Compare
TarSignal vs checking permit portals yourself
Every permit TarSignal shows is public, and you can look each one up on the issuing office's own site for free. What you're paying for, if you pay at all, is not having to check 23 different portals, each with its own search, every morning.
Choose TarSignal if…
- You work across more than one county or city.
- You want new permits to come to you, with the contractor's phone and email.
- You want to search three years of history in one place.
- You need the records as data: one API or CSV format across every office.
Choose Checking county permit portals yourself if…
- You only care about one office and have time to check it.
- You need an official record, such as a certified copy or the inspection file.
Side by side
| TarSignal | Checking county permit portals yourself | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | CostFree with a login; $199/mo for the newest permits and alerts | Free |
| Offices | Offices23 in one search | One portal per county or city, each different |
| Contractor contacts | Contractor contactsPhone and email added from the license board where available | Varies by office; often a name only |
| New-permit alerts | New-permit alertsDaily email | Rarely offered |
| Bulk data / API | Bulk data / APIOne query API (free trial key) and bulk CSV, the same fields for every office | Some offices publish downloads or open-data feeds, each in its own format |
| Official records | Official recordsOur permit pages link to each office's own portal | Yes, the source of truth |
What we say about checking county permit portals yourself comes from their own website, as of October 14, 2026. Prices and plans change; check their site for the latest.
When the portal is the right tool
For one address, an inspection history or a certified record, go straight to the office that issued the permit. Our permit pages link to each office's own portal.
Questions
Are North Carolina building permits public?
Yes. Building permits are public records, and most counties and cities in North Carolina publish them on their own permit portals.
Can I get North Carolina permit data by API?
Each office's portal is built for looking up one permit at a time, and the few that offer downloads each use their own fields. TarSignal's query API returns permits from all 23 offices we cover in one format, and you can try it with a free trial key on our Data & API page.
See your area's permits first
Start free: three years of permits from the offices we cover, with the contractor wherever the permit records name one.
Get my free project list