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How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Structural Engineer in Atlanta? [2025 Data]
Normal Range: $348 - $574
Hiring a structural engineer in Atlanta, GA costs $452 on average, or between $348 and $574, depending on the exact services you need from a pro.
How we get this data
Cost Insights
Structural engineer costs in Atlanta, GA, increase with inspection type, ranging from $400 to $900, and foundation evaluations reaching $1,200 or more.
Older Atlanta homes on red clay soil often require added calculations, raising engineering fees to $2,300 to $8,000.
Complex remodels or new construction needing stamped plans can push total engineering costs toward $3,000 to $15,000.
As one of the fastest-growing metros in the Southeast, homeowners in Atlanta, Georgia, should plan carefully when budgeting for structural work. Structural engineer costs in Atlanta average $452, with most projects ranging from $348 to $574.
From historic bungalows in Grant Park to newer builds in Buckhead and West Midtown, many Atlanta homes need detailed load calculations, foundation assessments, or beam sizing before renovations. Local factors, like clay-heavy soils, humid summers, and steep grading in some neighborhoods, can also influence total pricing. Below, explore what you can expect to pay when hiring a structural engineer in Atlanta.
Structural Engineer Cost Factors
Structural engineer cost factors in Atlanta, Georgia, depend on fee structure, inspection type, and project complexity, especially when evaluating signs of structural damage or preparing engineering plans for the city’s clay-heavy soils and diverse home construction.
Fee Structure
When hiring a structural engineer in Atlanta, you will pay per project, per hour, or per square foot. If your engineer charges by the project, they may either charge a flat fee or a percentage of the entire renovation cost or the cost to build a house. The type of billing depends on the professional and the exact scope of work requested.
| Price Structure | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Per project (fee) | $2,300–$8,000 |
| Per project (%) | 1%–10% |
| Per hour | $105–$200 |
| Per square foot | $2–$9 |
Project Complexity
The cost of a structural engineer for a home inspection will also vary based on the complexity of your project. If you’re just building an add-on to your existing home, your engineer will have minimal work to do to ensure the addition is safe.
If you’re instead altering your roof structure, replacing standard beams with more supportive steel I-beams to open up your space, or removing load-bearing walls, your engineer will have more work to do and will charge more accordingly. Custom new construction projects are the most involved and will be the most expensive.
Type of Inspection
When working with a structural engineer, an inspection is the first step—and may also be the only step, depending on why you’re hiring them. A structural engineer charges a flat fee for inspections, including checks during the sale of a home. The cost of a structural report sits at $575, but prices can range from $400 to $900, depending on the size and complexity of your home.
Your structural engineer inspection cost will likely reach $1,200 or more if you’re having your professional perform a foundation inspection for foundational cracks, bowing foundation walls, wavy rooflines, or sagging or squeaky floors.
| Type of Inspection | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Beams/joists/trusses | $450–$650 |
| Buying or selling a home | $650-$900 |
| Foundation damage | $800–$1,500 |
| Home remodel | $800–$1,500 |
| Load-bearing walls | $800–$1,800 |
| New construction | $450–$800 |
| Storm damage | $600–$1,200 |
Engineer Plans
Engineer plans are the drawings that detail the construction project, and in the case of new construction, they’re the plans that an architect and builder will work off of to construct your home safely.
The engineer plans themselves, and the process to produce them, will cost you anywhere from $500 to $2,500, depending on the scope of the project. The cost can be much higher for more complex, large-scale projects, sometimes reaching 45% of the engineering budget. It’s a good idea to budget an additional $300 to $700 for revisions in case you want to make changes after the first round of drafting. Additional revisions after that point will cost the same amount.
Below, we've included some average pricing for standard drawings you might request from a structural engineer:
| Drawing Type | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Commercial construction | $6,000–$130,000 |
| Home add-on or bump-out | $3,000–$8,000 |
| Major home renovation | $3,000–$10,000 |
| New construction | $3,500–$15,000 |
| Outbuilding construction | $1,000–$12,000 |
Additional Structural Engineer Costs
Structural engineering work in Atlanta often includes additional expenses related to local labor rates, documentation requirements, and permitting requirements. These location-specific factors can meaningfully influence what homeowners ultimately pay for their project.
Labor
Labor often represents the largest share of your total cost, especially given rising engineering demand in fast-growing Atlanta neighborhoods. A professional structural engineer inspection in Atlanta reflects hourly rates between $105 and $200, with higher pricing for older homes, crawl-space evaluations, or projects involving expansive red clay soil common across Fulton and DeKalb counties.
PE Stamps
Many Atlanta projects require PE-stamped drawings for permitting, especially when altering load-bearing walls, reinforcing foundations, or adding second stories. A PE stamp in Atlanta costs $150 to $400, but fees can reach $600 or more when additional calculations or revisions are needed to satisfy the city’s structural and wind-load requirements.
Permits
While structural engineering work in Atlanta itself doesn’t require a permit, most construction that follows does. Homeowners, not engineers, must pay these fees, which range from $150 to $600 for small structural alterations and can exceed $1,000 for home additions or major renovations, depending on the project’s total valuation.
Taxes
Georgia and the City of Atlanta do not charge sales tax on professional engineering services, meaning homeowners do not pay tax on structural engineering labor or drawings. However, Atlanta’s 8.9% sales tax applies to any taxable building materials purchased for the construction phase, and homeowners must cover these material-related taxes along with any administrative filing fees.
Tipping
Tipping is not expected for structural engineers in Atlanta, though some homeowners choose to offer a small courtesy gesture, often $20 to $40, if the engineer provides extra on-site guidance, rushes documentation, or helps troubleshoot unexpected structural concerns. This is entirely optional and not part of standard engineering practice.
Can a Structural Engineer Add Value to Your Home?
Hiring a structural engineer doesn’t create a direct return on investment (ROI) on its own—your ROI depends on the construction project their work supports. For example, if you hire a structural engineer in Atlanta because you’re planning a home addition, you may see an ROI of 20% to 50% depending on size, materials, and neighborhood demand. If you’re hiring a structural engineer for a pre-purchase structural inspection or to assess post-storm settling in Atlanta’s red clay soil, the financial return is smaller, though the risk reduction and negotiating power can still provide meaningful long-term value.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to [email protected]. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
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