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Building permit data for North Carolina general contractors

For general contractors and builders

New homes, additions, remodels and commercial work: the building permits that start a project, from the North Carolina offices we read — where they're filed, what they're declared to cost and which builders and GCs are pulling them.

Permits, last 12 months
34,936
Last 90 days
10,046
Last 30 days
3,139
New single-family home
$355K
median construction cost on permits
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When a project needs a permit — and a licensed GC — in North Carolina

Most building work needs a permit. G.S. 160D-1110 exempts jobs of $40,000 or less on a house or commercial building, but not if they touch the structure, change the plumbing design, add or replace HVAC or electrical equipment, add roofing, or fall under the Fire Code — so nearly every addition and most remodels are permitted.

A general contractor's license is needed for any project costing $40,000 or more (G.S. 87-1, raised from $30,000 in October 2023). The permit names the contractor, which is how this data shows who builds what, and where.

Commercial projects go through plan review first, so a commercial permit can sit at “submitted” or “in review” for weeks. Those early stages are public, and they're the first sign a project is coming.

The permits worth watching

  • New homes

    Single-family and townhome permits, with the builder named and the declared construction cost.

  • Additions and remodels

    Homeowner-driven work, usually for a smaller GC. The address gives the neighborhood; the declared value gives the size of the job.

  • Commercial and up-fits

    New commercial buildings and tenant fit-outs. Permits still at the submitted or in-review stage are the time to get on a bid list.

  • Demolitions

    A residential demolition is very often a new house on the way — an owner who'll need a builder.

Where the work is

34,936 building permits for new homes, additions, remodels and commercial work in the last 12 months, by the permit office that issued them and by ZIP code. Each links to its own page.

New home and remodel 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.

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.

ContractorLast 12 monthsLast 90 days
Lennar Carolinas, LLC788150
Pulte Home Company, LLC558149
Clayton Properties Group, Inc., T/A Mungo Homes31374
Meritage Homes Of The Carolinas, Inc.25160
DR Horton INC239109
NVR Inc. d/b/a Ryan Homes23139
Meritage Homes22731
Stanley Martin Homes, LLC22672
Lennar Homes22162
Garman Homes21038
D R Horton, Inc20642
DRBHomes20435

Recent permits

A sample from 30 or more days ago. Permit Search and the daily email have them as they're filed.

AddressTypeValueStatusDate
7693 ELIZABETH DROak Ridge 27310Alteration / RemodelResidential Building - Up-Fit / Remodel—Issued
202 KING ARTHUR TRLGarner 27529AdditionResidential Addition—Withdrawn rejected
5501 JOSH BIRMINGHAM PY #0010Charlotte 28208Alteration / RemodelAlteration$4.3M—
153 TREASURE ISLAND INDIVIDUALWilmington 28411New BuildNHC Residential Trade Permit—Completed
2651 JAZZY STNew Hill 27562Alteration / RemodelResidential Alteration—Withdrawn rejected
910 Osprey CtWeddingtonAlteration / Remodel502 - Building Renovation—Issued
509 BILTMORE AVEAsheville 28801AdditionCom: Alterations—Issued
3202 MK CHARLIE JUNE WAYGreensboroCommercialCommercial—Issued
2012 DILWORTH RD ECharlotte 28203Alteration / RemodelAlteration$62K—
1012 BOBBY LNCharlotte 28211AdditionAddition$230K—

How to work the list

  1. 01

    Know the market

    See where new homes and remodels are being permitted, office by office and ZIP by ZIP, and what they're declared to cost.

  2. 02

    Know who you're up against

    The contractor table and each contractor's page show who's building where, and how much.

  3. 03

    Get in early

    Watch commercial and multifamily permits at the submitted and in-review stages, before the project is bid out.

More reading

General contractors permits in North Carolina: common questions

When does a general contractor need a license in North Carolina?
For any project costing $40,000 or more (G.S. 87-1, raised from $30,000 in October 2023). Below that, the building permit is still required for most structural work, but the contractor doesn't need a general contractor's license.
How many new-home and remodel permits are filed in North Carolina?
34,936 building permits for new homes, additions, remodels and commercial work in the last 12 months across the offices we read. Most were filed in Mecklenburg County (13,069), Wake County (4,642) and Cabarrus County (3,380). The median declared construction cost of a new single-family home was $355K.
Who pulls the most building permits in North Carolina?
By permits in the last 12 months: Lennar Carolinas, LLC, Pulte Home Company, LLC and Clayton Properties Group, Inc., T/A Mungo Homes. The table above has the top twelve, each linked to its own page where it has one.

More guides

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Source: TarSignal, from North Carolina public building permit records, data through October 5, 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.