Plumbing permits in North Carolina: who's piping new homes and remodels
For plumbing contractors
New or changed plumbing needs a permit at any price in North Carolina, so plumbing permits trace every new bathroom, kitchen move and new house, wherever an office publishes them. This guide shows where they're filed and who pulls them.
- Permits, last 12 months
- 25,544
- Last 90 days
- 6,768
- Last 30 days
- 1,700
- Contractors on the list
- 12
- most active, below
When plumbing work needs a permit in North Carolina
The $40,000 exemption in G.S. 160D-1110 doesn't cover adding plumbing or changing its design. A new bathroom, a moved kitchen, a new house or a commercial fit-out needs a plumbing permit whatever it costs. Replacing fixtures without changing their size or capacity is exempt.
Water heaters have their own rule: a licensed plumber can replace one like for like in a one- or two-family home without a permit, when it keeps the same fuel, location and capacity and meets the other conditions in G.S. 160D-1110(a).
Plumbing contracting is licensed by the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors (G.S. 87-21). Mecklenburg, Greensboro and Cabarrus publish plumbing permits as records of their own; several Triangle offices don't, so their counts run low.
The permits worth watching
New homes
Each needs rough-in and finish plumbing, and the builder on the permit picks the plumber, usually for a whole community.
Additions and remodels
A new bathroom or a moved kitchen changes the plumbing design. The general contractor on the building permit hires the plumber.
Commercial upfits
Restaurants, clinics and salons add fixtures, gas and grease lines. The GC on the upfit permit is the call.
Plumbing permits on existing homes
Repipes and line replacements show which plumbers are winning service work, and where older pipe is failing.
Where the work is
25,544 plumbing 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 County14,791
- Greensboro3,696
- Cabarrus County2,940
- Gaston County819
- Wake County715
- Brunswick County512
- Wilmington & New Hanover County342
- High Point312
- Guilford County271
- Union County258
- Onslow County246
- Cumberland County199
- Alamance County157
- Raleigh95
- Asheville55
- Morrisville40
- Apex31
- Fuquay-Varina27
- Wake Forest19
- Durham18
- Cary1
Plumbing 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 County14,791 permits in 12 months
- Greensboro3,696 permits in 12 months
- Cabarrus County2,940 permits in 12 months
- Gaston County819 permits in 12 months
- Wake County715 permits in 12 months
- Brunswick County512 permits in 12 months
- Wilmington & New Hanover County342 permits in 12 months
- High Point312 permits in 12 months
- Guilford County271 permits in 12 months
- Union County258 permits in 12 months
- Onslow County246 permits in 12 months
- Cumberland County199 permits in 12 months
- Alamance County157 permits in 12 months
- Raleigh95 permits in 12 months
- Asheville55 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 | 790 | 181 |
| Airo Mechanical, LLC | 547 | 290 |
| Ryan Homes | 520 | 98 |
| Charles Carter Plumbing, Inc | 374 | 38 |
| National Permit Expediters, Inc. | 366 | 69 |
| C Jones Plumbing | 320 | 85 |
| Drb Group North Carolina LLC | 257 | 42 |
| M/I Homes | 252 | 66 |
| MAJ Permits Inc. | 245 | 11 |
| Taylor Morrison | 240 | 45 |
| Dilling Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical | 235 | 48 |
| Pulte Home Company, LLC | 227 | 44 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 831 SHIPLEY WAY SWSupply 28462 | PlumbingPlumbing | $2,712 | Issued | |
| 503 SOUTH WEBB STREETGastonia 28052 | PlumbingSingle Trade (Residential) - Plumbing | — | Completed | |
| 1827 Sutter Creek DrWaxhaw | Plumbing300 - Residential Plumbing | — | Issued | |
| 8194 MIDAS LNLocust 28097 | PlumbingPlumbing (Residential New) | — | Issued | |
| 1474 MINING CAMP RDMidland 28107 | PlumbingPlumbing (Residential New) | — | Issued |
1,700 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
Get ahead of rough-in
Watch new-home, addition and upfit permits in your ZIPs. They come before the plumbing permit, while the plumber is still being chosen.
- 02
Know your competition
The contractor table shows who files the most plumbing permits; each contractor's page shows where they work.
- 03
Work the builders
A few builders file most new homes in a county. One purchasing manager is worth a season of service calls.
Plumbing permits in North Carolina: common questions
- Do you need a permit for plumbing work in North Carolina?
- For new or changed plumbing, yes, at any price: the $40,000 exemption in G.S. 160D-1110 doesn't cover adding plumbing or changing its design. Replacing fixtures without changing their size or capacity is exempt, and a licensed plumber can replace a water heater like for like in a one- or two-family home without one, under conditions the statute sets out.
- How many plumbing permits are filed in North Carolina?
- 25,544 in the last 12 months across the offices we read. Most were filed in Mecklenburg County (14,791), Greensboro (3,696) and Cabarrus County (2,940). Several Triangle offices don't publish plumbing permits separately, so their counts run low.
- Who pulls the most plumbing permits in North Carolina?
- By permits in the last 12 months: Champion Residential LLC, DBA Morris Jenkins, Airo Mechanical, LLC 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
- Electrical 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
Get these permits as they're filed
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Source: TarSignal, from North Carolina public building permit records, data through October 30, 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.