Permits & Inspections Questions & Answers

The 2018 North Carolina State Building Codes with North Carolina Amendments became effective January 1, 2019. For further information, contact the Building Inspector’s office or the North Carolina Department of Insurance at 919-647-0000.

The state building codes are also available for purchase online through the International Code Council.

For design criteria Currituck County is located in a 130 mph wind zone exposure C category.

Yes. All windows, exterior doors, and overhead garage doors must meet a minimum design pressure or DP rating. Design Pressure (DP) ratings are determined by the mean roof height of the structure. Information on minimum design pressure ratings is located in Chapter 45, Table 4002 (A) and 4002(B) of the 2018 North Carolina State Residential Building Code and Chapter 16 of the North Carolina Building Code for commercial structures.

This will vary, depending on the type of permit being applied for. For this information, please refer to the Inspection Procedure Handout which is available at the building permit offices on the Mainland and Corolla.

Inspections must be scheduled one working day in advance, by 3:00 p.m. effective Monday, September 23, 2019. This can be done in person at either of the building permit offices listed below or by calling and leaving the required information on the inspection scheduling mailbox.

While it is not always required that someone be present at the inspections, it is always better to have someone on the jobsite, to whom the Building Inspector can explain the inspection report. The inspector must have access to all areas that must be inspected. Owners acting as their own general contractor must be present at all inspections unless plans are sealed by a North Carolina design professional.

To find out approximately what time your inspection will occur, you may contact the building permit offices after 8:30 a.m., for a two (2) hour window of time that the inspector will be at the jobsite. Please note this time is only an approximate time, given as a courtesy, and is subject to change.

The North Carolina State Building Code states, “No person, firm or corporation shall erect, construct, enlarge, install, alter, repair, move improve, remove, convert or demolish any building, structure, or service system without first obtaining a permit for such from the inspections department having jurisdiction.”

• Single family dwellings
• Manufactured homes (modulars, mobile homes)
• Additions
• Accessory structures (garages, carports, sheds, pools, hot tubs, piers, platforms, beach accessways, etc.)
• Bulkheads
• Alterations in excess of $20,000 and/or any work classified as structural or load bearing
• Any work in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (If you are located in a flood zone please contact us before starting any project)

Exclusion for Certain Minor Activities in Residential, Commercial and Farm Structures

No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e) for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code and costing twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) or less in any single family residence or farm building unless the work involves any of the following:

1. The addition, repair, or replacement of load bearing structures. However, no permit is required for replacements of windows, doors, exterior siding, or the pickets, railings, stair treads, and decking of porches and exterior decks that otherwise meet the requirements of this subsection.
2. The addition or change in the design of plumbing. However, no permit is required for replacements otherwise meeting the requirements of this subsection that do not change size or capacity.
3. The addition, replacement or change in the design of heating, air conditioning, or electrical wiring, appliances, or equipment.
4. The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings.
5. The addition (excluding replacement) of roofing.
6. No permit issued under Article 9 or 9C of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code costing twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) or less in any single-family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following:
   1. The addition, repair, or replacement of load-bearing structures. However, no permit is required for replacement of windows, doors, exterior siding, or the pickets, railings, stair treads, and decking of porches and exterior decks that otherwise meet the requirements of this
   2. The addition or change in the design of plumbing. However, no permit is required for replacements otherwise meeting the requirements of this subsection that do not change size or
   3. The addition, replacement, or change in the design of heating, air-conditioning, or electrical wiring, devices, appliances, or equipment, other than like-kind replacement of electrical devices and lighting
   4. The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building
   5. The addition (excluding replacement) of
   6. Any changes to which the North Carolina Fire Prevention Code

Yes, a tent permit is required.

Yes, a moving permit is required to relocate a structure on the same property or to move a structure from one parcel to another.

Yes, a demolition permit is required to tear down a building. The Health Hazards Control Unit (HHCU) of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, must be notified of plans to demolish a building, including residences demolished for commercial or industrial expansion. Notification of demolition is required by law even if no asbestos is present in the building.

Health Hazards Control Unit (HHCU), 1912 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1912

919-707-5950

Yes, if the construction exceeds $30,000 you certify that: 

• You are not allowing an unlicensed general contractor to perform the duties of a general contractor.
• You intend to retain the finished house exclusively for your own use.
• You schedule every inspection.
• You are not building a speculation project with intent to sell once completed.
• You will comply with all county, state, and federal laws in regard to social security, worker’s compensation, privilege license, and all other requirements where applicable.

Building permits expire six (6) months after issuance if no construction has commenced. Work must continue until the project is complete. The permit will expire if work stops for more than 12 months.

A building permit is not required to construct a bona fide farm building used for farm purposes. A bona fide farm statement must be submitted to the division to determine if your farming operation qualifies as a bona fide farm.

Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, or insulation work to a farm building requires trade permits.