Burlington, North Carolina Building Permit Guide

Burlington building permits come from the city's own Inspections Department at the Municipal Building, with everything running through BurlingtonSmart — the city's online permits and inspections portal. Alamance County permits outside the city, and Graham runs its own department too.

Permits here are distributed across four city departments. Most go through Inspections and Planning, but fences, sheds, and pools are Planning records, new driveways are Engineering, fire permits go to the Fire Department, and special events to the Special Events Division.

Applies inside Burlington city limits, including the part of the city in Guilford County. Alamance County permits unincorporated Alamance land; Graham and Mebane run their own inspections departments.

What requires a permit in Burlington?

A Burlington building permit is required before most construction, alteration, repair, demolition, or change of occupancy inside the city limits. Burlington runs its own Inspections Department — Alamance County permits outside the city, and Graham next door runs its own as well.

North Carolina enforces one State Building Code statewide; the 2018 edition still governs while the 2024 edition waits on the State Fire Marshal and the new Residential Code Council. North Carolina rules

Burlington building department: who handles permitting

The City of Burlington Inspections Department works from the Municipal Building at 425 South Lexington Avenue, with inspectors verifying work against state code requirements for the building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing trades. Everything runs through BurlingtonSmart, the city's online inspections and permits portal, launched in 2020.

Permits are split across several departments. Most run through Inspections and Planning, but fences, sheds, and pools are Planning records, new driveways are Engineering, fire permits go through the Fire Department, and special events through the Special Events Division. Knowing which department owns your record saves a phone call and sometimes a week.

This guide covers Burlington, North Carolina, mostly in Alamance County with a small part in Guilford. Burlington, Vermont is an unrelated and much-searched city, and there are Burlingtons in Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. Locally, Burlington, Graham and Mebane each run their own inspections departments, leaving Alamance County to serve unincorporated land and the smaller towns.

In 2025, building permits issued in Burlington authorized 412 new privately owned housing units, 219 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

Burlington permits: record types and what each covers

Burlington's records are distributed across four city departments, which is the first thing to establish. These are the ones you will file:

Residential permit types

Commercial permit types

Records you will actually see in Burlington

Solar permits in Burlington

Solar in Burlington is an electrical-led BurlingtonSmart record. Ask whether the scope qualifies for a live-remote inspection, which the city publishes as an option and which can save a site visit on a small trade item.

Roofing permits in Burlington

Reroofs inside the city are city permits. In a locally designated historic district a Certificate of Appropriateness governs exterior work — and notably tree removal as well — approved by the Historic Preservation Commission before the permit does any good.

Solar covenants and the roofing permit exemption are set by state law, and utilities run interconnection on their own timeline. North Carolina rules

Burlington permit cost

Burlington building permit fees follow the city's adopted schedule, paid through BurlingtonSmart along with the application. Trade permits are charged separately, and records handled by Planning, Engineering, or the Fire Department carry their own fees.

The city also publishes an Inspections Refund Policy alongside its Informal Review Policy — worth reading before a project is cancelled rather than after. North Carolina also makes the money visible. Under S.L. 2022-11, every local government must publish an annual financial report showing how it used the prior year's building-code fees to support, administer, and implement its code enforcement program (G.S. 160D-402(d), with G.S. 160D-1102 governing the inspection department's own accounting).

Burlington trade permits

Burlington trade permits for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work are separate BurlingtonSmart records, and the city publishes its own Informal Review Policy under G.S. 160D-1104(e) if you disagree with a call.

Burlington permit application: how to apply step by step

Here is how to get a building permit in Burlington, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.

Inspections in Burlington

Burlington inspections are scheduled through BurlingtonSmart, and the timing rule has real teeth: requests before 4 p.m. are scheduled the following business day, and requests after 4 p.m. are scheduled two business days from the request.

