How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Cost in Metro Atlanta?

The 2025 Cost vs. Value report has a page for Atlanta, so metro Atlanta homeowners get a city-level benchmark instead of a regional guess. It puts a minor midrange kitchen at $28,359, a major midrange kitchen at $79,591 and a major upscale kitchen at $157,713 in job cost. Most of the gap between those three numbers comes from cabinets: whether the boxes stay, and whether the new ones are semi-custom or fully custom.

How to read these numbers: figures credited to a named report are quoted from it. The ranges labeled “Renovexus planning estimate” are ours: we take the Cost vs. Value Atlanta job cost for that scope and add or subtract 25 percent, rounded to the nearest $1,000. The band exists because the report prices one defined 200-square-foot kitchen, and yours will differ in size and finish. Get written bids before you set a budget.

Costs at a glance

Georgia is in the South Atlantic region. The report’s region names follow the U.S. Census Bureau’s divisions, and the Census Bureau places Georgia in the South Atlantic division. The Atlanta figures run slightly below the regional ones for all three kitchen scopes.

What each scope means

All three Cost vs. Value projects assume a 200-square-foot kitchen with 30 linear feet of cabinets and counters.

Minor midrange remodel: $28,359 in Atlanta. The cabinet boxes stay. New shaker-style door and drawer fronts and hardware go on, the range and refrigerator are replaced with energy-efficient models, laminate counters are replaced, and you get a midpriced sink and faucet, resilient flooring and paint. The report estimates a resale value of $31,712, or 111.8 percent of the cost.

Major midrange remodel: $79,591 in Atlanta. New semi-custom wood cabinets including a 3-by-5-foot island, laminate counters, a double-bowl stainless sink, an energy-efficient range, vented hood, built-in microwave, dishwasher, disposal, custom lighting, resilient flooring and paint. The report estimates 52.5 percent recouped at resale.

Major upscale remodel: $157,713 in Atlanta. Top-of-the-line custom cabinets with built-in sliding shelves, stone counters with an imported tile backsplash, a built-in refrigerator, commercial-grade cooktop and hood, wall oven, built-in microwave, high-end undermount sink with water filtration, new general and task lighting and tile flooring. The report estimates 36.1 percent recouped at resale.

What drives the cost

Cabinets. Angi calls cabinetry the single largest cost driver in most kitchen remodels, at $2,000 to $28,000 or more, and says cabinets can account for 40 percent or more of the total.

Layout. Angi puts relocating a gas line at $375 to $750 and new or replaced kitchen piping at $1,500 to $15,000. Moving a sink or range also pulls trade permits into the job (see below).

Countertops and backsplash. Angi puts installed countertops at $1,800 to $4,400 on average, with premium materials past $10,000, and a backsplash at $500 to $1,500.

Labor and management. Angi estimates installation labor at about 25 percent of a kitchen remodel and a general contractor’s fee at 10 to 20 percent of the project. It suggests holding a cushion of at least 10 percent for surprises.

Permits. Angi’s national range for kitchen permits is $460 to $2,770, since most remodels need several. Metro Atlanta fees are set by whichever city or county the house is in.

Permits in Atlanta, Cobb and Gwinnett

If your home is inside a city limit, that city may run its own permit office, so check which jurisdiction you are in before you apply.

City of Atlanta: what is exempt. The Department of City Planning lists exemptions under Ordinance 17-O-1307. No permit or fee is required for repair work with a total valuation under $10,000. For existing one- and two-family homes, these are exempt regardless of cost:

• Repair or replacement of kitchen cabinets.
• Repair or replacement of floor and wall coverings such as tile, hardwood and wallpaper.
• Interior painting.
• Repair or replacement of existing kitchen sinks.
• Repair or replacement of existing electrical outlets and fixtures.

The exemptions do not apply to exterior work on landmark or historic properties governed by Chapter 20 of the zoning ordinance, where the threshold is $2,500. New circuits, moved plumbing or a moved wall need permits.

City of Atlanta: fees. A building permit is $7 per $1,000 of construction cost with a $150 minimum, plus a $25 technology fee per permit. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits each carry a $150 base fee, the $25 technology fee, and additional fees based on project scope. As our own arithmetic: a $50,000 kitchen remodel comes to $350 plus $25 for the building permit, and at least $175 each for electrical and plumbing, or about $725 before scope-based trade fees. Apply through the city’s online permitting portal.

Cobb County. The county schedule (effective July 1, 2024) sets residential building permit fees by construction cost: $80 up to $15,000, $150 to $25,000, $300 to $50,000, $450 to $75,000, and $6 per $1,000 above that. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas trade permits are $80 each, and a $15 technology fee applies to every permit. Starting before the permit is issued costs double the permit fee, up to $1,000.

Gwinnett County. The county schedule (effective July 1, 2024) charges a flat $125 residential renovation permit for projects valued under $75,000, and $4 per $1,000 of construction value for renovations of $75,000 or more.

