The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted services in cities large and small across the country.
In Fulton County, the outbreak has shut down courts and changed permitting processes. Here’s an overview of how some key municipal services stood as of Friday.
Fulton County
The Fulton County Government Center at 141 Pryor St. closed to the public on Tuesday, March 17 along with multiple other county buildings. Residents can reach county government officials at 404-612-4000 or at customerservice@fultoncountyga.gov
For building permits and inspections, the Department of Public Works is only accepting electronic submissions at https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/business-services/permits-and-inspections.
All land review login application forms and construction plans including cover sheets, utility information and profile sheets can now be submitted electronically to Damascus.Rutledge@fultoncountyga.gov.
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Applicants may also provide a digital link to access construction plans. Only credit card payments are being accepted during this process. Please contact Damascus Rutledge at 404-612 2903 with questions. Anyone performing work on a piece of land that may impact water and sewer lines must acquire certain permits, which can be found at https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/services/water-services/development-permitting/permitting-process.
Fulton’s courts are reporting a “drastic” shortage of workers due to the virus outbreak. The magistrate court will not hear the following calendars: Landlord-Tenant (Dispossessory), Small Claims, Abandoned Motor Vehicles, Child Abandonment, Warrant Applications, Garnishment, Environment, Copy of Charges, Personal Property Foreclosures, Trover, Post-Judgment Hearings, Misdemeanor Mental Health Court Compliance or perform Weddings.
Alpharetta
City Hall offices are closed, however, departments continue to operate remotely 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday; and 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday. For information: 678-297-6020.
Alpharetta Municipal Court is closed through April 12. The return date could be extended if necessary.
Community Development has continued to conduct inspections daily. Permits and business licenses are processed by email. Call 678-297-6080 for instructions. To apply for most permits visit Alpharetta.ga.us.
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In resident and commercial business, new business license applications will be processed on the standard Alpharetta schedule. The due date for business license renewals passed before the coronavirus pandemic hit metro Atlanta.
Property taxes are due Dec. 1. However, April 1 is the deadline for residential property owners to file for homestead exemptions and be eligible for qualified exemptions for the 2020 tax year. Residential property owners can apply by mail or online. Visit tinyurl.com/yawbxzhb.
Atlanta
Atlanta City Hall remains closed to the public until further notice.
The city’s Municipal Court’s is also closed, but the court is asking for people to check if their fines are payable online, according to a message on the court’s website. The court has ceased issuing failure to appear warrants.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
The city has suspended acceptance of all new construction permits, but is working on ways to begin accepting them online.The city plans on offering remote video inspections of small projects, such water heaters and detached storage sheds on Tuesday. But customers must have a minimum of 4G wireless internet access and smart phone or tablet. Details can be found here: https://www.atlantaga.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=45548
Building projects currently under review are still being reviewed, but may be delayed as city employees adjust to working remotely, according to the planning department’s website.
Occupancy permit approvals can be requested by email. For more information visit: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/city-planning
For garbage collection the city is asking residents to bag all garbage and is only collecting garbage inside the bin. Bulk waste items will not be collected with regular garbage and recycling but must be scheduled by contacting ATL311 online, use the Atlanta Solid Waste Services mobile app, or call 404-546-0311 Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Chattahoochee Hills
The city discontinued all in-person services indefinitely on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. But residents can still call City Hall at 770-463-8881 during regular business hours.
The municipal court system is closed.
Permits and licenses will be handled on an as-needed basis by appointment only. Call 770-463-8881 for an appointment.
College Park
City Hall is closed, but the drive-through customer service window is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents who want to discuss their utility bills can use the drive-through window at City Hall or call the customer service line, 404-669-6759.
Permits and inspections are not deemed essential services during this crisis, so those services have been tabled, said city manager Terrence Moore.
The city did extend the date for business license renewals and mixed-drink tax payments to April 30, 2020.
As for property taxes, he said those were due on Dec. 31 and are not currently an issue.
East Point
All city buildings are closed to the public until further notice. Employees are teleworking from home and are coming into the building as needed to provide services to residents, said city spokeswoman Shannon Wiggins.
