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NC Building Permit Lookup

Every permit-issuing authority across North Carolina’s 100 counties, grouped by metro. Find your county, click through to its permit-search portal, search by address or permit number. Free, no signup, no email required.

100
NC counties listed
16
Direct search portals
6
NC metros covered
We don’t host permit data ourselves — every link goes straight to the county’s own portal.

How to use this page

  1. Find your county below — they’re grouped by metro, and the search box filters everything as you type.
  2. Click the county’s portal link. The Direct search counties land you on a search form; Portal index counties land on the county’s permitting page where you drill down.
  3. Enter the property address (easiest), permit number, or parcel ID on the county site.
Save the 3-step permit check — run it before any work is signed off.

Triangle

11 counties

Chatham County

Portal index

Pittsboro · Siler City

Open permit portal →

Durham County

Direct search

Durham

Durham Land Development Office — search by application #, address, parcel

Open permit portal →

Franklin County

Portal index

Louisburg · Youngsville · Franklinton

Open permit portal →

Granville County

Portal index

Oxford · Creedmoor

Open permit portal →

Harnett County

Portal index

Lillington · Angier · Erwin

Open permit portal →

Johnston County

Portal index

Smithfield · Clayton · Selma · Benson

Open permit portal →

Lee County

Portal index

Sanford

Open permit portal →

Orange County

Portal index

Hillsborough · Chapel Hill (partial) · Carrboro (partial)

Open permit portal →

Person County

Portal index

Roxboro

Open permit portal →

Vance County

Portal index

Henderson

Open permit portal →

Wake County

Direct search

Raleigh · Cary · Apex · Wake Forest +5 more

Wake County permit search. NCGH also pulls the City of Raleigh's open-data feed daily into our directory — see our /directory/ page for live permit-attributed contractors.

Open permit portal →

Charlotte / Lake Norman

10 counties

Cabarrus County

Direct search

Concord · Kannapolis · Harrisburg

Accela Citizen Access portal — search by permit #, address, parcel

Open permit portal →

Catawba County

Portal index

Hickory · Newton · Conover · Maiden

Open permit portal →

Cleveland County

Portal index

Shelby · Kings Mountain

Open permit portal →

Gaston County

Direct search

Gastonia · Belmont · Mount Holly · Cramerton

EnerGov self-service portal — search by permit, address, or parcel

Open permit portal →

Iredell County

Portal index

Statesville · Mooresville · Troutman

Open permit portal →

Lincoln County

Direct search

Lincolnton · Denver

Open permit portal →

Mecklenburg County

Direct search

Charlotte · Huntersville · Cornelius · Davidson +3 more

Hyland public-access portal — search by permit #, address, or parcel ID

Open permit portal →

Rowan County

Portal index

Salisbury · China Grove · Rockwell

Open permit portal →

Stanly County

Portal index

Albemarle · Locust

Open permit portal →

Union County

Portal index

Monroe · Waxhaw · Indian Trail · Weddington

Open permit portal →

Triad

11 counties

Alamance County

Direct search

Burlington · Graham · Mebane · Elon

Search by permit number, address, or contractor

Open permit portal →

Caswell County

Portal index

Yanceyville

Open permit portal →

Davidson County

Portal index

Lexington · Thomasville

Open permit portal →

Davie County

Portal index

Mocksville

Open permit portal →

Forsyth County

Direct search

Winston-Salem · Kernersville · Clemmons · Lewisville

BuildIT portal — search may require account. Heads-up: hCaptcha-protected as of 2026.

