Last checked: September 9, 2026 — City of Greensboro Engineering and Inspections Department, Guilford County Inspections, and NC Licensing Board for General Contractors sources verified.
Greensboro sits in Guilford County, and that single fact sends a lot of people to the wrong office. If you call the county about a house inside the Greensboro city limits, you will be told to call the city instead — and if you have already paid a deposit or ordered materials on the assumption that the county would handle it, that delay lands on your schedule, not theirs.
This guide walks through who actually issues the permit for a Greensboro address, what work needs one, how the application is filed and paid for, how inspections are scheduled, and where the rules genuinely stop. It is written for homeowners, contractors, and buyers who need a straight answer rather than another form.
Verify by address before you act. Nothing in this guide overrides your own property record. Before you apply, pay, or break ground, confirm three things about your exact address: that the parcel is inside Greensboro city limits and not in unincorporated Guilford County or a county contract town; that your specific scope of work is the one you think it is; and that the office you plan to visit is the office that permits that parcel. Getting this wrong is the most common and most expensive mistake in the whole process.
Short Answer — Who Issues Building Permits in Greensboro
Building permits for properties inside the Greensboro city limits are issued by the City of Greensboro Engineering and Inspections Department, through Development Services at 300 W. Washington St., Greensboro, NC 27401. They are not issued by Guilford County.
Guilford County Inspections permits only unincorporated Guilford County, plus the contract towns of Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield and Whitsett, plus the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. Greensboro is not on that list. A Guilford County ZIP code is not evidence that the county permits your property.
Under NC General Statute 160D-1110, a permit is required before any work starts. Building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and required fire alarm permits each go through plan review before they are issued, and all electrical, plumbing and mechanical work needs a separate permit for each trade on top of the building permit.
Permit prices are calculated from the cost of the construction. The city's current minimum permit fee for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits is $85, raised from $75. Owner-occupied homeowners may pull their own permits under set conditions. Applications are filed in person at Development Services; call 336-373-2155 with permitting questions, or schedule inspections through APRIL at 336-373-2400.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Permit issuer | City of Greensboro Engineering and Inspections Department, via Development Services |
| Applies to | Property inside the Greensboro city limits |
| Wrong office | Guilford County Inspections — unincorporated Guilford County and its contract towns only |
| Legal basis | NC General Statute 160D-1110 governs permit issuance; NC State Building Code governs construction |
| Trigger threshold | All structural work, plus any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing more than $40,000 |
| New-ground rule | A permit is needed any time you cover new ground — deck, room addition, accessory building, garage or pool |
| Separate trade permits | Yes — electrical, plumbing and mechanical each need their own permit |
| Plan review | Required for every permit type before issuance, including required fire alarm systems |
| Minimum permit fee | $85 for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits (raised from $75) |
| Application method | Paper forms submitted in person; no city-published online permit application portal was found |
| Payment | At the time of application, by check, cash or credit card |
| Office | Development Services, 300 W. Washington St., Greensboro, NC 27401 |
| Hours (as published) | Mondays to Fridays, 8 am to 5 pm — recheck the live page before travelling |
| Permitting line | 336-373-2155 |
| Inspection scheduling | APRIL, 336-373-2400, or the city's online BI Scheduler |
| County | Guilford County |
Local Basics — Address Check and Jurisdiction Before You Apply
Two checks come before anything else.
First, confirm the property is inside Greensboro city limits. That single fact decides which department permits the work, and the two departments do not share a filing system, a fee schedule or a penalty structure. The practical way to settle it is to call Development Services at 336-373-2155 with the full address and ask which authority permits that parcel. Do not infer jurisdiction from a mailing address, a ZIP code, a school district, or a utility account — none of those follow the city limits line.
One thing the city does not publish is an address-to-zone lookup that tells you which permit type you need. The scope of work decides the forms; the address decides the issuer. Those are two separate questions and they get conflated constantly.
Second, confirm the scope of your work. Is it structural work, an interior alteration, or trade-only work? That answer picks the application form and decides whether plan review is involved. Interior alterations follow one path; new construction, additions and accessory structures follow another.
To orient yourself before contacting anyone, the city publishes several self-service tools:
- The Permits, Fees and Procedures page under Developers and Contractors carries the application forms, submittal requirement documents and fee schedules.
- An interactive building permits app provides public permit data.
- The Plan Review Status Portal tracks plans that have already been submitted for approval.
- The Monthly Permits Issued page publishes city permit activity, which is useful background if you want to see how often projects like yours are filed.
Published office hours for Development Services are Mondays to Fridays, 8 am to 5 pm. Treat those hours as a snapshot: confirm them on the live page before you plan a trip across town, because published hours are exactly the kind of detail that quietly changes.
What Work Needs a Permit in Greensboro
Greensboro's published trigger rules are specific, and they split into two groups.
Group one: the threshold rule. A building permit is required for all construction that is structural in nature, and for any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing more than $40,000.
Group two: the always-permitted list, even below that threshold. A permit is still required for lower-cost work that involves any of the following:
- Addition, repair or replacement of load-bearing structures
- Addition or change in the design of plumbing
- Addition, replacement or change in the design of heating, air-conditioning or electrical wiring, devices, appliances or equipment — other than like-kind replacement of electrical devices and lighting fixtures
- Use of materials not permitted by the NC State Building Code
- Addition of roofing, excluding roofing replacement
- Any change to which the NC Fire Code applies
At the top of the list sits the general rule the city's Building Permits FAQs states plainly: a building permit is required for all work that involves construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, movement of a building or structure to another site, removal, or demolition of any building or structure.
The new-ground rule. A permit is needed any time you cover new ground. That covers building a deck, a room addition, an accessory building, a garage or a pool. If new square footage of ground gets covered, assume a permit applies.
What the city lists as not needing a permit. The published examples are replacement of windows, doors and exterior siding; the pickets, railings, stair treads and decking of porches and exterior decks; like-kind replacement of electrical devices and lighting fixtures; plumbing replacements that do not change size or capacity; and roofing replacement. Note the hard edge on that last one — replacing roofing is exempt as published, but adding roofing is not.
Treat this list as examples, not an exhaustive list. It is what the city publishes, not a statutory boundary that settles every edge case. If your project is unusual, or if you are reading this list hoping your project is on it, confirm with Development Services at 336-373-2155 before you assume an exemption applies.
Building Codes Enforced in Greensboro
Permits are only half the question. The other half is the code the work has to satisfy, and Greensboro's Building Construction and Plan Review page lists the editions it enforces:
- General buildings — 2018 North Carolina Building Code (based on the 2015 International Building Code as revised)
- Residential — 2018 North Carolina Residential Code (based on the 2015 International Residential Code as revised)
- Existing buildings — 2018 North Carolina Existing Building Code
- Energy efficiency — 2018 North Carolina Energy Code
- Accessibility — Chapter 11 of the North Carolina Building Code, plus ANSI 117.1-2009
Two things follow from that list.
First, the code is adopted at state level, not chosen by the city. North Carolina adopts the statewide code, and cities and counties enforce the editions in force. That means an edition change happens through state adoption rather than a city decision, and the list on the city's page is a snapshot of what was published when it was last updated. Confirm the editions currently in force before you order materials, finalise drawings, or quote a code year to a client.
Second, plan review is where the code gets checked. Because every permit type goes through review before issuance, drawings that assume a superseded edition are the kind of problem that surfaces at the counter rather than on site. If your designer is working from a code year, confirm which one.
Step-by-Step — Applying for a Greensboro Building Permit
This is the city's published path, in the order it happens.
1 — Confirm the address is inside Greensboro city limits. Call 336-373-2155 with the full parcel address. Everything downstream depends on this answer.
2 — Determine the scope of work and the matching application form. Structural work, interior alteration, accessory structure, demolition and trade-only work each map to different forms.
3 — If the owner will act as their own contractor, confirm owner-builder eligibility before applying. The ownership conditions are described further down, and they are stricter than most homeowners expect.
4 — If you are hiring for a project valued at $40,000 or more, verify the contractor's NC general contractor licence with the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors before you sign anything.
5 — Prepare plans. New construction, additions and accessory structures require plan review and a site plan drawn to scale. All building construction projects need some type of plans before a building permit can be issued.
6 — Complete the correct form from the Permits, Fees and Procedures page. The published forms include the Residential Building Permit Application, the Commercial Building Permit Application, the Residential Accessory Building Permit Application, the Demolition Permit Application, the Electrical Request for Temporary Service Connection and the Annual Electrical Permit Application, alongside the trade forms.
7 — Submit in person. Applications go to Development Services. Interior alterations are submitted to the Building Inspections Division, with proof of identity such as an NC driver's licence or ID.
8 — Pay at the time of application by check, cash or credit card.
9 — Do not start work until the permit is issued and plan review is complete. This is the city's stated rule and it is not negotiable.
10 — Schedule inspections stage by stage as the work progresses, using the permit number on your permit card.
One point worth stating plainly: the city does not publish an online permit application portal. The application path described on the city's own pages is in person and paper-based. You can schedule inspections and check status online, but the application itself is a completed form handed over at the counter. Anyone who tells you a Greensboro resident can file a permit application through a city web portal is describing a process the city does not publish.
Plan Review and Separate Trade Permits
These are the two structural rules readers most often get wrong.
Every permit type goes through plan review before it is issued. That includes building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, and required fire alarm systems. All building construction projects require some type of plans before a building permit can be issued, and residential new construction, additions and accessory structures specifically need a site plan drawn to scale.
Every trade needs its own permit. All electrical, plumbing and mechanical work requires a separate permit for each trade, on top of the building permit. A kitchen remodel is not one permit. It is a building permit plus whatever plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits the scope actually touches.
The city publishes the trade scopes so you can self-assess:
Plumbing permits cover installations, alterations and additions to sanitary drainage-waste-vent (DWV) systems; fixtures, water heaters and appliances connecting to DWV, water service or water distribution; sewer and water service systems including replacement; and special-application equipment such as water softeners, process water connections and grease traps.
Mechanical permits cover installation or replacement of furnaces, condensers, boilers, chillers, and solar, hot-water or steam heating and cooling systems; gas piping, gas equipment and gas appliances; energy distribution systems such as duct work and piping; fossil-fuel-fired heating equipment; gas logs, ranges, grills and lights; and commercial refrigeration systems assembled on site that are not unitary plug-in appliances.
What the city does not publish anywhere on the pages reviewed is a plan-review turnaround time. If a contractor promises you a specific number of days for review, ask where that number comes from, because it is not a published city commitment.
Fees — What Is Published and What Lives in the Schedule Documents
Here is everything that can be stated with confidence, and nothing more.
Permit prices are calculated using the cost of the construction. The city's banner shows that the minimum permit fee for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits increased from $75 to $85.
That is the only dollar figure published in this guide. Every other amount lives inside the city's fee-schedule documents, which are published on the Permits, Fees and Procedures page: the Building Permit Fee Schedule, the Electrical Permit Fee Schedule, the Mechanical Permit Fee Schedule, the Plumbing Permit Fee Schedule and the Contractor Residential Pricing Schedule. Open the current schedule files before you budget, because the schedule that applies to your project is the one currently in force, not a number recalled from a forum thread or an old invoice.
Permit fees are paid at the time of application by check, cash or credit card. There is no pay-later arrangement described in the city's published process.
The $85 minimum figure was captured on 2026-09-09 and must be rechecked on the live page. A minimum fee is also exactly that — a floor. It is not an estimate of what your project will cost.
Homeowner Permits — Who Can Pull Their Own
Greensboro allows owner-builders to pull their own permits, but the conditions are real and they differ between building work and trade work.
For building permits, the homeowner must:
- Own and live in the house, with proof
- Sign an affidavit of ownership and terms of permits and inspections
- Keep the house off the market and out of lease at the time of the request, and for at least one year after completion
- Oversee the work personally
For plumbing, mechanical or electrical permits, the same ownership conditions apply, and the homeowner must do the work themselves.
That last distinction matters. Owning and occupying the home gets you the right to pull a trade permit for your own house; it does not get you the right to pull one for a contractor to execute. The work itself has to be yours.
On the submission side, the path splits by project type. Interior alterations use the Residential Building Permit Application, submitted in person to the Building Inspections Division with proof of identity. New construction, additions and accessory structures go through residential plan review, with the site plan drawn to scale.
Keep the owner-builder question separate from the licensing question. NC law requires a licensed general contractor when the total project cost is $40,000 or more (N.C. Gen. Stat. 87, Article 1). Those are two different rules answering two different questions: who may pull the permit, and whether the project needs a licensed contractor at all.
Inspections, Scheduling and Status Tracking
Inspections are scheduled through APRIL — the Automated Attendant for Permits, Plan Review and Inspections — at 336-373-2400, from a touch-tone phone, using the seven- or nine-digit permit number printed on the permit card. Some APRIL options are available only during normal business hours: weekdays, non-holidays, 8 am to 5 pm.
The online alternative is the city's BI Scheduler. Inspection results and status are checked online through the Status of Inspection lookup, where you type in the address or the permit number. Submitted plans are tracked through the Plan Review Status Portal.
For questions above the counter level, the department page publishes the Engineering and Inspections Department Director as Kenney McDowell, 336-373-2302, and the city main line as 336-373-CITY (2489).
One separate step that catches commercial projects: sediment and erosion control plan review, grading permits and permanent stabilization of commercial development are handled by the department's Sediment and Erosion Control Section. That is not part of the building permit itself. If your project disturbs ground at commercial scale, plan for it as its own approval.
Keep the permit card accessible through the whole build. Every inspection call starts with the permit number, and losing the card does not stop the inspection schedule — but it slows the phone call down considerably.
Checking Permit Status, Plans and Public Records
There are three different trackers, and they answer three different questions. Mixing them up is why people think their permit is stuck when it is not.
"Where is my application?" Use the Plan Review Status Portal. It tracks plans that have already been submitted to the city for approval and shows where the submittal sits in the review process. If your application is still on the counter and has not been entered yet, this portal will not show anything — that is not a rejection, it is just an un-entered submittal.
"Did my inspection pass?" Use the Status of Inspection lookup and type in either the address or the permit number. That is the tool for inspection results and status, and it is the one to check before scheduling the next stage of work.
"What has been permitted in this area?" Use the interactive building permits app, the city's public permit-data viewer. Buyers, neighbours and contractors use it to see what has been filed and issued. It is a records viewer, not an application tracker, and it does not accept a new application.
If you are buying a house, the practical sequence is: pull the property on the interactive permits app to see the permit history, and if something looks unfinished, ask Development Services at 336-373-2155 what the record shows before you close. Inspection results are the evidence that permitted work was actually completed and signed off.
City Limits vs Guilford County — Where the Permit Line Falls
This is the core confusion behind almost every wrong-office call in Greensboro, so it is worth stating completely.
Greensboro is one of three separate permitting authorities in Guilford County:
- The City of Greensboro Engineering and Inspections Department handles property inside the Greensboro city limits.
- Guilford County Inspections handles unincorporated Guilford County plus the contract towns of Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield and Whitsett, plus the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority.
- High Point runs its own separate department.
The county's rules are not Greensboro's rules. The county's Civic Access application portal, its own fee schedule, its doubled-fee penalty when work starts before a permit is issued, and its residential fee example — a detached single-family base of $150 plus $0.35 per heated square foot — apply to county-permitted addresses only. They do not describe what happens when you file in Greensboro, and quoting them for a Greensboro project will give you the wrong number and the wrong filing system.
Zoning and site-plan questions follow a similar split. For unincorporated parcels, those go to Guilford County Planning and Development. For properties inside a town's limits, they go to that town's planning department.
One thing the reviewed pages do not state is whether the city enforces permitting in any extra-territorial jurisdiction. Because that is unsettled here, do not assume one way or the other. Settle jurisdiction for your specific address by calling the office that would permit it, before you publish, quote, or rely on any rule.
Contractor Licensing and the $40,000 Threshold
By NC law, a general contractor must be licensed when the total project cost is valued at $40,000 or higher (N.C. Gen. Stat. 87, Article 1). The NC Licensing Board for General Contractors publishes three licence classes:
- Limited — up to $750,000 per single project
- Intermediate — up to $1,500,000
- Unlimited — no value restriction
Verify a contractor's licence with the board before signing. A licence class matters as much as the licence itself: a Limited licence that fits a $600,000 project does not fit a $900,000 one.
And keep it distinct from the owner-builder rules. A homeowner who owns and occupies the home may pull their own permits under the city's conditions. That is a different question from whether the project requires a licensed general contractor. A homeowner can pull their own permit and still be required to hire a licensed contractor, depending on the project value.
Resident Scenarios
The homeowner replacing a water heater. This is plumbing work, and plumbing permits cover water heaters connecting to DWV, water service or water distribution. That means a plumbing permit. Check whether your replacement is like-for-like in size and capacity, since the published exemption covers plumbing replacements that do not change size or capacity.
The homeowner building a deck. The new-ground rule applies, so this is a permit. A deck requires plan review, and it needs a site plan drawn to scale. Work cannot start before the permit is issued.
The homeowner re-roofing after storm damage. Replacement roofing is on the city's published no-permit list, but adding roofing is not. A straight tear-off and replacement sits in the exempt example; adding a new roof structure, or adding roofing over existing material where the scope changes the structure, should be confirmed with Development Services before the crew starts.
The contractor working Greensboro and Summerfield in the same month. Two permitting systems. The Greensboro job files in person at Development Services on W. Washington Street; the Summerfield job goes through Guilford County Inspections. County rules, county fees and the county portal do not carry over to the Greensboro address.
The homeowner in unincorporated Guilford County who assumed the city boundary covered them. The permit comes from Guilford County Inspections, not the city. The county's doubled-fee penalty for starting work before a permit is issued is the county rule — and it is a reason to settle jurisdiction before mobilizing.
The renovating homeowner pulling their own permits. Owner-occupied, proof of ownership, affidavit signed, and the home off the market and out of rental use for at least one year after completion. If the plan is to renovate, live in it briefly, and rent it, the owner-builder route does not fit the rules.
The commercial tenant building out a space. Building permit plus separate permits for whatever trades the scope touches, plus plan review for every permit type, plus a separate sediment and erosion control step if the work disturbs ground at commercial scale.
The buyer checking a flip before closing. The interactive building permits app shows what was filed and issued at the address; the Status of Inspection lookup shows whether the work was inspected. Unpermitted work is not something the closing table resolves — it becomes the new owner's problem, which is why the check belongs before signing.
Answers to Related Greensboro Permit Questions
On cost. Permit prices are calculated using the cost of the construction, the minimum fee for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits is $85, and everything else is in the fee-schedule documents. There is no published flat rate per project type.
On the application form. The form you need depends on scope: Residential, Commercial, Residential Accessory, Demolition, or a trade form. All are published on the Permits, Fees and Procedures page.
On the inspections phone number. 336-373-2400 is APRIL, the automated inspection-scheduling line. 336-373-2155 is Development Services for permitting questions. They are not the same line and they do not do the same job.
On looking up a permit by address. The Status of Inspection lookup accepts an address or a permit number for inspection results and status. The interactive building permits app is the public permit-data viewer, and the Plan Review Status Portal covers submitted plans.
