How to find fire protection leads in Wilmington from building permits — free
Wilmington & New Hanover County filed 53 fire alarm and sprinkler permits in the last 12 months — about 1 a week, 21 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 fire alarm and sprinkler contractors find them for free, which ones are worth a call, and when it's worth paying not to.
The busiest ZIP code was 28412, with 23% of them, and the most active name on them was Harold K Jordan And Co Inc, with 4.
- Last 12 months
- 53
- A week, on average
- 1
- Last 30 days
- 21
- Busiest month
- 21
- October 2026
Step 1: Search New Hanover County's COAST portal (free)
The permit office's own records, straight from the source. Search for: fire alarm, sprinkler, and commercial building permits.
- Open the portal and choose Search (no account needed to look).
- Set the search to Permit, then filter by permit type (residential or commercial building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing) and an applied or issued date range.
- Page through the results; each permit opens to its address, work description and status.
Who's on a permit: A permit's page lists its contacts on some permits, not all.
Step 2: Keep the permits worth a call
Does the work need a permit in North Carolina? Yes. Work the NC Fire Code covers needs a permit at any price. So these are the fire alarm and sprinkler permits on file, and what each is worth.
New commercial and multifamily buildings
Most need sprinklers and a fire alarm. The general contractor on the building permit picks the fire protection sub, well before the fire permit is filed.
Upfits and change of use
Moving walls means moving sprinkler heads and alarm devices, and a change of use can require a new system.
Existing systems
Alarm and sprinkler permits on existing buildings show who services which properties, and where systems are being replaced.
Step 4: Know who's pulling them
The fire alarm and sprinkler companies on this list are your competition; the GCs on the building permits are who you sell to. Ranked by permits in the last 12 months.
| Contractor | Last 12 months | Last 90 days |
|---|---|---|
| Harold K Jordan And Co Inc | 4 | 4 |
| W3 Built LLC | 4 | 4 |
| Middleburg Construction LLC | 3 | 1 |
| Tmc-Taylor Construction, Inc. | 3 | 3 |
| Chambliss & Rabil Contractors Inc | 2 | 2 |
| Monteith Construction Corp | 2 | 2 |
| Wathco, LLC | 2 | 2 |
| Mcgrath Rentcorp | 2 | 2 |
| Hkj | 1 | 1 |
| Industrial Turnaround Corporation (Gc) | 1 | 1 |
| Kelly C Hodges | 1 | 1 |
| Live Wire Electric Company, LLC | 1 | 1 |
Step 5: Reach out at the right time
Call the general contractor when the commercial building or upfit permit is filed. By the time the fire permit appears, the work is awarded.
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.
| The office's portal | TarSignal Free | TarSignal Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | One permit office's site at a time | 23 North Carolina offices, one search | 23 offices, one search |
| How recent | Same day, if you search every day | Permits over 30 days old | Up to today |
| Who's doing the work | Depends on the office; phone numbers rarely | Contractor and contact, on permits over 30 days old | Contractor and contact on every permit |
| New permits sent to you | No | Weekly, one ZIP code | Daily, every area |
| Export | Rarely | No | CSV |
| Cost | Free | Free | $199/month |
Fire Protection Leads in Wilmington: common questions
- How do I find fire protection leads in Wilmington for free?
- From the building permits. New Hanover County's COAST portal is free to search: Open the portal and choose Search (no account needed to look). 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 fire alarm and sprinkler permits are filed in Wilmington?
- 53 in the last 12 months, about 1 a week, and 21 in the last 30 days. The busiest ZIP codes were 28412, 28401 and 28405.
- 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 fire alarm or sprinkler work need a permit in Wilmington?
- Yes. Work the NC Fire Code covers needs a permit at any price. That's state law (G.S. 160D-1110), so it's the same at any permit office in the state.
Related
The numbers behind this guide, with recent permits: Fire alarm and sprinkler permits in Wilmington & New Hanover County. Every permit in the area: building permits in Wilmington & New Hanover County.
Fire Protection Leads in other places
See this week's fire protection leads
Permit Search has every fire alarm and sprinkler permit filed in Wilmington & New Hanover 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 26, 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.