Open permit portal →

Guilford County

Direct search

Greensboro · High Point · Jamestown · Summerfield +1 more

City of Greensboro publishes the open-data permit dataset — daily updates, search by date / address / contractor

Open permit portal →

Randolph County

Portal index

Asheboro · Randleman · Liberty · Archdale

Open permit portal →

Rockingham County

Direct search

Wentworth · Eden · Reidsville · Madison

OpenGov citizen portal — search by permit, address, or applicant

Open permit portal →

Stokes County

Portal index

Danbury · King

Open permit portal →

Surry County

Direct search

Dobson · Mount Airy · Elkin · Pilot Mountain

CityView portal — locate by parcel/address, then drill into permits

Open permit portal →

Yadkin County

Portal index

Yadkinville

Open permit portal →

Asheville / WNC

18 counties

Avery County

Direct search

Newland · Banner Elk · Beech Mountain

Open permit portal →

Buncombe County

Portal index

Asheville · Black Mountain · Weaverville · Fairview

County homepage — drill down to Permits & Inspections

Open permit portal →

Cherokee County

Portal index

Murphy · Andrews

Open permit portal →

Clay County

Portal index

Hayesville

Open permit portal →

Graham County

Portal index

Robbinsville

Open permit portal →

Haywood County

Portal index

Waynesville · Canton · Clyde

Open permit portal →

Henderson County

Portal index

Hendersonville · Fletcher · Mills River

Open permit portal →

Jackson County

Portal index

Sylva · Cullowhee

Open permit portal →

Macon County

Portal index

Franklin · Highlands

Open permit portal →

Madison County

Portal index

Marshall · Mars Hill · Hot Springs

Open permit portal →

McDowell County

Portal index

Marion · Old Fort

Open permit portal →

Mitchell County

Portal index

Bakersville · Spruce Pine

Open permit portal →

Polk County

Portal index

Columbus · Tryon · Saluda

Open permit portal →

Rutherford County

Portal index

Rutherfordton · Forest City · Lake Lure

Open permit portal →

Swain County

Portal index

Bryson City · Cherokee

Open permit portal →

Transylvania County

Portal index

Brevard · Pisgah Forest

Open permit portal →

Watauga County

Portal index

Boone · Blowing Rock

Open permit portal →

Yancey County

Portal index

Burnsville

Open permit portal →

Wilmington / Coast

5 counties

Brunswick County

Direct search

Shallotte · Leland · Southport · Oak Island +1 more

Open permit portal →

Carteret County

Portal index

Morehead City · Beaufort · Newport · Atlantic Beach

Open permit portal →

New Hanover County

Direct search

Wilmington · Wrightsville Beach · Carolina Beach · Kure Beach

Dedicated permits subdomain — search by address, permit #, or contractor name

Open permit portal →

Onslow County

Portal index

Jacksonville · Swansboro

Open permit portal →

Pender County

Direct search

Burgaw · Hampstead · Surf City · Topsail Beach

Open permit portal →

Other NC counties

45 counties

Alexander County

Portal index

Taylorsville

Open permit portal →

Alleghany County

Portal index

Sparta

Open permit portal →

Anson County

Portal index

Wadesboro

Open permit portal →

Ashe County

Portal index

Jefferson · West Jefferson

Open permit portal →

Beaufort County

Portal index

Washington · Belhaven

Open permit portal →

Bertie County

Portal index

Windsor

Open permit portal →

Bladen County

Portal index

Elizabethtown

Open permit portal →

Burke County

Portal index

Morganton · Valdese

Open permit portal →

Caldwell County

Portal index

Lenoir · Granite Falls

Open permit portal →

Camden County

Portal index

Camden

Open permit portal →

Chowan County

Portal index

Edenton

Open permit portal →

Columbus County

Portal index

Whiteville · Tabor City

Open permit portal →

Craven County

Portal index

New Bern · Havelock

Open permit portal →

Cumberland County

Portal index

Fayetteville · Hope Mills · Spring Lake

Open permit portal →

Currituck County

Portal index

Currituck · Moyock

Open permit portal →

Dare County

Portal index

Manteo · Kill Devil Hills · Nags Head

Open permit portal →

Duplin County

Portal index

Kenansville · Wallace

Open permit portal →

Edgecombe County

Portal index

Tarboro · Rocky Mount (partial)

