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Basement remodeling in Marietta turns a bare or dated basement into finished rooms, from framing and drywall to baths and bars. We match Cobb County homeowners with the same vetted, licensed contractor that serves metro Atlanta. You get a free on-site estimate and a written, itemised quote. The contractor pulls permits with the right office.
Marietta basements
The City of Marietta handles permits for addresses inside city limits. Cobb County handles unincorporated Marietta addresses. Your contractor checks which office covers your street and files there.
Many Marietta homes sit on sloped lots, so walkout and daylight basements are common. Red clay soil holds water. Your contractor checks for moisture before any framing goes up.
The same vetted contractor that serves Atlanta covers Marietta. The route also runs through Smyrna and Acworth. Only that one contractor calls you about your project.
Marietta permit guide
Look up your parcel in the Cobb County property records and read the tax district line. A tax district of (4) MARIETTA puts your home inside city limits. A tax district of (9) UNINCORPORATED means Cobb County has jurisdiction.
A Marietta mailing address alone cannot answer the question. Two houses on the same road can fall in different districts. Checking the parcel first keeps your application from landing at the wrong office.
Yes, a Marietta homeowner can act as their own building contractor if they meet the state conditions and submit a notarized affidavit. The City of Marietta explains these terms on its homeowner permit page.
Trade work is where the limit sits. Homeowners cannot apply for mechanical, electrical or plumbing permits in the city. A professional license holder must apply for those. Nearly every basement finish adds circuits, and many add a bathroom or new duct runs.
A homeowner application also needs the notarized owner affidavit, a recent utility bill or deed, a copy of a driver's license and construction plans. City permits are filed online through SAGESGOV. Your matched contractor files the building permit and lines up licensed trades for the rest.
Painting and new flooring need no permit inside Marietta city limits. The city lists painting, flooring and fencing as work that skips the permit step.
Framing a wall or moving a door counts as an alteration. Extra outlets, vent runs and plumbing fixtures count as system work. Each one goes on a permit and gets inspected before drywall hides it.
Swapping carpet for vinyl plank or painting block walls can start right away. Anything that touches wiring, plumbing or structure waits for the permit.
Most costly errors in a Marietta basement happen during planning, long before paint goes on. Watch for these before framing starts:
Sources: City of Marietta, Homeowners Building Permit (September 2026)
What a full finish looks like
Before
AfterExample of a full finish. Your contractor shows you photos of their own local projects.
Marietta pricing
$45K to $80K
Typical full finish, metro Atlanta. Source: one atlanta design-build firm's published range, checked September 2026.
Read the Atlanta cost guideQuestions
Straight answers. Ask your contractor anything else at the free estimate.
Unpermitted work can be flagged later and may have to be opened up for inspection. It often surfaces during a sale, when buyers ask for permit records. A permit at the start keeps the new rooms on the official record.
The City of Marietta charges $5 per $1,000 of total construction cost, counting labor and materials. A $50 base fee applies, and there is no plan review fee.
A bathroom and any cut into the foundation tend to cost the most. Fixtures below the sewer line need a pump, and an egress window means cutting concrete and digging a well. Framing and drywall cost less per foot but cover the most area.
Read reviews on more than one site and look for photos of finished basements nearby. Ask your matched contractor for pictures of recent Cobb County jobs. Confirm their Georgia license is current before you sign anything.
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What happens next