Electrical permits in North Carolina: the busiest permit type on the record
For electrical contractors
Electrical work needs a permit at almost any price in North Carolina, so electrical permits are the most numerous permit type we read. They show where new circuits, panels, generators, chargers and whole buildings are being wired, and who is doing it.
- Permits, last 12 months
- 82,243
- Last 90 days
- 21,931
- Last 30 days
- 6,047
- Contractors on the list
- 12
- most active, below
When electrical work needs a permit in North Carolina
The $40,000 exemption in G.S. 160D-1110 doesn't cover adding, replacing or changing electrical equipment. A new circuit, a panel or service change, a generator, an EV charger or a solar install needs an electrical permit whatever the job costs. Replacing a light fixture, outlet or switch with the same kind is exempt.
Electrical contracting is licensed by the State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (G.S. 87-43). The license class sets the largest single project a contractor may take: up to $100,000 for limited, $200,000 for intermediate, and any size for unlimited (G.S. 87-43.3).
Who can see the permits depends on the office. Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Wake and Brunswick counties and Greensboro publish electrical permits as records of their own, naming the contractor who pulled them. Raleigh, Durham and Cary fold most trade work into the building permit, so their electrical counts run low: read the numbers below office by office.
The permits worth watching
New construction
Every new home and commercial building is wired, and the builder or general contractor on the building permit picks the electrician, often for a whole subdivision.
Service and panel upgrades
A service change on an existing home means the owner is adding load. EV chargers, heat pumps, generators and additions tend to follow.
Generators, chargers and solar
Each one needs its own electrical permit, so they're counted where an office publishes trade permits: the clearest record of who installs them.
Upfits and additions
Tenant fit-outs and additions move circuits and add lighting. The general contractor on the building permit hires the electrician.
Where the work is
82,243 electrical permits in the last 12 months, by the permit office that issued them and by ZIP code. Each links to its own page.
- Charlotte & Mecklenburg County43,556
- Brunswick County8,929
- Greensboro8,057
- Cabarrus County7,788
- Wake County2,737
- Gaston County2,705
- Onslow County1,393
- Guilford County1,155
- Wilmington & New Hanover County1,144
- High Point1,050
- Alamance County902
- Cary538
- Cumberland County524
- Union County290
- Johnston County284
- Durham282
- Asheville243
- Morrisville221
- Raleigh190
- Fuquay-Varina100
- Apex57
- Garner50
- Wake Forest48
Electrical permits by city
Every permit office with 50 or more of these permits in the last year has its own page: counts by month, the busiest ZIP codes, who's pulling them and recent filings.
- Charlotte & Mecklenburg County43,556 permits in 12 months
- Brunswick County8,929 permits in 12 months
- Greensboro8,057 permits in 12 months
- Cabarrus County7,788 permits in 12 months
- Wake County2,737 permits in 12 months
- Gaston County2,705 permits in 12 months
- Onslow County1,393 permits in 12 months
- Guilford County1,155 permits in 12 months
- Wilmington & New Hanover County1,144 permits in 12 months
- High Point1,050 permits in 12 months
- Alamance County902 permits in 12 months
- Cary538 permits in 12 months
- Cumberland County524 permits in 12 months
- Union County290 permits in 12 months
- Johnston County284 permits in 12 months
- Durham282 permits in 12 months
- Asheville243 permits in 12 months
- Morrisville221 permits in 12 months
- Raleigh190 permits in 12 months
- Fuquay-Varina100 permits in 12 months
- Apex57 permits in 12 months
- Garner50 permits in 12 months
Who's doing the work
The contractors pulling the most of these permits in the last 12 months — your competitors, or the builders and GCs worth a call.
| Contractor | Last 12 months | Last 90 days |
|---|---|---|
| Champion Residential LLC, DBA Morris Jenkins | 2,556 | 567 |
| Brothers Air, Heat & Plumbing | 1,135 | 262 |
| Ryan Homes | 984 | 223 |
| Lennar | 945 | 262 |
| D.R. Horton | 772 | 178 |
| Freeman Electric | 682 | 125 |
| Dream Finders Homes LLC | 632 | 188 |
| Ies Residential Inc | 604 | 90 |
| Bradham Comfort Services | 598 | 179 |
| Dilling Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical | 561 | 141 |
| Robin Mcclintock | 528 | 105 |
| Formula Air HVAC LLC | 522 | 138 |
Recent permits
A sample from 30 or more days ago. Permit Search and the daily email have them as they're filed.
| Address | Type | Value | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7904 OAKBARK LNCharlotte 28226 | ElectricalElectrical | $6,215 | Completed | |
| 240 FAUST RDDavidson 28036 | ElectricalElectrical | — | Issued | |
| 137 DOLLY LANEJacksonville 28540 | ElectricalResidential Electrical - New | — | Issued | |
| 1831 N TRYON STCharlotte 28206 | ElectricalElectrical | — | Issued | |
| 165 AIRPORT RDFayetteville 28306 | ElectricalCommercial Electrical | — | Completed |
6,047 more permits filed in North Carolina in the last 30 days
Pro names the contractor on most, with a phone number on some.
Pro is $199/mo founding rate (ends Dec 31, 2026), then $299/mo.
How to work the list
- 01
Watch the building permits
New-home, addition and upfit permits in your ZIPs come weeks before the electrical permit, while the job is still open.
- 02
Know who's winning
The contractor table shows who pulls the most electrical permits; each contractor's page shows where they work.
- 03
Read the upgrades
Service changes cluster where homes are adding load. Those streets are where the next charger, generator and panel jobs are.
More reading
- Market dataWhole-house generator permits in NC rose 64% in the Piedmont after Winter Storm Fern
- ElectricalPanel upgrades are the leading indicator for everything else: how NC electricians read service-change permits
- Low voltageLow-voltage integrators are late to every job. Permit records fix the sequencing.
Electrical permits in North Carolina: common questions
- Do you need a permit for electrical work in North Carolina?
- For almost anything beyond a like-for-like swap. The $40,000 exemption in G.S. 160D-1110 doesn't cover adding, replacing or changing electrical equipment, so a new circuit, a panel or service change, a generator or an EV charger needs an electrical permit at any price. Replacing a light fixture, outlet or switch with the same kind doesn't.
- How many electrical permits are filed in North Carolina?
- 82,243 in the last 12 months across the offices we read. Most were filed in Mecklenburg County (43,556), Brunswick County (8,929) and Greensboro (8,057). Offices that publish trade permits as records of their own count far more than those that fold electrical work into the building permit, so compare offices with care.
- Who pulls the most electrical permits in North Carolina?
- By permits in the last 12 months: Champion Residential LLC, DBA Morris Jenkins, Brothers Air, Heat & Plumbing and Ryan Homes. The table above has the top twelve, each linked to its own page where it has one.
More guides
- North Carolina building permits: the guide
- Roofing permits in North Carolina
- HVAC permits in North Carolina
- Solar permits in North Carolina
- Building permit data for general contractors
- Plumbing permits in North Carolina
- Demolition permits in North Carolina
- Pool and spa permits in North Carolina
- Deck, porch and addition permits in North Carolina
- Commercial upfit permits in North Carolina
- Fire alarm and sprinkler permits in North Carolina
- Foundation and concrete permits in North Carolina
- Window, door and siding permits in North Carolina
- The Charlotte region: building permits guide
- The Triangle: building permits guide
- The Triad: building permits guide
- Wilmington and the Cape Fear region: building permits guide
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Source: TarSignal, from North Carolina public building permit records, data through October 31, 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.