On a residential building permit. Interior alterations use the Residential Building Permit Application; new construction, additions and accessory structures go through residential plan review with a scaled site plan.
On deck permits. A deck covers new ground, so it requires a permit and plan review.
On roof permits. Replacement roofing is a published no-permit example. Adding roofing is not exempt and needs a permit. If the scope is anything other than a straight replacement, confirm before starting.
On APRIL. It is the automated attendant for permits, plan review and inspections, reachable at 336-373-2400 from a touch-tone phone with your permit number, with some options limited to weekdays, non-holidays, 8 am to 5 pm.
On Guilford County building permits. Those apply to unincorporated Guilford County and the county's contract towns, not to Greensboro city addresses.
On contractor licence lookup. The NC Licensing Board for General Contractors is the state authority; verify there before signing.
On homeowner permits. Yes, with the owner-occupancy conditions described above.
On building code editions. The city's Building Construction and Plan Review page lists the 2018 North Carolina Building Code, the 2018 NC Residential Code, the 2018 NC Existing Building Code and the 2018 NC Energy Code, with accessibility requirements in Chapter 11 and ANSI 117.1-2009. NC code adoption can change, so confirm the editions currently in force before relying on a specific year.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Calling Guilford County about a house inside the Greensboro city limits. The county does not permit Greensboro addresses.
- Assuming a Greensboro ZIP code means city permitting. Jurisdiction follows the city limits line, not the mail.
- Filing a county fee figure, county portal process or county penalty rule against a Greensboro project.
- Starting work before the permit is issued. The city's rule is explicit, and a permit is required before any work can be started.
- Treating the city's exemption examples as a complete list. They are published examples.
- Assuming one permit covers a project that touches plumbing, mechanical or electrical. Each trade needs its own.
- Skipping plan review preparation on a new construction, addition or accessory structure job — a scaled site plan is required.
- Expecting to file the application online. The published path is in person, on paper.
- Budgeting from a forum post instead of the current fee-schedule documents.
- Hiring for a project valued at $40,000 or more without verifying the contractor's licence and licence class.
- Pulling an owner-builder permit and then renting or selling the home inside the one-year window.
- Travelling to Development Services without rechecking the published hours on the live page.
- Assuming a code year is still current because a drawing set says so. Code editions are adopted at state level and change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a building permit in Greensboro? Yes for most construction. Greensboro requires a permit for all work that is structural in nature and for any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing more than $40,000, plus lower-value work that changes load-bearing elements, changes plumbing design, changes HVAC or electrical design beyond like-kind replacement, uses materials not permitted by the NC State Building Code, adds roofing, or falls under the NC Fire Code. Building a deck, room addition, accessory building, garage or pool also requires a permit.
When do I not need a building permit in Greensboro? The city's published examples of work needing no permit are replacement of windows, doors and exterior siding; the pickets, railings, stair treads and decking of porches and exterior decks; like-kind replacement of electrical devices and lighting fixtures; plumbing replacements that do not change size or capacity; and roofing replacement. Adding roofing does require a permit. Treat the list as examples rather than a complete statute list, and confirm with Development Services at 336-373-2155.
How much does a building permit cost in Greensboro? Permit prices are calculated using the cost of the construction, and the city's minimum permit fee for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits is currently $85, raised from $75. Every other amount lives in the city's fee-schedule documents on the Permits, Fees and Procedures page, so open the current schedules before budgeting.
Where and how do I apply for a Greensboro building permit? All permits are issued by Development Services at 300 W. Washington St., Greensboro, NC 27401, published hours Mondays to Fridays, 8 am to 5 pm, phone 336-373-2155. Interior alterations use the Residential Building Permit Application, submitted in person to the Building Inspections Division with proof of identity, paying at the time of application by check, cash or credit card. New construction, additions and accessory structures go through residential plan review with a site plan drawn to scale. The city does not publish an online permit application portal.
