Shipping Container Homes in Georgia: State Codes, Savannah and Modular Rules

Georgia sets a mandatory minimum building code for the whole state, and cities and counties decide whether to enforce it locally and how to zone. Its factory-built rules define a shipping container building module. Of the places we checked, Savannah has the most explicit container language in its zoning text.

This page collects what we could confirm from state agencies, statutes and city documents. For costs, layouts and the build itself, see our guide to shipping container homes, and for the comparison with other states see which states allow shipping container homes.

Key takeaways

• The 2024 IBC and IRC with Georgia amendments became mandatory state codes on January 1, 2026.
• Those codes apply to all construction, whether or not the local government enforces them.
• Georgia’s rules define a Shipping Container Building Module for the factory-built program.
• Savannah says shipping containers may not be used as ADUs, and we could not confirm the final text of its November 2025 ADU amendment.
• We found no statewide ADU law, and owner-builders who build on their own land for their own use or occupancy need no contractor license.

State building codes

The Department of Community Affairs adopted the 2024 International Building Code and the 2024 International Residential Code, each with Georgia amendments, as mandatory state codes effective January 1, 2026, together with the 2023 NEC and the 2024 fire, mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas and swimming pool codes. Under O.C.G.A. 8-2-25 the mandatory state minimum codes have statewide application without local adoption, and counties and municipalities are authorized, but not required, to enforce them. A local government that does enforce them must use the latest editions and DCA’s amendments, and it may add stricter local amendments for climatic, geologic, topographic or public safety reasons, which are reviewed by DCA. DCA has also published a notice proposing new Georgia amendments to the 2024 IBC, the 2024 IEBC and the 2024 IPMC for January 1, 2027. The notice does not propose a new residential code. The Board of Community Affairs is due to consider adoption on November 19, 2026.

In the parts of DCA’s 2024 IRC amendment packet that we could read, only one item within Section R301 is changed, and we found no amendment to the climatic table or to the model code provision on intermodal shipping containers. We could not run a full-text search of the packets, so treat this as a pointer. Wind, snow and frost design values appear to be set by each local jurisdiction, so ask the building department for its design criteria sheet.

Energy code

Georgia’s 2024 IRC amendments delete the energy chapter of the IRC and point to the Georgia State Minimum Standard Energy Code instead, which is the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code with Georgia supplements and amendments. The wall insulation for a steel-framed container home therefore comes from that energy code, not from the IRC. DCA’s list of codes adopted effective January 2026 contains no energy code, so the edition did not change in that round.

The factory-built route

Georgia’s Industrialized Buildings Program, run by DCA, requires manufacturers of factory-built closed-construction buildings to obtain state approval of their manufacturing systems and quality control procedures. Manufactured HUD homes are excluded. The rules, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 110-2-2-.02, define a Shipping Container Building Module as a new or used container that an approved third-party agency has inspected, tested and certified under approved quality control and inspection protocols. They define a container as a single rigid, sealed, reusable metal box for shipping cargo, generally 10, 20, 30 or 40 feet long, built to ISO and ICSC standards. In the rules we read, the container-specific text is limited to these definitions, so the practical requirement comes from the general manufacturer approval and third-party certification system.

DCA states that zoning, setbacks and land use stay with the local government even for approved industrialized buildings, but a local government may not exclude one from a zoning district solely because it was built off site. Whether a one-off owner-built container needs approval under this program is not answered on DCA’s pages, so ask the department at codes@dca.ga.gov before you order a finished module.

Local rules

Savannah’s text matters most. The ordinance as shown in the Planning Commission’s 2023 ADU exhibit says that manufactured homes, shipping containers, recreational vehicles and travel trailers shall not be used as accessory dwelling units. The city’s Metropolitan Planning Commission recommended approval of a new ADU amendment on October 28, 2025, loosening ADU standards for location, setbacks, size, lot area, architectural style and height, and City Council passed it 8 to 0 on November 25, 2025. We have not read the adopted text, so we cannot say whether the container sentence was kept. Ask the Metropolitan Planning Commission before you plan a container ADU in Savannah.

