Building permits and new construction in Onslow County, NC

1. Open the portal and choose Search (no account needed to look).
2. Set the search to Permit, then filter by permit type (building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing) and an applied or issued date range.
3. Page through the results; each permit opens to its address, work description and status.

Who's on a permit: The portal doesn't show the contractor to the public.

Open Onslow County's permit portal →Or search every office at once in TarSignal →

• Onslow County is the 10th busiest of the 23 permit offices TarSignal reads, but ranks 7th for new homes: more of its permits are for new houses than its size suggests.
• Its median new single-family home cost on permits, $180K, is the lowest of the 14 offices that publish one. That's the declared cost of the building, without the land.
• Work that's more common here than at most offices: sheds, ADUs and other accessory buildings (11% of its permits, against 3% at the typical office) and new homes (25% of its permits, against 16% at the typical office).
• Onslow County's public records don't name the contractor, so there's no ranking of who works here.
• Of the permits Onslow County issued in the last 12 months, half were issued within 6 days of the application; for new homes, half within 14 days of the application. Wait times by type of work

• Mechanical / HVAC1,767 (30%)
• New Build1,499 (25%)
• Electrical1,393 (23%)
• Accessory Structure / ADU636 (11%)
• Plumbing246 (4%)
• Alteration / Remodel163 (3%)
• Demolition57 (1%)
• Residential44 (1%)

• 285401,247 permits
• 285461,078 permits
• 28539831 permits
• 28460820 permits
• 28574810 permits
• 28445299 permits
• 28544286 permits
• 28555194 permits
• 28584136 permits
• 28454100 permits
• 2851886 permits
• 2858239 permits

• 28546 Jacksonville395 new homes
• 28539 Hubert233 new homes
• 28574 Richlands182 new homes
• 28540 Jacksonville179 new homes
• 28544 Midway Park167 new homes
• 28460 Sneads Ferry153 new homes
• 28445 Holly Ridge86 new homes
• 28555 Maysville48 new homes
• 28454 Maple Hill23 new homes
• 28518 Beulaville17 new homes

Who issues building permits in Onslow County?

Onslow County issues building permits for the unincorporated county and Richlands. Jacksonville, Holly Ridge, Swansboro and North Topsail Beach issue their own and aren't included.

How long does it take to get a building permit in Onslow County?

Of the permits Onslow County issued in the last 12 months, half were issued within 6 days of the application; for new homes, half within 14 days of the application. The permit wait-time tool breaks it down by type of work.

What does a new home cost to build in Onslow County, going by permits?

The median construction cost builders declared on new single-family home permits over the last 12 months was $180K, the lowest of the 14 offices that publish one. For townhomes it was $135K. It's the declared cost of the building alone, without the land or the builder's margin, so it runs well below a sale price.

Do Onslow County's permit records show whether the work was finished?

68% of Onslow County's permits filed 6 to 12 months ago are already marked complete, so an older permit still marked Issued here is worth a second look.

• HVAC permits1,767 in 12 months
• New home and remodel permits1,721 in 12 months
• Electrical permits1,393 in 12 months
• Plumbing permits246 in 12 months
• Solar permits67 in 12 months
• Demolition permits57 in 12 months

Start from the North Carolina permit guide.

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