County Permit and Inspection Offices

In North Carolina, the office that issues your permit depends on where the house sits. Some cities run their own inspections departments. Other cities rely on the county. A few counties share one department with their largest city. The list below shows who handles building permits for each county we cover.

Why this matters: the Office of State Fire Marshal has said that converting a vented crawl space to a closed crawl space needs a permit regardless of cost. The closed crawl space code summary explains why. Phone numbers below are the ones published on each government's own website. Offices reorganize, so confirm on the linked page before you visit.

Mecklenburg County

Who inspects: Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement (part of LUESA) issues building permits across the county, including Charlotte and Huntersville. The county asks applicants to clear zoning with their town first.

• Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement: 980-314-2633 (980-314-CODE)

Wake County

Who inspects: Raleigh, Cary and Apex each run their own inspections. Wake County covers unincorporated areas and some smaller towns under contract.

• City of Raleigh Planning and Development: Permit Helpline 919-996-2500
• Town of Cary Inspections and Permits: 311 inside Cary, or 919-469-4000
• Town of Apex Building Inspections and Permitting: 919-249-3418
• Wake County Permits and Inspections: 919-856-6222

Guilford County

Who inspects: Greensboro and High Point each have their own departments. Guilford County Inspections covers unincorporated areas and several towns under contract.

• City of Greensboro Engineering and Inspections: 336-373-2155 (Development Services, building permits)
• City of High Point Inspections Services: 336-883-3151
• Guilford County Inspections: 336-641-3707 (Permits Section)

Forsyth County

Who inspects: One combined Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division serves Winston-Salem and the county. It is run through the City of Winston-Salem.

• Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division: 336-727-2624

Durham County

Who inspects: The City of Durham and Durham County share a single department. It was formerly called City-County Inspections and is now named City-County Building and Safety.

• Durham City-County Building and Safety Department: 919-560-4144

Cumberland County

Who inspects: Fayetteville runs its own permitting and inspections. The county covers everywhere except Fayetteville, Hope Mills and Spring Lake.

• City of Fayetteville Permitting and Inspections: 910-433-1707
• Cumberland County Building Inspections and Permitting: 910-321-6636

New Hanover County

Who inspects: The City of Wilmington says New Hanover County issues all building permits inside the city. Zoning questions still go to the city.

• New Hanover County Building Safety: 910-798-7308

Cabarrus County

Who inspects: Cabarrus County Construction Standards handles building permits and inspections. Cabarrus County, Concord and Kannapolis share one online permitting system.

• Cabarrus County Construction Standards: 704-920-2128

Buncombe County

Who inspects: Asheville has its own Development Services Department. Buncombe County Permits and Inspections serves the rest of the county.

• City of Asheville Development Services: Permit Application Center 828-259-5846
• Buncombe County Permits and Inspections: 828-250-5360

Pitt County

Who inspects: Greenville has its own Inspections Division. Pitt County runs a separate permitting center.

• City of Greenville Inspections Division: 252-329-4466
• Pitt County Permitting and Inspections: 252-902-3150

Gaston County

Who inspects: The City of Gastonia lists its own Building Inspections Division for building and trade permits. Gaston County Building and Development Services handles county permits. The county's own pages list two different main numbers, so call the county to confirm the inspections contact.

• City of Gastonia Building Inspections Division: 704-866-6729
• Gaston County Building and Development Services: number not confirmed. Use the contact details on the linked page.

Onslow County

Who inspects: Jacksonville runs its own building inspections. Onslow County's Central Permitting Office covers the unincorporated county.

• City of Jacksonville Building Inspections: 910-938-5232
• Onslow County Central Permitting: 910-455-3661

Orange County

Who inspects: Chapel Hill issues its own permits through Building and Development Services. Orange County Planning and Inspections covers other areas.

• Town of Chapel Hill Building and Development Services: 919-968-2718
• Orange County Building Inspections: 919-245-2600

Alamance County

Who inspects: Burlington has its own Inspections Department. The Alamance County Inspections Department serves the county.

• City of Burlington Inspections: 336-222-5080
• Alamance County Inspections Department: 336-290-0404

Nash County

Who inspects: Rocky Mount, which spans Nash and Edgecombe counties, handles inspections through its Development Services department. Nash County Planning and Inspections covers the unincorporated county.

• City of Rocky Mount Development Services: 252-972-1172
• Nash County Planning and Inspections: 252-459-9809

Before you call

• Have the property address and parcel number ready. Most offices also want the contractor's name and license number.
• Ask whether the contractor will apply through the online portal. Most jurisdictions above now take applications online.
• If the home is in a mapped flood zone, ask about floodplain rules too. See flood zones and coastal crawl spaces.

Our county resource finder links each county to these offices. To check a contractor's licenses before you sign, see verifying a North Carolina contractor.