How to find HVAC leads in Wilmington from building permits — free
Wilmington & New Hanover County filed 1,651 HVAC (mechanical) permits in the last 12 months — about 32 a week, 468 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 HVAC 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 16% of them, and the most active name on them was Meade Electric Company Inc, with 54.
- Last 12 months
- 1,651
- A week, on average
- 32
- Last 30 days
- 468
- Busiest month
- 621
- September 2026
Step 1: Search New Hanover County's COAST portal (free)
The permit office's own records, straight from the source. Search for: mechanical, and new residential dwellings.
- 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. Adding or replacing heating or air-conditioning equipment always needs a permit. So these are the HVAC (mechanical) permits on file, and what each is worth.
New construction
A new-home or commercial building permit means a system to design and install. The builder or general contractor named on it chooses the mechanical sub.
Change-outs
Every replacement in North Carolina needs a mechanical permit, so the record is close to complete. A change-out is a job someone else already won, but the pattern shows which neighborhoods' systems are failing and who's winning them.
Commercial upfits
A tenant upfit almost always moves ductwork or adds equipment. The general contractor on the building permit is the call.
Step 4: Know who's pulling them
Builders and general contractors on this list choose the mechanical sub on their jobs; the HVAC companies are your competition. Ranked by permits in the last 12 months.
| Contractor | Last 12 months | Last 90 days |
|---|---|---|
| Meade Electric Company Inc | 54 | 54 |
| ARS WIlmington | 50 | 49 |
| HVAC Starplus LLC | 43 | 43 |
| Southeastern Heating Air & Electrical | 32 | 32 |
| Sharp Energy | 26 | 26 |
| Airmax Heating and Air Incorporated | 24 | 22 |
| Flag electric llc | 23 | 21 |
| Dixon's Service Co | 16 | 16 |
| Blue Shores Construction LLC | 16 | 16 |
| Blaze Heating Cooling Electrical & Plumbing - Cape Fear | 11 | 11 |
| ABS Electrical Contractors | 11 | 11 |
| Mof LLC DBA Michael & Son Services Of North Carolina LLC | 11 | 11 |
Step 5: Reach out at the right time
On new construction, reach the builder in the weeks after the building permit is issued, before rough-in. For replacements, the permit follows the sale, so use it to find streets, not jobs.
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 |
HVAC Leads in Wilmington: common questions
- How do I find HVAC 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 HVAC (mechanical) permits are filed in Wilmington?
- 1,651 in the last 12 months, about 32 a week, and 468 in the last 30 days. The busiest ZIP codes were 28412, 28409 and 28403.
- 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 HVAC work need a permit in Wilmington?
- Yes. Adding or replacing heating or air-conditioning equipment always needs a permit. 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: HVAC permits in Wilmington & New Hanover County. Every permit in the area: building permits in Wilmington & New Hanover County.
HVAC Leads in other places
See this week's HVAC leads
Permit Search has every HVAC (mechanical) 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 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.