We found no statewide ADU law. House Bill 1166 of 2026 would have exempted dwellings of 400 square feet or less from local zoning decisions. It passed the House in March 2026, but we found no ADU act among the laws enacted in the 2026 session. Georgia Act 513, effective July 1, 2026, changes building permit procedures and requires local governments to provide real-time status information on permit applications.

Owner-builders

Georgia does not require a contractor license for a person to build their own home. The exemption in O.C.G.A. 43-41-17(h) covers a structure on land the person owns that is intended solely for that person’s own use or occupancy and not offered for sale or lease. The owner must personally supervise the work, and building and selling repeatedly within 24 months loses the exemption.

Septic, water and mountains

Under Department of Public Health Rule 511-3-1-.03, a construction permit from the County Health Department is required before starting a lot or structure that will use an on-site sewage system. The County Board of Health must approve or disapprove a completed application within twenty days, and the permit stays valid for at most twelve months. The same rule requires connection to a public or community sewage system if one is available within 200 feet of the property. The department’s manual for on-site sewage management gives recommended minimum lot sizes for a single-family home on septic of half an acre with public water and one acre with a private well, and counties may require more.

In the north Georgia mountains, the state’s Mountain Protection criteria apply to land 2,200 feet or more above mean sea level with a slope of 25 percent or greater for at least 500 feet horizontally. They limit single-family dwellings to one per acre, with exemptions for some older lots, structures to 40 feet above the crest, and tree removal during land disturbance to 50 percent of existing trees, unless a forester-prepared reforestation plan is filed. Local governments with a protected mountain must adopt them in a Mountain Protection Plan.

What containers cost in Georgia

These are median depot prices from our October 2026 price index. Each metro has at least three independent suppliers. Delivery is not included, and transport cost depends on distance from the depot. For site preparation see our foundation guide, and the build guide covers the order of work.

Listings

Containers for Georgia builds available now

Most container homes start with high cube containers, new or in premium used condition. Starting prices come from current inventory at US depots. Pick a container and vetted local suppliers send delivered quotes for your ZIP code.

Depot prices updated October 2026

New

40ft High Cube New

One-trip

As-new high cube with clean paint and floors. The first choice for container homes, offices and long term use.

40′ x 8′ x 9’6″ · 2,690 cu ft

from $3,145

Most metros $3,595 to $3,945 · depot price

Get delivered priceDetails

New

20ft High Cube New

One-trip

One foot taller inside. The usual base for tiny homes, workshops and tall equipment.

20′ x 8′ x 9’6″ · 1,360 cu ft

from $2,895

Most metros $2,995 to $3,145 · depot price

Get delivered priceDetails

Used

40ft High Cube Used

Premium grade

Higher grade used high cube with fewer dents. A smart pick for conversions on a budget.

40′ x 8′ x 9’6″ · 2,690 cu ft

from $1,695

Most metros $1,795 to $2,145 · depot price

Get delivered priceDetails

Used

40ft High Cube Used

Cargo worthy (CW)

Extra foot of height for racking and bulky goods, at used container prices.

40′ x 8′ x 9’6″ · 2,690 cu ft

from $1,495

Most metros $1,745 to $2,045 · depot price

Get delivered priceDetails

Starting prices at the depot, based on current inventory at major US container depots. Delivery, sales tax and local fees are extra and depend on your ZIP code. Your supplier confirms the final price in your quote.

See all containers and prices

Listing prices above are US-wide depot prices from our supplier network. For Georgia metros, use the median table further up.

Before you buy a container for a Georgia build

1. Ask the building department which codes it enforces and for its design criteria sheet.
2. Check zoning and ADU rules, and in Savannah ask about the container sentence.
3. If you want a finished module, ask DCA about the Industrialized Buildings Program.
4. Start the septic permit with the County Health Department.
5. Hire an engineer and request delivered quotes.

Planning a build in another state? See our guides for Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee.