Article 2 — Administration

A pre-building permit application meeting with the City of Grayson Planning Department must be held for all building plans prior to the submission for a building permit. The plans should clearly indicate all of requirements of this Ordinance being met. The plans should clearly show the location and calculations of all requirements of this Ordinance. All plans must be submitted to the City of Grayson staff for review.

Groups of buildings on the same parcel of land may be reviewed and permitted as a single project rather than individual buildings. Grouping of similar buildings is encouraged to minimize the number of reviews required and to allow for originality and design flexibility.

No building or other structure shall be erected, moved, added to, or structurally altered without a building permit being issued. No building permit shall be issued for work in the City except in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance.

All applications for building permits for uses other than one-family and duplex dwellings shall be accompanied by plans in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing the actual dimensions of the lot to be built upon, the sizes and locations on the lot of any existing buildings or structures, the shape, size, height, use, and the location of the lot of the building or structure to be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered and such other information as may be necessary to provide for the enforcement of this Ordinance.

If compliance does not result, the building permit shall be refused by the Administrative Officer.

A Certificate of Occupancy issued by the City is required prior to the use or occupancy of:

No Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued unless the lot or building or structure and use comply with all provisions of this Ordinance, all Georgia and Gwinnett Department of Transportation regulations and standards, all minimum standard building codes and State or County Fire Marshall regulations.

A temporary Certificate of Occupancy may be issued by the administrative official for a period not exceeding six months during alterations or partial occupancy of a building pending its completion, provided that such temporary certificate may include such conditions and safeguards as will protect the safety of the occupants and the public.

The Administrative Officer shall maintain a record of all Certificates of Occupancy, and a copy shall be furnished upon request to any person having a proprietary or tenancy interest in the building or land involved.

If the work described in any building permit has not begun within ninety (90) days from the date of issuance thereof, said permit shall expire.

If the work described in any building permit has not been substantially completed within two years of the date of issuance thereof, said permit shall expire and be canceled by the Administrative Officer. Written notice thereof shall be given to the persons affected, together with notice that further work as described in the canceled permit shall not proceed unless and until a new building permit has been obtained.

In their interpretation and application, the provisions of this Ordinance shall be held to be minimum requirements, adopted for the promotion of the public health, safety, morals or general welfare. Whenever the provisions of any other statute or covenants require more restrictive standards than those of this Ordinance, the provisions of such standards shall govern.

Any person who violates this ordinance or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not more than one thousand ($1,000.00) dollars and in addition shall pay all costs and expenses involved in the case. Each day such violation continues shall be considered a separate offense.

The owner or tenant of any building, structure, premises, or part thereof, and any architect, builder, contractor, agent, or other person who commits, participates in, assists in, or maintains such violation may each be found guilty of a separate offense and suffer the penalties herein provided.

Nothing herein contained shall prevent the City from taking such, other lawful action as is necessary to prevent or remedy any violation.

If any building or structure is erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired, converted or maintained, or if any building, structure or land is used in violation of this Ordinance, the Mayor and Council of Grayson, the Administrative Officer, the City Attorney or any adjacent or other property owner or anyone else who would be damaged by such violation, in addition to other remedies, may institute injunction, mandamus, or other appropriate action in proceeding to stop.

Should any section or provision of this Ordinance be declared by the courts to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole, or any part thereof other than the part so declared to be unconstitutional or invalid. The Mayor and City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted the remaining parts of the Ordinance if it had known that such part or parts thereof would be declared or adjudged invalid or unconstitutional.

All Ordinances or parts of Ordinances in conflict with this Zoning Ordinance are hereby repealed.