Starting on Thursday, March 26, the city suspended disconnection of utility services and will not charge late fees. But people can still pay their bills at eastpointcity.org, at a drop box 2791 East Point St., by mail to the same address or by phone at 404-270-7010.
Applicants for permits and inspections can still submit inspection request forms online at https://www.eastpointcity.org/staff-directory/#planning-and-community-development or by mail at 2757 East Point St. A staff member from the Inspections Division will contact each applicant individually.
The city won’t accept applications or issue permits for events that involve the gathering of more than the number of people recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Business license renewal payments and stand-alone trade permit payments will be accepted by mail only at 2757 East Point St.
No municipal court trials will be held until the week of June 15, 2020. All arraignments will be reset to the month of May starting the week of May 18, 2020. All fines can be paid online at www.eastpointcity.org. There will not be any fine for a failure to appear fines. Ticket amnesty will be extended to May. All non-essential court cases will not be held for 60 days. Code enforcement cases deemed an emergency by the chief judge will be heard on a case-by-case basis.
Property tax payments and homestead exemption applications will can be submitted by mail at 2757 East Point St. or online at www.eastpointcity.org. The deadline is April 1, 2020.
Fairburn
Fairburn City Hall closed on Thursday, March 26 “until further notice.” Mayor Elizabeth Carr-Hurst said they closed the building because an employee there may have been exposed to the virus, but all other city buildings are open on a limited basis. People can still call city hall, 770-964-2244, during normal business hours.
The utilities department is closed to the public, but people pay online at https://www.fairburn.com/146/Make-a-Payment. On March 25, the mayor said, her administration issued a 30-day moratorium on cutting off service. "We're doing 30 to start with," she said.
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With staff still in the office, residents and entrepreneurs looking for permits and inspections can make an appointment online at https://www.fairburn.com/584/License-Permits-Forms-Documents and will come in one at a time so as to maintain social distancing and ensure no large crowds.
The mayor said no business owners will be punished for expired licenses until April 9, at which time she said they would reassess. “We’re not going to put anyone out of business,” she said.
The courts closed to the public March 13 “until further notice.” The city said all cases will be “reset by mail to the address on the citation.” She said workers are at the courts to reschedule dates.
The city has extending the occupational tax deadline to April 15.
Hapeville
City Hall is closed to the public until at least March 31. Some employees are working from home, but they are keeping the same hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., said city manager Tim Young.
Residents are still being charged for utilities, but the city has suspended any disconnections for the immediate period.
All public events that have been permitted through the city through March will be canceled or postponed. “We will evaluate April events and provide updates accordingly,” according to the city website.
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Young said they try to take as many applications as they can online at https://www.hapeville.org/90/Permits-and-Inspection. He said meetings will happen electronically over video or phone.
He said there will be no late fees for expired business licenses until July 1. It was March 31, but he said they moved it back due to the crisis.
Hapeville’s municipal court is suspended through April 30, 2020.
As for property taxes, people can pay electronically or by mail. Homeowners won’t get billed until likely September, and payments won’t be due until 45 days after.
Johns Creek
City Hall’s departments and staff operate remotely between 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Reach city officials at 678-512-3200.
Municipal court is closed through April 17.
Community Development staff is processing permits by email. Visit tinyurl.com/uzst9cx for more.
Inspections continue to take place within 24 hours of the request. Call 678-512-3330 or use the JC Now app.
The deadline for business occupational tax payments has been extended to May 31.
Milton
The city continues to conduct business from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Call 678-242-2500 for more information.
Municipal court is closed through April 12.
Permit applications and inspection requests continue to be processed, however, there could be delays. City officials meet with clients by video conferencing and phone.
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Business license renewals have been extended from to April 30.
Milton collects its portion of the property taxes. Bills are not due until October 1 annually, however, supplemental bills are due April 13. That date has not yet changed.
Mountain Park
The Northside city of roughly 600 people declared a coronavirus state of emergency effective Tuesday, March 24.
The declaration closed City Hall to the public and the city’s pool along with other municipal buildings. The park is open, but the declaration barred activities involving groups larger than 10 people.