Our Georgia kitchen and bathroom permit guide has more on permits across metro Atlanta, including DeKalb County.

Check the contractor’s Georgia license

Georgia’s Residential and General Contractors law, O.C.G.A. Chapter 43-41, defines a residential contractor as someone doing this work where the total value of the work or the contractor’s compensation, whichever is higher, exceeds $2,500. A kitchen remodel at any of the costs in this guide is above that line. The license comes in two residential tiers, Residential Basic and Residential Light Commercial.

Three things to check:

• The license is active. Search the company or person on the Secretary of State’s license verification page. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division describes the path from sos.ga.gov: Licensing, then Licensee Search, then Residential and General Contractors.
• The trades are licensed too. The same statute says electrical, plumbing, conditioned air and low voltage work may not be performed by the residential contractor unless the person doing it holds that trade license.
• Insurance. The Board’s FAQ lists general liability minimums of $300,000 per occurrence for Residential Basic and $500,000 for Residential Light Commercial. Ask for the certificate.

Georgia’s law also requires a licensed residential contractor to offer a written warranty on contracts for a single-family home over $2,500. The Consumer Protection Division advises getting a contract with every guarantee and promise in writing, paying by milestones, and keeping the down payment to 25 percent, or at most one-third, of the total. Our Georgia license guide walks through the lookup.

How to compare quotes

1. Name the scope. Ask each contractor whether the bid keeps your cabinet boxes (minor), replaces them with semi-custom (major midrange) or goes fully custom (upscale). Those three cost $28,359, $79,591 and $157,713 in Atlanta.
2. Get cabinets as their own line. Brand, construction and finish, separate from installation.
3. Ask who pulls which permits. In Atlanta, a cabinet swap may need none, but new circuits and moved plumbing need trade permits from licensed trades.
4. Check the license, the trade licenses and the insurance certificate before you pay anything.
5. Read the payment schedule. Milestone payments, with a down payment no higher than the Consumer Protection Division’s 25 percent to one-third guidance.
6. Hold back a cushion. Angi suggests at least 10 percent.

FAQ

How much does a kitchen remodel cost in Atlanta?

The 2025 Cost vs. Value report puts a minor midrange kitchen in Atlanta at $28,359, a major midrange kitchen at $79,591 and a major upscale kitchen at $157,713. Our planning estimates for metro Atlanta are $21,000 to $35,000, $60,000 to $99,000 and $118,000 to $197,000 for those three scopes.

Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Atlanta?

Not in the City of Atlanta for an existing one- or two-family home. The city lists repair or replacement of kitchen cabinets, floor coverings, painting, existing kitchen sinks and existing outlets and fixtures as exempt regardless of cost. New wiring, moved plumbing and structural work still need permits.

What does a kitchen permit cost in the City of Atlanta?

A building permit is $7 per $1,000 of construction cost with a $150 minimum, plus a $25 technology fee per permit. Electrical and plumbing permits each carry a $150 base fee plus the technology fee and scope-based charges. By our arithmetic, a $50,000 kitchen comes to about $725 before scope-based trade fees.

When does a Georgia kitchen contractor need a license?

When the total value of the work or the contractor’s pay, whichever is higher, exceeds $2,500. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work must be done by people holding those trade licenses. Check both on the Georgia Secretary of State’s verification site.

Does a kitchen remodel pay off at resale in Atlanta?

In the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, a minor midrange kitchen in Atlanta recouped 111.8 percent of its cost, a major midrange kitchen 52.5 percent and a major upscale kitchen 36.1 percent.

Comparing metro Atlanta kitchen remodelers? See them ranked in Georgia, or by town in Atlanta, Marietta and Lawrenceville. County lists: Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb.

Sources

1. JLC/Remodeling Cost vs. Value 2025: Atlanta, Georgia jlconline.com
2. JLC/Remodeling Cost vs. Value 2025: South Atlantic Region jlconline.com
3. U.S. Census Bureau: Census Regions and Divisions of the United States www2.census.gov
4. Angi: How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Cost? (updated Sep 4, 2026) angi.com
5. Houzz: 11 Things to Know About Home Renovations Today (2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study) houzz.com
6. City of Atlanta Department of City Planning: Getting Started (permit exemptions and fees) atlantaga.gov
7. Cobb County Development & Inspections: Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective July 1, 2024) assets.cobbcounty.gov
8. Gwinnett County Planning & Development: Fee Schedule (effective July 1, 2024) gwinnettcounty.com
9. O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 41: Residential and General Contractors (Georgia Secretary of State copy) sos.ga.gov
10. Georgia Secretary of State: Residential and Commercial General Contractors FAQ sos.ga.gov
11. Georgia Secretary of State: License Verification verify.sos.ga.gov
12. Georgia Department of Law Consumer Protection Division: How can I verify a contractor is licensed and insured? consumered.georgia.gov