North Carolina · Penalties if you skip one

What you can build without a permit in North Carolina

By Mario Bailey Last checked · 24 official sources

Quick answer

Across the 4 North Carolina jurisdictions we have verified, 0 of 38 project rules need no permit at all, 20 turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and 18 require a permit regardless. Roof replacement work is where the answer most often comes with a published condition rather than a flat yes: 4 of the 4 jurisdictions that answer publish one.

How to read this page

"No permit" means the jurisdiction publishes that the work needs no building permit. "Depends" means it publishes a size, height, depth, cost or scope condition that decides the answer, quoted in its own words in the last column; the number beside it is the figure that condition turns on, and which side of the number is exempt is stated by the condition, not by us. Exempt from a building permit is not exempt from zoning, setbacks, height limits, flood rules, an HOA, or a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit, and several of the conditions below say exactly that.

Roof Replacement

All 4 make the roof replacement answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and the 2 that state a number all publish 40,000 USD.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Charlotte Depends Mecklenburg County treats a straight like-for-like reroof as exempt and everything else as permitted.
Greensboro Depends 40,000 USD cost of the construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration.
Mecklenburg County Depends 40,000 USD no permit for like-for-like roof covering replacement costing $40,000 or less on a single-family home; a permit is required above that cost, for structural changes, or when the roof classification changes.
Wake County Depends Wake County applies North Carolina's cost exemption to re-roofing: nonstructural work in a single-family residence costing less than $40,000.00 does not require a permit unless it involves new or altered plumbing, mechanical or electrical systems, so a straightforward shingle replacement usually needs no permit.

Electrical

3 of 4 make the electrical answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Mecklenburg County requires a permit for electrical work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Charlotte Depends Mecklenburg County requires an electrical permit for essentially any change to permanent wiring in Charlotte, and the $40,000 residential exemption does not reach electrical work.
Greensboro Depends Greensboro requires a separate electrical permit for each trade on a job, and says so plainly: all electrical, plumbing and mechanical work needs a separate permit for each trade.
Wake County Depends An electrical permit is required in unincorporated Wake County for the installation, extension, alteration or general repair of any electrical wiring, devices, appliances or equipment.
Mecklenburg County Permit required An electrical permit is required in Mecklenburg County for the installation, alteration, or extension of residential electrical systems.

Plumbing

3 of 4 make the plumbing answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Mecklenburg County requires a permit for plumbing work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Charlotte Depends Mecklenburg County requires a plumbing permit for any addition to or change in the design of a plumbing system in Charlotte, at any cost, since plumbing is carved out of the $40,000 residential exemption.
Greensboro Depends Greensboro requires a separate plumbing permit for each trade on a job.
Wake County Depends Wake County requires a plumbing permit for the installation, extension, relocation, replacement or general repair of any plumbing system, and publishes one exemption: minor repairs or replacements of plumbing fixtures that do not disrupt the original water supply, waste or ventilation system.
Mecklenburg County Permit required A plumbing permit is required in Mecklenburg County for the addition, repair, or replacement of a residential plumbing system.

Shed

3 of 4 make the shed answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and the 3 that state a number all publish 12 feet in any dimension. Charlotte requires a permit for shed work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Greensboro Depends 12 feet in any dimension length, width or height of the accessory building.
Mecklenburg County Depends 12 feet in any dimension a storage shed requires a building permit if any dimension exceeds 12 feet; sheds under 12 feet in any dimension do not require a building permit but may require a zoning permit.
Wake County Depends 12 feet in any dimension any dimension of the detached accessory building.
Charlotte Permit required Every shed in Charlotte needs a permit; what changes at 12 feet is which government issues it.

Deck

2 of 4 make the deck answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County require a permit for deck work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Greensboro Depends A new deck in Greensboro needs a building permit.
Wake County Depends A new deck or porch in unincorporated Wake County requires a building permit, applied for in the Permit Portal with a site plan and deck plans.
Charlotte Permit required Mecklenburg County requires a building permit for every deck in Charlotte regardless of size, and Charlotte requires its own Land Development Individual Residential Lot review on top of it.
Mecklenburg County Permit required A building permit is required for residential deck construction in Mecklenburg County.

Patio

2 of 4 make the patio answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Charlotte and Wake County require a permit for patio work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Greensboro Depends Greensboro publishes no stand-alone patio answer, but it does draw one line for patios.
Mecklenburg County Depends covered attached patios require a building permit; ground-level uncovered patios generally do not require a building permit but still need zoning clearance.
Charlotte Permit required A patio in Charlotte always needs a permit; the question is only which one.
Wake County Permit required Wake County routes residential patios and driveways through Planning and Zoning rather than through a building permit.

Fence

All 2 make the fence answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. 2 publish no answer we could verify.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Charlotte Depends Building permits inside Charlotte come from the county, not the city: Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement issues the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for Charlotte and for the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville under a single consolidated county-wide code authority, while the City of Charlotte keeps zoning and administers the Unified Development Ordinance.
Mecklenburg County Depends typical residential fences (non-structural work costing $40,000 or less) need no county building permit; municipal zoning rules govern fence height and placement.

Pool

1 of 4 makes the pool answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Charlotte, Greensboro and Mecklenburg County require a permit for pool work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Wake County Depends 24 inches water the pool, hot tub or spa is able to hold.
Charlotte Permit required A residential pool in Charlotte runs through three separate bodies.
Greensboro Permit required A residential swimming pool in Greensboro needs a building permit.
Mecklenburg County Permit required All permanently installed swimming pools in Mecklenburg County require a building permit, an electrical permit, and zoning approval.

If the work is already built

In North Carolina, building without a required permit is a state crime, not merely a local ordinance violation. G.S. 160D-1110(a) requires all permits to be secured before construction, plumbing, heating or cooling, or electrical work begins, and G.S. 160D-1110(i) states flatly that violation of that section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

North Carolina penalties, the after-the-fact path, and what the statute actually says

2 of the 40 rules we hold for North Carolina are unresolved because the jurisdiction publishes no answer; they are counted nowhere above. The 38 answered rules come from 24 official sources, each linked from the permit page behind every jurisdiction name. See the full picture for the state on the North Carolina permit requirements page, or the national view of which projects need a permit at all on Do you need a building permit?

This page compiles what each North Carolina jurisdiction publishes, with a last checked date. It is not legal advice, and a project that is exempt from a building permit can still need zoning approval or a trade permit. Confirm with the office linked from the jurisdiction's page before you build.