Palmetto
The city said all electric, water, sewer and garbage payments that are past due and scheduled for disconnect on March 22 will be extended for 30 days.
The company that picks up trash in the city, Waste Management, has “reduced services due to a reduced number of employees in the field because of the coronavirus pandemic.” Any waste outside of the bin will not be picked up.
Municipal court hearings slated for April 7 have been reset until June 2.
Roswell
City Hall is closed and departments are operating with reduced staff. Call 770-641-3727 to reach city government.
Municipal court is closed through April 16.
Community Development is providing fewer services. All inquiries are handled by email and phone: lbromberg@roswellgov.com and 470-525-0871.
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Permit applications and plan reviews could take longer than expected. Inspections are taking place on a limited basis. For more information, visit roswellgov.com.
The payment due date for business licensing fees has been extended to May 25.
Sandy Springs
City Hall is operating remotely during general business hours, Monday-Friday. They can be reached at 770-730-5600.
Municipal court is closed until further notice.
Building permit applications and inspection requests continue to be processed. Applications must be submitted online. Inspection requests submitted by 2 p.m. on a business day will be scheduled for the following business day. For more information visit tinyurl.com/u9hmdzh or sandyspringsga.gov.
The due date for business license fees has been extended to May 31.
Credit: Curtis Compton
Credit: Curtis Compton
South Fulton
City offices are closed to the public. But for non-emergencies and for information, residents can use the SeeClickFix app or call the 24-hour 311 call center at 470-522-4311.
The city does not offer utility services, like water and sanitation. Water is provided by the city of Atlanta and independent contractors handle sanitation services in the city. A list of those can be found online at https://www.cityofsouthfultonga.gov/2565/Sanitation.
The permit division closed Monday, March 16. So the process has moved online. Permitting staff can be reached between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. at permits@cityofsouthfultonga.gov or by calling 678-333-6900 or 229-603-9046.
Applications for fences and retaining walls, administrative permits, special events, film production, residential alterations and additions, or trades (electrical, mechanical, plumbing), can be submitted electronically to permits@cityofsouthfultonga.gov. The same goes for any fee payment or certificate of occupancy application.
All new permit applications that require physical plans have the preferred option of being uploaded to file sharing through a Dropbox account.
New applications and plans can also be mailed to: City of South Fulton Permitting Division; 5440 Fulton Industrial Boulevard SW Suite A
Atlanta, Ga. 30336
The city’s municipal court has postponed all cases. The city added: “Notices of new court dates will be sent to the address on record for individuals whose court date was scheduled during the COVID-19 crisis. Ticket payment information is available online at www.southfultonpay.com or by calling 1-855-867-6655. No bench warrants will be issued during the time court is suspended.”
April 1 is the deadline for South Fulton’s homestead exemption.
Union City
Like many around the region, Union City's government on Friday ordered residents to shelter in place until 11:59 p.m. on April 27. The order also barred disconnecting any public utility service due to non-payment until May 13. But the city still encourages customers to make utility payments online at https://www.unioncityga.org/departments/finance/utility-billing-and-services/pay-your-bill-online, by phone at 866-990-9566, via payment drop box located in the side parking lot of City Hall, 5047 Union St., or by mail to the same address at City Hall.
The city’s government offices are closed to the public,but residents can contact the city at 770-964-2288 or reach out to them using @unioncitygov on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Starting Monday, March 16, the city’s municipal court suspended all court hearings for 30 day. They will hold first appearance hearings by video as needed. The clerk’s office also shut down to the public for two weeks, starting on the same day.
Permit applications can be accessed via the city's website. Once completed, applications may be emailed to Development@unioncityga.org. Fees for permits may be paid via the city's website as well. The inspection process has not changed. The inspection request line is 770-474-9393. Requests made before 4 p.m. will be handled the following business day.
Properties taxes were due Nov. 25, 2019, and payments could be made online at https://www.unioncityga.org/departments/finance/property-taxes. Business licenses can be paid online as well at https://www.unioncityga.org/departments/finance/occupational-tax-certificate.
