — confirmed per parcelbefore plans are sealedZONING · A-1 (AGRICULTURAL)2-acre minimumIn unincorporated Chatham the rural equivalent is R-A, where a dwe…PERMIT TIMING14 daysApproximate city review; the county runs its own clockWHO ISSUES THE PERMITCity of Savannah Development ServicesUnincorporated parcels are permitted by Chatham County Building Sa… * Wind-borne debris status is corroborated, not independently confirmed against the adopted map.
Build conditions for Savannah, drawn from the sourced facts on this page. Every figure above is cited in the quick-facts panel below, with its source and vintage.
Design wind speed
Confirmed per parcel. Georgia's Table R301.2 is filled in by the jurisdiction, and Chatham County's own inspection guidance calls for hurricane and wind-load connections rated "depending on location" — the figure genuinely changes as you move toward the barrier islands. We take it from the building department before anything is engineered.

2024 IRC with Georgia Amendments, Table R301.2, via up.codes; Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Inspection Requirements, buildingsafety.chathamcountyga.gov, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Flood elevation
New homes in a flood zone must be built three feet above the 100-year base flood elevation in unincorporated Chatham County, and two feet above it inside the City of Savannah. The city's two-foot rule took effect 1 January 2025, replacing a one-foot standard in place since September 2008.

Chatham County Dept of Engineering, Flood Facts for Unincorporated Chatham County Residents; City of Savannah, Flood Protection Information, savannahga.gov, both fetched 31 Aug 2026

Who issues the permit
Savannah is not a consolidated city-county government, so there are two authorities. The City of Savannah Development Services Department permits inside the city limits through eTRAC; Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services permits unincorporated parcels in person at 1117 Eisenhower Drive. If your parcel ID number begins with a 1, you are under county jurisdiction.

City of Savannah, Permits for Construction, savannahga.gov; Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Applying for a Permit, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Zoning for acreage
Inside the city, the A-1 Agricultural district carries a two-acre minimum lot, 100-foot minimum width, 40-foot front and rear setbacks, 20-foot sides, 35% maximum building coverage and a 36-foot height cap. RSF-E, the estate single-family district, allows one acre with a 40-foot height cap.

City of Savannah Code of Ordinances, Chapter 3 Zoning (effective 1 Sept 2019), Secs. 5.6 and 5.7, library.municode.com/ga/savannah/codes/code_of_ordinances, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Salt air and the panel warranty
Standard Galvalume panel warranties exclude "areas within 1500 feet of salt water, marine atmospheres or salt spray." A third of Chatham County is tidal water, so a great many parcels sit inside that line without being anywhere near the beach. Coastal sites get an upgraded coating or aluminium, stainless fasteners, and dissimilar-metal isolation at every flashing.

Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation, AZ55 Galvalume Warranty, exclusion (a); Chatham County land and water area, US Census via Wikipedia, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Climate zone
IECC zone 2A — the hottest zone in Georgia and the only one on this coast. Cooling load and vapour drive run the envelope here, which puts the vapour control on the opposite side of the assembly from a North Georgia build.

2024 IECC climate zone map for Georgia; City of Savannah permit code list (2015 IECC), savannahga.gov, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Also worth knowing before you build in Savannah

Septic approval
Environmental Health approval from the Georgia Coastal Health District is required before the building permit will even be accepted on any lot with a septic tank. Chatham County's zoning schedule then requires 30,000 square feet for a dwelling on its own well and septic, 15,000 with public water, and adds that the Health Department "may require a greater minimum size where soil conditions warrant."

Chatham County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 4-6.1, thempc.org; Georgia Coastal Health District, On-Site Sewage/Septic Systems, coastalhealthdistrict.org, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Permit timeline
The City of Savannah allows each reviewing department ten business days and reports that residential new construction is typically approved in about two weeks. Unincorporated Chatham County states that review takes approximately three weeks, and accepts applications in person only, 8:00am to 3:30pm.