Can a homeowner pull their own permit in Greensboro? Yes, with conditions. For building work you must own and live in the house with proof, sign an affidavit of ownership and terms of permits and inspections, keep the home out of sale or lease at the time of the request and for at least one year after completion, and oversee the work yourself. For plumbing, mechanical or electrical work, the same ownership conditions apply and you must do the work yourself.
How do I schedule an inspection in Greensboro? Call APRIL at 336-373-2400 from a touch-tone phone and follow the prompts using the seven- or nine-digit permit number from your permit card, or schedule online through the city's BI Scheduler. Some APRIL options are available only during normal business hours: weekdays, non-holidays, 8 am to 5 pm.
How do I look up a permit or an inspection result by address in Greensboro? Use the city's Status of Inspection lookup and enter the address or the permit number to see inspection results and status. The interactive building permits app is the public viewer for permit records, and the Plan Review Status Portal tracks plans already submitted for review. If you need an answer the tools do not give, call Development Services at 336-373-2155.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Greensboro? Roofing replacement appears on the city's published list of work that does not need a permit, while the addition of roofing does need one. If your project is a straight replacement, that is the published example; if it adds roofing or changes the structure, confirm the scope with Development Services at 336-373-2155 before work starts.
Which building codes does Greensboro enforce? The city's Building Construction and Plan Review page lists the 2018 North Carolina Building Code, the 2018 NC Residential Code, the 2018 NC Existing Building Code and the 2018 NC Energy Code, with accessibility requirements in Chapter 11 and ANSI 117.1-2009. NC code adoption is statewide and can change, so confirm the editions currently in force before relying on a specific year.
Who issues permits in Greensboro — the city or Guilford County? Inside the Greensboro city limits, the City of Greensboro Engineering and Inspections Department issues permits through Development Services. Guilford County Inspections handles only unincorporated Guilford County plus Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield and Whitsett and the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. Greensboro is not on that list, so county rules and county fees do not apply to a Greensboro address.
Does Greensboro have an online permit application portal? No city-published online permit application portal was found. The application path the city describes is in person and paper-based: complete the correct form, submit it at Development Services with proof of identity, and pay at the counter. Inspection scheduling and status checks are available online, but the application itself is not.
Do I need a licensed general contractor for my Greensboro project? North Carolina law requires a state-licensed general contractor for any project valued at $40,000 or more (N.C. Gen. Stat. 87, Article 1). Verify the licence with the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors before signing. Homeowners who own and occupy their home may pull their own permits under the city's owner-builder conditions.
Sources
- City of Greensboro — Engineering and Inspections Department
- City of Greensboro — Residential Construction
- City of Greensboro — Building Permits FAQs
- City of Greensboro — Status of Inspection
- City of Greensboro — Permits, Fees and Procedures
- City of Greensboro — Building Construction and Plan Review
- City of Greensboro — Residential Plan Review
- Guilford County — Inspections
- Guilford County — Permit Guidance
- NC Licensing Board for General Contractors
- NCLBGC — Laws and Regulations
- City of Greensboro — Interactive Building Permits App
- City of Greensboro — Plan Review Status Portal
- City of Greensboro — BI Scheduler
- City of Greensboro — Monthly Permits Issued
Verify Before You Act
This page is a starting point, not the official record. Before you apply, pay a deposit, or start work, confirm five things: the permitting authority for your exact address, since Greensboro city limits, unincorporated Guilford County and the county contract towns are three different answers; the current minimum permit fee and any applicable schedule amounts in the live fee documents; the code editions currently enforced; the published Development Services hours before you travel; and the status of any existing permit at the address if you are buying.
Use two numbers. Call Development Services at 336-373-2155 for permitting questions, and APRIL at 336-373-2400 to schedule inspections. The city main line is 336-373-CITY (2489).
And keep the one rule that cannot be relaxed in front of everything else: a permit is required before any work can be started in the City of Greensboro.
For another city service, see the Greensboro trash pickup guide.
Information last checked 2026-09-09. Permit fees, published hours, code editions and contact details change — verify with the city before you rely on any step here.