The department follows the statutory requirement that an inspector conduct all inspections requested by the permit holder for each scheduled inspection and inform the permit holder of instances where the work fails to meet the code — and publishes an Informal Review Policy under G.S. 160D-1104(e) for disagreements. If the local inspection department will not inspect within two business days of the request, the permit holder may ask the State Fire Marshal in writing to send an inspector (G.S. 143-139.4). G.S. 160D-1104 also requires the inspector to carry out every inspection requested for a scheduled visit and to point out each part of the work that fails the code.

State law sets how long a North Carolina permit stays valid and when changes need written approval. North Carolina rules

Burlington permit search and official resources

Open BurlingtonSmart, reach the Inspections Department, or find the applications list with the official links below.

• City of Burlington Inspections & Permits
• BurlingtonSmart portal
• Burlington applications
• Burlington Inspections policies
• NC Licensing Board for General Contractors
• LiensNC — designate a lien agent (jobs of $40,000 or more)

Frequently asked questions

Who issues building permits in Burlington, NC?

The City of Burlington Inspections Department, at the Municipal Building on South Lexington Avenue. Alamance County permits outside the city, and Graham runs its own department as well.

When do I need to request a Burlington inspection?

Before 4 p.m. Requests made before 4 p.m. are scheduled the following business day; requests made after 4 p.m. are scheduled two business days from the date of request. 15 minutes late costs a full day.

Do I need an access code for BurlingtonSmart?

If you are working on behalf of a company, yes — contact Inspections on (336) 222-5080 or Planning on (336) 222-5110 for an access code before creating your account. Registering without one creates the wrong kind of account.

Which Burlington department handles fences, sheds, and pools?

The Planning Department, not Inspections. New driveways go to Engineering, fire permits to the Fire Department, and special events to the Special Events Division. Permits are distributed across four departments here.

Do I need a Certificate of Appropriateness in Burlington?

In a locally designated historic district, yes — for exterior work and, notably, for tree removal. The COA is approved by the Historic Preservation Commission and issued by the Planning Department.

Does Burlington offer remote inspections?

The Inspections Department publishes live-remote inspections as an available option alongside its Informal Review Policy and Inspections Refund Policy. On a small trade item that can save a site visit — ask whether your scope qualifies.

What is Burlington's Informal Review Policy?

A published internal process under G.S. 160D-1104(e) giving a permit holder a defined route to raise a disagreement about an inspection result short of a formal appeal, starting with review by the inspector’s supervisor. State law requires every inspection department to have one.

Can I upload a signed PDF to BurlingtonSmart?

Avoid it. The city asks applicants not to upload digitally signed or protected PDFs, which the portal does not handle reliably. Flatten the file before submitting.

Does Burlington still require business licences?

Mostly no — with a few exceptions, businesses do not need a licence to operate in Burlington. Beer and wine licences, taxicab licences, and solicitor-peddler registration are still required.

Is Burlington, NC the same as Burlington, Vermont?

No — different states entirely. Burlington, North Carolina is in Alamance County between Greensboro and Durham. Burlington, Vermont sits on Lake Champlain, and there are Burlingtons in Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.

When is a general contractor licence required in Burlington?

On projects of $40,000 or more, under G.S. 87-1 and the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, with tiers capping single-project value at $750,000, $1,500,000, or without limit excluding land cost.

What is a markup set in Burlington?

After an initial review, staff comments on a plan set are incorporated into what the city calls a markup set, which must be addressed before approval. Watch for it in the portal rather than waiting for a call.

Simplify Burlington permitting with Alliance Permitting

Four departments issuing permits, an access code you need before you register, a portal that rejects signed PDFs, and a four o'clock cutoff that costs a whole extra day — Burlington is well-run and unforgiving of improvisation. A permit expediter for Burlington knows which department owns what and files inside the window.

Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.

Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Burlington because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:

• Right department, first time — Inspections, Planning, Engineering, or Fire, depending on the record.
• Inside the window — inspections requested before 4 p.m. so they land the next day, not the day after.
• Complete oversight — every Burlington permit and inspection tracked across your jobs in one place.

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and expediting service. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice, and we are not the permitting authority.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Burlington permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.