How to find new construction leads in Raleigh from building permits — free
Raleigh filed 2,268 new-home, addition, remodel and commercial permits in the last 12 months — about 44 a week, 137 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 subcontractors and suppliers find them for free, which ones are worth a call, and when it's worth paying not to.
The busiest ZIP code was 27610, with 17% of them, and the most active name on them was Meritage Homes, with 128.
- Last 12 months
- 2,268
- A week, on average
- 44
- Last 30 days
- 137
- Busiest month
- 266
- May 2026
Step 1: Search Raleigh's Permit and Development Portal (free)
The permit office's own records, straight from the source. Search for: new residential dwelling, addition, alteration and commercial.
- Open the portal and choose Search (no account needed to look).
- Set the search to Permit, then filter by permit type (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, often with a phone number.
Step 2: Keep the permits worth a call
Does the work need a permit in North Carolina? Yes, mostly. Structural work needs a permit; a general contractor's license is needed from $40,000. So these are the new-home, addition, remodel and commercial permits on file, and what each is worth.
New homes
A new-home permit is the start of a job that needs framing, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, drywall, flooring and more. The builder named on it is the call.
Additions and remodels
Smaller jobs, often with a general contractor who doesn't have a regular crew for every trade.
Commercial and upfits
Higher value and longer schedules. The general contractor on the permit hires every trade.
Step 3: Start where the work is
The ZIP codes in Raleigh with the most new-home, addition, remodel and commercial permits in the last 12 months.
Step 4: Know who's pulling them
These are the builders and general contractors pulling the permits — the people who hire subs and buy materials. Ranked by permits in the last 12 months.
| Contractor | Last 12 months | Last 90 days |
|---|---|---|
| Meritage Homes | 128 | 46 |
| Lennar | 80 | 15 |
| Stanley Martin Homes LLC | 78 | 7 |
| Groundworks North Carolina (Tar Heel Basement Systems) | 77 | 21 |
| KB Home | 76 | 10 |
| D.R. Horton, Inc. T/A Emerald Homes | 72 | 17 |
| Toll Brothers | 62 | 12 |
| Tillman Development Group | 41 | 4 |
| Concept 8, LLC | 40 | 6 |
| Williams Realty & Building Company Inc. | 30 | 0 |
| M/I Homes | 24 | 0 |
| Drb Group North Carolina LLC | 22 | 0 |
Step 5: Reach out at the right time
Each trade comes in at its own point: site and foundation right after the permit is issued, framing next, then mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in, then drywall and finishes. Call a few weeks ahead of your stage.
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 |
New Construction Leads in Raleigh: common questions
- How do I find new construction leads in Raleigh for free?
- From the building permits. Raleigh's Permit and Development 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 new-home, addition, remodel and commercial permits are filed in Raleigh?
- 2,268 in the last 12 months, about 44 a week, and 137 in the last 30 days. The busiest ZIP codes were 27610, 27616 and 27612.
- 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 building work need a permit in Raleigh?
- Yes, mostly. Structural work needs a permit; a general contractor's license is needed from $40,000. 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: New home and remodel permits in Raleigh. Every permit in the area: building permits in Raleigh.
New Construction Leads in other places
See this week's new construction leads
Permit Search has every new-home, addition, remodel and commercial permit filed in Raleigh, 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 28, 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.