Bertie County Planning & Inspections, 106 Dundee Street, Windsor (252-794-5336), issues building, trade, manufactured home and fire permits for the county and its towns, and permits can be searched, applied for and paid online. Under the fee schedule effective July 1, 2025, a new home is $0.20 per sq ft with a $75 minimum, and septic approval from Albemarle Regional Health Services comes first.
What requires a permit in Bertie County?
The county’s own building and permitting brochure lists the triggers it applies:
Building permit
- Any structural work, before it begins
- Non-structural work costing $40,000 or more
- Any structure 12 feet by 12 feet or larger, including pre-built storage buildings
- Manufactured and mobile homes (a set-up permit)
- Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, insulation and gas work
- Pools, solar panels and demolition
Other county permits
- Flood Development Permit for any new structure in a floodplain, even when no building permit is needed
- Fire permits for opening a business, a change of use or ownership, day care and foster homes
- Fire alarm and suppression system permits
- Subdivision plats
Development within 75 feet of a navigable waterway also needs a CAMA permit, because Bertie is a coastal county.
Who handles permitting in Bertie County?
Planning & Inspections, directed by Traci White, runs building inspections, planning and fire permits from 106 Dundee Street in Windsor, open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Septic permits come from the Environmental Health Division of Albemarle Regional Health Services (252-794-5322).
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Towns: the county issues the building permit inside Askewville, Aulander, Colerain, Kelford, Lewiston Woodville, Powellsville, Roxobel and Windsor as well. For property inside town limits or a town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (usually 1 mile beyond the limits), the town signs the county’s Zoning Allowance Form, confirming its zoning permit, before the building permit is issued, and signs a Zoning Compliance Form at the end of construction before the final inspection. These county forms do not replace the town’s own zoning permit. Where the town provides sewer, it must confirm that in writing.
| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| Planning & Inspections | 106 Dundee Street, PO Box 530, Windsor, NC 27983; 252-794-5336; fax 252-794-5361 |
| Online permits | Bertie County iWorQ portal (search, apply or pay) |
| Septic (Albemarle Regional Health Services) | 252-794-5322 |
| CAMA permits (Division of Coastal Management, Elizabeth City) | 252-264-3901 |
Bertie County permit fees (effective July 1, 2025)
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential construction | $0.20 per sq ft, $75 minimum |
| Unheated area or accessory structure | $0.10 per sq ft, $50 minimum |
| Residential renovation or up-fit | $0.20 per sq ft, $50 minimum |
| Manufactured or modular home | $0.25 per sq ft, $50 minimum (includes set-up and trades) |
| Pool | $100 plus trade permits |
| Residential solar panels | $75, up to $500, plus an electrical permit |
| Commercial construction / renovation | $0.25 / $0.15 per sq ft, $100 minimum |
| Commercial plan review | $200 |
| Fire permit: opening a business, change of use or ownership, ABC | $150 |
| Re-inspection | $50 per trip, plus $25 for each additional trip |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →A licensed general contractor building a home also pays the $10 Homeowners Recovery Fund fee. Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the fees, and continuing after a stop-work order adds $50 a day until the permit is approved. The county posts an annual financial report on how its permit fees are used. The Schedule of Fees the Commissioners adopted for FY 2026–27 repeats these Planning & Inspections figures, still marked effective July 1, 2025.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
Each trade is permitted separately on new construction, by square footage with a minimum fee; a manufactured home set-up permit already includes its trades.
| Permit | Residential | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical, new construction | $0.05 per sq ft, $50 minimum | $0.10 per sq ft, $100 minimum |
| Plumbing, new construction | $0.05 per sq ft, $50 minimum | $0.10 per sq ft, $100 minimum |
| Mechanical, new construction | $0.05 per sq ft, $50 minimum | $0.10 per sq ft, $100 minimum |
| Insulation | $0.05 per sq ft, $50 minimum | $0.05 per sq ft, $100 minimum |
| Trade repair or replacement | $50 | $100 |
| Electrical temporary service | $50 | $100 |
| Gas installation | $50 | $100 |
| Restore power (one trip) | $25; a homeowner may pull it | $100 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Before you apply in Bertie County
- Septic approval from Albemarle Regional Health Services, or the town’s written confirmation of sewer service, before any building or manufactured home permit.
