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How to find deck and addition leads in Charlotte from building permits — free

Charlotte & Mecklenburg County filed 1,787 deck, porch and addition permits in the last 12 months — about 34 a week, 132 in the last 30 days. Every one is a public record naming the address, the work and, usually, who's doing it. Here's how deck builders, remodelers and their subs find them for free, which ones are worth a call, and when it's worth paying not to.

The busiest ZIP code was 28277, with 9% of them, and the most active name on them was Deck Plus LLC, with 90.

Last 12 months
1,787
A week, on average
34
Last 30 days
132
Busiest month
206
April 2026

Step 1: Search Mecklenburg County's Accela Citizen Access (free)

The permit office's own records, straight from the source. Search for: deck, porch, screened porch and residential addition.

  1. Open the Building tab and choose Search Applications.
  2. Leave the permit number blank and set a date range — a week at a time keeps the list short.
  3. Each result opens to the permit's own page, with the work, the status and the people on it.

Who's on a permit: A permit's page names the applicant and usually the licensed contractor, often with a phone number and email.

Open Mecklenburg County's Accela Citizen Access →

Step 2: Keep the permits worth a call

Does the work need a permit in North Carolina? Yes. A new deck, porch or addition is load-bearing work; replacing boards, railings or treads isn't. So these are the deck, porch and addition permits on file, and what each is worth.

  • Additions

    An addition needs a foundation, framing, a roof, windows, electrical, HVAC and finishes. The general contractor on the permit hires most of them.

  • Decks and porches

    A new deck or screened porch is often followed by electrical, lighting, a screen enclosure or an outdoor kitchen.

  • Who's building where

    For a deck builder, a permit is a job already sold. Clusters by ZIP show where homeowners are spending on outdoor space.

Step 3: Start where the work is

The ZIP codes in Charlotte & Mecklenburg County with the most deck, porch and addition permits in the last 12 months.

Step 4: Know who's pulling them

The remodelers and general contractors on this list hire subs; the deck builders are your competition. Ranked by permits in the last 12 months.

Step 5: Reach out at the right time

Call the general contractor when an addition permit is issued, before framing. For decks, follow-on work is bought in the weeks after the deck is built.

DecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNov
Permits by the month they were filed or issued. Nov 2026 is still in progress.

The free way, and the fast way

The permits are free either way. What costs time is finding them, one office and one search at a time.

Finding leads in Charlotte: the free ways and Pro
The office's portalTarSignal FreeTarSignal Pro
WhereOne permit office's site at a time23 North Carolina offices, one search23 offices, one search
How recentSame day, if you search every dayPermits over 30 days oldUp to today
Who's doing the workDepends on the office; phone numbers rarelyContractor and contact, on permits over 30 days oldContractor and contact on every permit
New permits sent to youNoWeekly, one ZIP codeDaily, every area
ExportRarelyNoCSV
CostFreeFree$199/month

Deck & Addition Leads in Charlotte: common questions

How do I find deck and addition leads in Charlotte for free?
From the building permits. Mecklenburg County's Accela Citizen Access is free to search: Open the Building tab and choose Search Applications. TarSignal's free search has the same permits from 23 North Carolina offices in one place, with the contractor where the record names one, for permits more than 30 days old.
How many deck, porch and addition permits are filed in Charlotte?
1,787 in the last 12 months, about 34 a week, and 132 in the last 30 days. The busiest ZIP codes were 28277, 28078 and 28210.
Are building permits public record in North Carolina?
Yes. Permits are public records under the North Carolina Public Records Act (G.S. Chapter 132), so anyone can look them up, and the contractor named on a permit is part of the record.
Does a deck, porch or addition need a permit in Charlotte?
Yes. A new deck, porch or addition is load-bearing work; replacing boards, railings or treads isn't. That's state law (G.S. 160D-1110), so it's the same at any permit office in the state.

See this week's deck and addition leads

Permit Search has every deck, porch and addition permit filed in Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, with the contractor where the record names one. Free for permits over 30 days old; Pro has them the day they're filed.

Source: TarSignal, from North Carolina public building permit records, data through October 29, 2026. Refreshed nightly. Counts include every permit type a jurisdiction files — trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) as well as building permits — so one project can appear more than once. Values are what the applicant declared, where the jurisdiction records one. We keep improving how we collect each office's permits, so a count that steps up suddenly usually means more complete records, not more construction.