How to find pool leads in Wilmington from building permits — free
Wilmington & New Hanover County filed 363 pool and spa permits in the last 12 months — about 7 a week, 38 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 pool builders and the trades that follow them find them for free, which ones are worth a call, and when it's worth paying not to.
The busiest ZIP code was 28411, with 22% of them, and the most active name on them was Prestige Pools Of Wilmington Inc, with 54.
- Last 12 months
- 363
- A week, on average
- 7
- Last 30 days
- 38
- Busiest month
- 48
- March 2026
Step 1: Search New Hanover County's COAST portal (free)
The permit office's own records, straight from the source. Search for: pool, spa or swimming pool.
- 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. An in-ground pool is construction, and its pump, lighting and bonding are electrical work. So these are the pool and spa permits on file, and what each is worth.
Fencing
A new pool often brings a new fence around it. The pool permit is a fence lead for the company that calls first.
Decks, patios and lighting
The hardscape, the deck around the pool and the landscape lighting are rarely sold by the pool builder.
Who's building pools where
For a pool builder, a permit is a job already sold. The pattern shows which neighborhoods are buying and who's winning them.
Step 4: Know who's pulling them
The pool builders on this list are your competition, or your partners if you sell what comes after the pool. Ranked by permits in the last 12 months.
| Contractor | Last 12 months | Last 90 days |
|---|---|---|
| Prestige Pools Of Wilmington Inc | 54 | 14 |
| Ocean Blue Pools And Spas Of North Carolina Corporation | 36 | 11 |
| Airlie Outdoor LLC | 20 | 11 |
| Luxury Pools And Hardscapes 6 LLC Aka Premier Pools And Spas Coastal Carolinas | 14 | 6 |
| Sun City Pools Inc | 12 | 0 |
| Riverside Pools & Hardscapes LLC | 11 | 3 |
| Caribbean Pools & Spas Inc | 10 | 1 |
| Coastal Aquatic Pools LLC | 9 | 2 |
| Coastal Poolscapes LLC | 5 | 0 |
| NeWAY POOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA LLC (GC) | 5 | 1 |
| Pool Specialist 910 LLC (Gc) (# 104174) | 4 | 0 |
| Ak Homes And Renovations | 3 | 0 |
Step 5: Reach out at the right time
For the trades that follow, call when the pool permit is issued: the deck, fence and lighting are bought while the pool is going in.
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 |
Pool Leads in Wilmington: common questions
- How do I find pool 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 pool and spa permits are filed in Wilmington?
- 363 in the last 12 months, about 7 a week, and 38 in the last 30 days. The busiest ZIP codes were 28411, 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 a pool or spa need a permit in Wilmington?
- Yes. An in-ground pool is construction, and its pump, lighting and bonding are electrical work. 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: Pool permits in Wilmington & New Hanover County. Every permit in the area: building permits in Wilmington & New Hanover County.
Pool Leads in other places
See this week's pool leads
Permit Search has every pool and spa 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.