How to find plumbing leads in Wilmington from building permits — free
Wilmington & New Hanover County filed 342 plumbing permits in the last 12 months — about 6.6 a week, 89 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 plumbers find them for free, which ones are worth a call, and when it's worth paying not to.
The busiest ZIP code was 28405, with 20% of them, and the most active name on them was JS Mintz Plumbing Service, Inc., with 9.
- Last 12 months
- 342
- A week, on average
- 6.6
- Last 30 days
- 89
- Busiest month
- 128
- September 2026
Step 1: Search New Hanover County's COAST portal (free)
The permit office's own records, straight from the source. Search for: plumbing, 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, mostly. New or changed plumbing needs one; replacing fixtures at the same size and capacity doesn't. So these are the plumbing permits on file, and what each is worth.
New homes
Each one needs rough-in and finish plumbing, and the builder named on the permit picks the plumber, often for a whole subdivision.
Additions and remodels
A new bathroom or a moved kitchen changes the plumbing design, which always needs a permit. The general contractor on the building permit hires the plumber.
Commercial upfits
Restaurants, clinics and salons add fixtures and grease or gas lines. The GC on the upfit permit is the call.
Step 4: Know who's pulling them
Builders and general contractors on this list hire plumbers; the plumbing companies are your competition. Ranked by permits in the last 12 months.
| Contractor | Last 12 months | Last 90 days |
|---|---|---|
| JS Mintz Plumbing Service, Inc. | 9 | 9 |
| Milam Plumbing Inc | 8 | 8 |
| Robert High Development, LLC | 4 | 4 |
| Thomas Construction Group LLC | 4 | 4 |
| Kirk Pigford Homes LLC | 4 | 4 |
| Dimone-Parlier Plumbing Inc | 4 | 4 |
| East Atlantic Plumbing | 3 | 3 |
| Gene's Plumbing and Gas | 3 | 3 |
| Konrady & Son Construction LLC | 3 | 1 |
| Darell Allen Plumbing Inc. | 2 | 2 |
| Coastal Legacy Construction LLC | 2 | 1 |
| Clayton Homes of Wilmington DBA CMH Homes, INC. | 2 | 2 |
Step 5: Reach out at the right time
Call when the building permit is issued, before the slab or rough-in is scheduled. By the time the plumbing permit is filed, the plumber is chosen.
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 |
Plumbing Leads in Wilmington: common questions
- How do I find plumbing 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 plumbing permits are filed in Wilmington?
- 342 in the last 12 months, about 6.6 a week, and 89 in the last 30 days. The busiest ZIP codes were 28405, 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 plumbing work need a permit in Wilmington?
- Yes, mostly. New or changed plumbing needs one; replacing fixtures at the same size and capacity doesn't. 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: Plumbing permits in Wilmington & New Hanover County. Every permit in the area: building permits in Wilmington & New Hanover County.
Plumbing Leads in other places
See this week's plumbing leads
Permit Search has every plumbing 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.