- Town zoning allowance for a lot inside a town or its ETJ.
- Moving permit for a previously owned manufactured home, from the tax office of the county it is leaving, before the set-up permit.
- Flood Development Permit for a site in the floodplain.
- Setbacks: lots that existed before September 1, 2005 have no county minimum setback beyond the building and health codes. For newer lots, the table effective February 6, 2006 sets 75 feet from an outside road or highway right of way, 30 feet from an internal subdivision street and 20 feet from other lot lines.
How to apply for a Bertie County building permit
Call Albemarle Regional Health Services at 252-794-5322, or get the town’s sewer letter.
Have the town zoning officer sign the county Zoning Allowance Form.
Floodplain sites need a Flood Development Permit; work within 75 feet of navigable water needs a CAMA permit.
Use the county iWorQ portal or bring the application to 106 Dundee Street; the office helps with online applications.
Call for each inspection before covering work.
In a town, the Zoning Compliance Form must be signed before the final inspection.
Rather not deal with the Bertie County building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Bertie County
The county brochure sets out the inspections on new or remodeled buildings. The footing trenches are inspected before concrete; footings go below the frost line and at least 12 inches into existing ground, not fill. After the foundation, the soil under the building must be leveled 4 inches above the outside grade and cleared of debris. The rough-ins come in order before drywall: framing first, then electrical, plumbing and mechanical, then insulation. The final inspection follows completion, and the 911 address must be displayed on the building first.
Each failed inspection that needs another trip costs $50, and $25 more for each trip after that.
Coastal and land rules in Bertie County
CAMA: the state Division of Coastal Management lists Bertie County Planning & Inspections staff as its Local Permit Officers for the county, and the county brochure also gives the Division’s Elizabeth City office (252-264-3901) for CAMA permits.
Ordinances: the county posts its Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, Watershed Protection Ordinance (with a Roanoke River watershed map), Subdivision Ordinance, outdoor advertising sign ordinance, junkyard ordinance and the 2019 Tri-County Height Restriction Ordinance, along with its CAMA Land Use Plan.
North Carolina building code
The 2018 North Carolina State Building Code family applies statewide, with the 2020 North Carolina Electrical Code; one- and two-family homes and townhouses still use the 2017 edition. The 2024 code has been delayed and cannot take effect before late 2027. The NC State Building Code and the delayed 2024 edition
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Bertie County permit search and official resources
Bertie County and state pages behind this guide.
- Bertie County Planning & Inspections
- Fee schedule effective July 1, 2025
- Adopted FY 2026–27 Schedule of Fees (all departments)
- What you need to know about building and permitting (brochure)
- Town Zoning Allowance Form
- Minimum building setback requirements
- Bertie County CAMA Land Use Plan
- NC Division of Coastal Management local permit officers
Bertie County permit FAQ
Who issues building permits in Bertie County?
Bertie County Planning & Inspections, 106 Dundee Street, Windsor (252-794-5336), for the county and all eight towns.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a building permit for a new house in Bertie County?
$0.20 per sq ft with a $75 minimum, $0.10 per sq ft for unheated area, plus separate electrical, plumbing, mechanical and insulation permits at $0.05 per sq ft each ($50 minimum).
Do I need a permit for a shed?
Yes if it is 12 feet by 12 feet or larger, including a pre-built storage building.
I am building in Windsor. What extra form do I need?
The county Zoning Allowance Form, signed by the town before the permit, and the Zoning Compliance Form, signed by the town before the final inspection.
Do I need a CAMA permit?
For development within 75 feet of a navigable waterway, yes.
What happens if I start work without a permit?
The permit fees are doubled, and work continued after a stop-work order costs another $50 a day.
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More North Carolina permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Bertie County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.