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1. Building Permit Basics

A building permit is the basic administrative device required by the State of North Carolina that must be obtained prior to construction or alteration of any building, structure, plumbing, mechanical, or electrical system. In some cases, exemptions from requirements for building permits are applicable, and the Building Inspection Division should be contacted to determine if a project is exempt. (G.S. 160A-417)

2. Obtaining a Building Permit

In order to obtain a building permit for any building or construction work in Apex you must first fill out a permit application and checklist for 1 and 2 family dwellings and commercial construction. They can be found on the Obtaining a Building Permit Page.

3. Permit Timing

Upon receipt of a permit application and / or plans, the plan review staff will review the information for technical content and completeness. After determining that all necessary information has been supplied, approval for the issuance of the permit will be authorized and the applicant will be notified that the permit is ready to be purchased and picked up.

The review process may take only a few minutes to review the application for a single trade mechanical or electrical permit, and as long as 1-10 working days for review of building construction plans for decks, porches, additions, new homes, and commercial construction depending on work load. Occasionally permits may take longer depending on the number of plans in review.

In every case the review time will be as short as possible.

4. Contractor's Role

Once a permit has been obtained, authorization to commence construction within the scope of the permit is granted. It is the responsibility of the contractor to conform to the building and technical codes for all installations or repairs of a building or service system and to schedule all the required inspections.

A homeowner acting as general contractor assumes the same responsibility for code compliance as a licensed general contractor.

5. When a Permit is Required

Typical construction projects requiring permits and inspections include, but are not limited to: room additions, decks, roofs over decks and swimming pools greater than 24” deep. Also, finishing basements, bonus rooms and attics, lawn irrigation systems and accessory buildings. All installations or modifications to electrical, plumbing, or heating or air conditioning systems also require a permit.

For more information please contact the Building Inspection Permit Office at (919) 249-3418 or visit the Building Inspection Permit page.

6. Homeowners Performing Own Work

In most cases, North Carolina State laws pertaining to contractors allow homeowners to obtain permits and perform construction work on their personal home. For more information, please contact our staff.

7. Selecting a Contractor

Consumer Awareness information is provided by the North Carolina Licensing Board of General Contractors. To read information about selecting a contractor, contracts, permits, and other helpful information, visit their website.

8. When Inspections are Required

Because construction projects vary greatly as to their type and scope, no single set of guidelines can offer in-depth detail of the inspection process for all projects.

For example, a basic room addition requires footing, foundation, rough-in, insulation and final inspections - in that order. Details of the required components for each of these inspections are listed in the NC State Building Codes.

Additionally, information identifying the readiness of projects for inspection and how to schedule inspections is listed in the publication 1 and 2 Family Dwelling Construction Policies and Inspection Procedures. Commercial construction information can be found in the Commercial Construction Policies and Inspection Procedures publication. Authorization must be obtained from the Code Enforcement Officer after each inspection to proceed to each subsequent step of construction.

9. Scheduling an Inspection

Inspections must be scheduled the day before the intended inspection, prior to 2 p.m. They may be scheduled online or in person at the Building Inspection desk . Homeowner projects may be phoned in at (919) 249-3388.

The inspection request should include the type of inspection desired, the permit number assigned to the project, the street address, and / or the subdivision and lot number. For more information, please visit the Building Inspection Permit page.

10. Permit Fees

For permit fees, please visit the Fees page.

11. North Carolina Building Codes

NC Codes are available to purchase or to view for free at the ICC website. Code adoption and amendments are handled by the NC Dept. of Insurance, Office of State Fire Marshal. Visit their website or contact them at 800-634-7854.