I have a hard time with plan review in my area. They send it out to one department at a time. Example water dept takes 3 weeks, then to fire marshal 3 weeks, then planning zoning etc etc. 3 months minimum for a project I will complete in a couple days. (Cobb county)
Ga law requires an inspection within 48 hours or you can use any approved inspector. You also have the ability to use an engineer in lieu of city/county inspectors.
I have been out of government inspections for a few years. I’m still very active but looking to see what issues everyone is having before I look into going back into inspections full time.
In GA an HOA can make things more restrictive but does not overrule any codes. We only enforce the state minimum codes and do not get involved in anything civil.