City of Savannah FAQ, savannahga.gov; Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Applying for a Permit, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Marsh setback
In unincorporated Chatham, no structure other than an elevated pier or wooden deck may be built within 25 feet of saltwater marshland. The City of Savannah applies its own wetland and marsh buffer standards to development in the A-1 district.

Chatham County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 4-6.1 footnote; City of Savannah Zoning Sec. 5.6.8 and Sec. 10.5, fetched 31 Aug 2026

How much of the county is water
Chatham County covers 632 square miles, of which 426 are land and 206 are water — 32.6%. The tidal creek and marsh network is why buildable acreage here is scattered rather than contiguous, and why so many parcels fall inside a flood zone or a marine atmosphere.

US Census area figures for Chatham County, Georgia, via Wikipedia, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Flood-zone inspections
In a flood zone the county requires an Under Construction Elevation Certificate at the subfloor inspection, inspects hydrostatic vents and breakaway walls at framing under a dedicated FEMA inspection type, and will not issue a Certificate of Occupancy until the Engineering Department signs off. Floodplain approval is required up front for any AE or VE zone parcel.

Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Inspection Requirements and Applying for a Permit, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Termites and site prep
Georgia sits in the very heavy termite infestation probability zone, and Chatham County requires proof of soil treatment against termites before inspection. A Land Disturbing Activity Permit and erosion control devices are required before any clearing, grading or digging begins, and soil compaction tests may be called for on made ground.

Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services, Inspection Requirements; 2024 IRC with Georgia Amendments termite probability map, fetched 31 Aug 2026

Below the slab

The expensive surprises are in the ground, not the building

Most of Chatham County rates poorly for dwellings in the soil survey, and the reason is water sitting close to the surface rather than weak ground. That makes the pad elevation and the drainage plan the two line items most likely to move your budget. We price the dirt before we price the building.

What we build in Savannah

All nine services are available across Chatham County. The three below are where a project on a Chatham County parcel usually starts — the permit, the drawings, and the build itself. What a build costs depends far more on the parcel than on square footage, so we price against your land rather than publishing a rate card.

Permitting & Engineering

Sealed structural engineering and the permit that depends on it, from submittal through final inspection.

Custom Plans

Barndominium floor plans drawn to your land, your family, and the 2024 Georgia residential code.

Turnkey Builds

Start to finish barndominium construction: we handle permits, slab, shell, and full interior finish.

All nine services we build in Chatham County

What a build looks like

Three stages every Savannah project passes through, from a raw parcel to a finished home. Site work first, because that is where the budget is decided.

Aerial view of an undeveloped rural Georgia lot with cleared grass, pine treeline and a red clay access track.
Stage one

The parcel

Zoning, setbacks, flood zone and utility access get checked before anything is drawn.

An excavator grading a compacted building pad on a cleared lot, with survey stakes and a drainage swale visible.
Stage two

Pad and permit

Clearing, grading and a compacted pad, while the submittal works through Chatham County.

A finished barndominium at dusk with warm interior lighting glowing through its large windows.
Stage three

Frame to finish

Shell erected and dried in, then systems, insulation and interior finish through to CO.

Those are the rules for Chatham County. Tell us what you want to build and we will draw it to them.

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Where we build around Savannah

Chatham County and the rural land around it. The buildable acreage for a project this size usually sits outside the city limits, which is frequently what changes who issues your permit.

Our Savannah service area, covering Chatham County and the surrounding rural acreage. We build across this area from our office in Macon, GA — this map marks the territory we serve, not a branch location.

Keep reading

The questions that usually come next once you know what Savannah allows.

Is It Legal in Georgia?

Classification, zoning, and what coastal wind design actually requires in Chatham County.

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Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced ranges by tier, plus the Georgia adders that land on top of a national average.

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How Long Does It Take?

Census build-duration data, and the Georgia statute setting the permit clock.

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Sources for this page

The primary documents behind the Savannah figures above. We would rather you checked them than took our word for it.

Nearby areas we build in

Others we cover in this part of Georgia. The permitting authority, the adopted design criteria and the zoning can all differ from one to the next.

