State coverage

North Carolina Building Permit Data

North Carolina building permit data is the public record of construction authorized by North Carolina's counties and municipalities. Builty holds 7.9M+ structured North Carolina permit records from 71 issuing jurisdictions across 48 counties, covering 2000 to the present, matched to addresses and normalized to a single schema.

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7.9M+
Structured permit records
71
Issuing jurisdictions
48
Counties covered
2000 to today
Sustained coverage
Coverage

Where the records are

The Triangle and Charlotte metros carry most of the volume, with coastal New Hanover County contributing a distinct storm-driven stream.

JurisdictionShare of state recordsNotable for
Raleigh13.0%Largest stream in the state, sustained Triangle growth
Mecklenburg County10.8%Countywide authority covering Charlotte
New Hanover County6.0%Coastal Wilmington, storm-driven repair
Durham5.2%Research Triangle commercial and lab build
Cabarrus County4.5%Fast suburban expansion north of Charlotte
Wake County4.0%Unincorporated county, distinct from Raleigh

Coverage continues across the remaining 65 jurisdictions. Ask for the full jurisdiction list →

What's in the data

What's in the North Carolina data

FieldCoverageNotes
street_address + geoCompleteCounty, locality, ZIP, CBSA and FIPS codes on every record
descriptionNearly completeThe free text the jurisdiction published
projectsMost recordsBuilty taxonomy labels across ten categories
record_type / work_typeNearly completeStandardized across every issuing authority
attributesMost recordsParsed detail such as utility type, dwelling type, structure type
DatesMost recordsSubmitted, issued, finaled, on one timeline

Records outside the usable window are flagged, so a date is either real or explicitly unknown.

Roughly 0.3M of these records come from 6 retired permitting platforms that North Carolina jurisdictions have since replaced. That history stays in the data when a locality changes systems.

Use cases

What North Carolina data answers

Coastal & storm repair
Hurricane-driven roof and structural repair along the New Hanover and Brunswick coast.
Housing supply
New residential construction across two of the fastest-growing metros in the Southeast.
Commercial & lab build
Research Triangle commercial, lab, and life-science construction.
Property condition
Roof, systems, and structural history at address level.
Renovation activity
Where older stock in Durham and Charlotte is being modernized.
Market research
Statewide history in the same schema as every other state.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Are North Carolina building permits public record?
Yes. Building permits issued by North Carolina jurisdictions are public records. Each one publishes them in its own format and its own system, which is why a statewide view requires collecting and standardizing them jurisdiction by jurisdiction.
How do I look up a building permit in North Carolina?
For a single property, the issuing jurisdiction's permit portal is the place to start, since permits are issued locally rather than by the state. For many properties at once, or for analysis across jurisdictions, a standardized dataset is the practical route: Builty holds 7.9M+ North Carolina permit records in one consistent structure.
How far back does North Carolina permit data go?
North Carolina carries sustained coverage from 2000 to the present. Individual jurisdictions reach back further, and some records carry placeholder dates from legacy systems; those are identified as placeholders, so the stated window is the one the data actually supports.
Which North Carolina county has the most building permits?
Wake County, counting Raleigh and the county authority together, followed by Mecklenburg County, which covers Charlotte on a countywide basis.
Does Builty cover the North Carolina coast?
Yes. New Hanover County is among the largest streams in the state, which makes post-storm repair activity visible in the coastal counties.
Can I get data for a single county or city?
Yes. Delivery can be scoped to any set of North Carolina jurisdictions, project types, or date ranges, by API, bulk file, or ongoing feed.
Related

Keep reading

Infrastructure
Data Centers & Power →
Structure & Materials
Multifamily →
Overview
US Building Permit Data →

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Statewide, or scoped to the jurisdictions and project types you care about.

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