Open permit portal →

Gates County

Portal index

Gatesville

Open permit portal →

Greene County

Portal index

Snow Hill

Open permit portal →

Halifax County

Portal index

Halifax · Roanoke Rapids

Open permit portal →

Hertford County

Portal index

Winton · Ahoskie

Open permit portal →

Hoke County

Portal index

Raeford

Open permit portal →

Hyde County

Portal index

Swan Quarter · Ocracoke

Open permit portal →

Jones County

Portal index

Trenton

Open permit portal →

Lenoir County

Portal index

Kinston

Open permit portal →

Martin County

Portal index

Williamston

Open permit portal →

Montgomery County

Portal index

Troy · Mount Gilead

Open permit portal →

Moore County

Portal index

Carthage · Pinehurst · Southern Pines

Open permit portal →

Nash County

Direct search

Nashville · Rocky Mount

Open permit portal →

Northampton County

Portal index

Jackson

Open permit portal →

Pamlico County

Portal index

Bayboro

Open permit portal →

Pasquotank County

Portal index

Elizabeth City

Open permit portal →

Perquimans County

Portal index

Hertford

Open permit portal →

Pitt County

Portal index

Greenville · Winterville · Ayden

Open permit portal →

Richmond County

Portal index

Rockingham · Hamlet

Open permit portal →

Robeson County

Portal index

Lumberton · Pembroke · Red Springs

Open permit portal →

Sampson County

Portal index

Clinton

Open permit portal →

Scotland County

Portal index

Laurinburg

Open permit portal →

Tyrrell County

Portal index

Columbia

Open permit portal →

Warren County

Portal index

Warrenton

Open permit portal →

Washington County

Portal index

Plymouth

Open permit portal →

Wayne County

Portal index

Goldsboro · Mount Olive

Open permit portal →

Wilkes County

Portal index

Wilkesboro · North Wilkesboro

Open permit portal →

Wilson County

Portal index

Wilson

Open permit portal →

Building permit FAQ

Why look up a building permit?
Three reasons. (1) Before you buy a house — find out whether past additions, decks, or grading work were permitted (unpermitted work is the buyer's problem after closing). (2) Before you hire a contractor — see whether they regularly pull permits in your county (a contractor who tells you a permit isn't needed when one is, is a flag). (3) During an active project — confirm the permit is real and the inspections are passing.
How do I find a permit on these sites?
Most county portals search by either property address, parcel ID, permit number, or contractor name. Address is the easiest if you know it. Some portals (Wake, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Cabarrus) deep-link to a search form. Others land you on the county's permitting page where you'll need to click through to the search tool.
What if my county isn't on this list?
Every NC county is on this list — there are exactly 100. Some smaller rural counties don't publish their permit data online; for those, the link goes to the county's planning or inspections page where the contact info for the permit office is published. Call them directly during business hours.
What if a link is broken?
County government websites get redesigned regularly. If a link here lands somewhere that isn't a permit page, we'd appreciate a heads-up — the contact form is on every page footer. Meanwhile, search 'building permits {county name} NC' and you'll usually find the current URL.
Are permit lookups free?
Yes. Every county portal listed here is free to search anonymously. Some portals charge a fee to download a copy of a specific permit's PDF, but the search itself is always free.
What does it mean if work was done without a permit?
Two practical implications. (1) Insurance: an insurer can deny a claim if damage is traced to unpermitted work. (2) Resale: NC requires sellers to disclose known issues, and unpermitted additions show up on appraisals and inspections. The county can also require retroactive inspection or removal of unpermitted structures.
Can I look up the contractor by their license number?
On most permit portals, no — they're indexed by property and permit number, not contractor. To verify a contractor's license directly, use the NC Licensing Board's search at portal.nclbgc.org. (We also link to it from /resources/.)
Do you sell this data?
No. NCGH doesn't sell verifications, leads, or directory data. The links here are public — anyone can find them with a Google search; we just organized them. If you want to support what we do, hire one of the contractors on /directory/ when your project comes up.

Looking for an actual contractor instead?

The NC Grade and Haul directory has every license-active grading and hauling contractor in the state, organized by city. Every license number deep-links to nclbgc.org so you can verify in one click — same public-records-first approach you’re using on this page.

Browse the contractor directory →