Augusta

Richmond County
Macon

Bibb County

Building in Savannah: common questions

6 questions we get asked most often about building in Savannah. If yours is not on the list, ask it directly.

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What wind speed will a barndominium near Savannah be engineered to?
Whatever the building department has filled into its own design criteria table for your parcel. Georgia does not set a statewide number — Table R301.2 is a jurisdiction fill-in table, and on the coast the figure is a gradient rather than a single value. Chatham County's own inspection guidance says the wind-load connection requirement varies "depending on location," which is the county telling you the same thing. We confirm the exact figure with the City of Savannah or Chatham County before a frame is designed, and the engineer's stamp reflects that number rather than a national average. A kit engineered to a generic figure will not clear plan review here.
How high does the house have to sit above the flood level?
It depends on which side of the city line you are on. Unincorporated Chatham County requires the lowest finished floor at three feet above the 100-year base flood elevation. The City of Savannah requires two feet, a rule that took effect on 1 January 2025 and replaced the one-foot standard the city had used since September 2008. In practice this means a slab-on-grade barndominium, which is the default everywhere else in Georgia, is usually off the table on an AE or VE parcel here. The floor goes up on stem walls or piers, with flood vents below and breakaway construction in a V zone. It is a real foundation cost and it is worth pricing before you buy the land, not after.
Will salt air ruin the metal on a coastal barndominium?
It will ruin the wrong metal. Standard Galvalume panel warranties carry an explicit exclusion for areas within 1,500 feet of salt water, marine atmospheres or salt spray — the manufacturer simply will not stand behind the 45-year figure there. Chatham County is 32.6% water, so a parcel can be well inland of the beach and still be inside that line. The answer is not to avoid metal, it is to specify for the environment: an upgraded coating system or aluminium panels, stainless-steel fasteners rather than coated carbon steel, and isolation between dissimilar metals at every flashing and trim intersection. Cut edges and field-drilled penetrations are where a coastal panel fails first, so the detailing matters as much as the panel.
Do I apply to the City of Savannah or to Chatham County?
Savannah is not a consolidated city-county government the way Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Athens are, so there are two separate authorities with different rules and different timelines. The City of Savannah Development Services Department handles parcels inside the city limits and takes applications through its online eTRAC system. Chatham County Building Safety & Regulatory Services handles unincorporated parcels and takes applications in person only, weekdays 8:00am to 3:30pm. The county publishes a quick test: call the Tax Assessor for your parcel ID number, and if it begins with a 1 you are under county jurisdiction. Pooler, Garden City, Bloomingdale, Port Wentworth, Thunderbolt and Tybee Island each permit their own territory as well.
Can I build a barndominium on acreage inside the Savannah city limits?
Yes, in the right district. The city's A-1 Agricultural district is written to retain agriculture, forestry and rural character, and it permits a residence on a two-acre minimum lot with 40-foot front and rear setbacks, 20-foot sides and a 36-foot height cap. RSF-E, the estate single-family district, allows one acre with a 40-foot cap. The height limit is worth watching on a flood parcel, because raising the finished floor two feet uses part of it before the building starts. Counter-intuitively, unincorporated Chatham is less restrictive on lot size than the city: a dwelling there on its own well and septic needs 30,000 square feet, roughly two-thirds of an acre.
Is coastal Georgia a hurricane zone with special product approvals, like Florida?
No, and it is worth being precise about this because a lot of Florida language gets copied onto Georgia pages. Georgia has no High Velocity Hurricane Zone, no statute naming particular counties, no automatic exposure category, and no state product-approval system. What coastal Georgia has is a real design gradient set jurisdiction by jurisdiction: Chatham genuinely carries higher wind design than inland Georgia, and the flood, marsh and corrosion requirements above are genuinely stricter, but they come from the local ordinance and the local design criteria table rather than from a statewide coastal regime. The practical effect is that the answers have to be pulled for your specific parcel rather than read off a map of the state.

Building in Savannah?

Start with the plan. Tell us what you want to build and we will draw it, then confirm what Chatham County will actually let you put on the parcel and what wind load it has to meet. That conversation costs nothing.

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