Caswell County, North Carolina Building Permit Guide

Caswell County Building Inspections, on the lower level of the Health Department at 215 County Park Road in Yanceyville, issues building and trade permits and is reached at 336-694-9731 (ext. 6203). Applications go in through the County’s iWorQ portal, and a new house up to 1,200 sq ft costs $525 including all trades. Only cash and checks are accepted.

What requires a permit in Caswell County?

The County’s permit application has boxes for building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, demolition and fire permits, and its fee schedule prices the jobs it permits. Under the County’s Unified Development Ordinance, no building may be erected, moved, added to, demolished or structurally altered without a permit from the Building Inspector.

The residential application also asks whether land disturbance will exceed one acre and whether the state soil erosion certificate has been obtained where one is needed.

Who handles permitting in Caswell County?

Three County offices share the County Park Road complex in Yanceyville, and each covers a different part of the job:

• Building Inspections (ext. 6203): building, trade, demolition and fire-code permits and inspections for residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The director is Shannon Petry. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday; mail goes to PO Box 1406, Yanceyville, NC 27379.
• Planning (ext. 6205): zoning in the Hyco Lake area, subdivision, watershed, floodplain and manufactured-home rules.
• Environmental Health (ext. 6207): septic system improvement permits and well permits, from the same lower level of the Health Department building.

The towns. Caswell has two incorporated towns, and both run their own zoning:

• Yanceyville: the Town Manager serves as zoning administrator and approves sign permits, at the Municipal Services Building, 158 East Church Street (336-694-5431). The Town’s own Documents & Forms page lists Caswell County Central Permitting, 336-694-9731, as the permit contact.
• Milton: the Town Planning Board also acts as the zoning, adjustment and historic commission board, and the Town publishes a Certificate of Appropriateness form and design guidelines. Milton’s town ordinances (revised 2025) bar any building permit until the Town’s Zoning Administrator has issued a zoning permit, and the zoning application is available at Town Hall. They do not say who inspects building work inside Milton; ask Town Hall at 336-234-0030.

The County’s development ordinance applies to unincorporated land and leaves out the municipalities.

Applying online through iWorQ

The iWorQ Citizen Portal has one Apply button for residential, commercial and manufactured home building permits. You pick the property (owner name, address or parcel number, which the County describes as four digits, a space and three digits), list every contractor, answer all fields (0 or N/A where a field does not apply) and upload the attachments. An application without all of its documents is not approved.

• Building permits: a copy of the plans and the Affidavit of Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
• Trade permits and owners: the same affidavit, which includes the waiver, plus any engineered details or plans.
• Owner Exemption Affidavit: for residential projects only, where the owner acts as the contractor.

Paper Residential and Commercial Building Permit Applications are also posted. Each one lists the general, electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors with their North Carolina licence numbers, and has a box for an owner acting as contractor. A separate Blasting Permit Application is available from the Building Inspections listing.

Staff review the application, work out the fee and email you the pending permit showing what is due.

Caswell County permit fees

Fees come from the County’s Schedule of Building Inspections Fees, effective August 7, 2018 and revised in May 2022. New-home fees are flat by size and cover all trades.

Trade work on additions, garages and pools is added at $60 per trip. Other charges on the same schedule:

• Plan review: $50 residential, $100 non-residential.
• Re-inspection or not ready for inspection: $60 each.
• Certificate of occupancy or change of use: $90; temporary certificate of occupancy: $60.
• Demolition: $100. Change of contractor on a permit: $25.
• Solar: $180 plus $50 review on a roof, $300 plus $50 review on the ground.
• Work started without a permit: double the permit fee.

Non-residential permits are priced per trade on job cost, from $60 up to $1,000 to $356 for $3,001–$25,000 and $1,352 for $100,001–$200,000, with $3.25 per $1,000 added above $1 million. A permit with no inspections yet is refunded at 100% less a $25 administrative fee; after one or more inspections the refund is 50% less $25.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

Building Inspections issues the trade permits too, on the same application, and each trade contractor is listed with a state licence number. On a new home the trades are already in the flat fee. Separate trade work is priced as follows:

• Electrical: residential service change up to 200 amps $60, above 200 amps $110; temporary power $90 residential and $120 commercial; temporary service pole inspection $60.
• Mechanical: $60 per HVAC unit installed or changed out in a home; gas piping $60; a commercial cooking hood system $120.
• Plumbing: $60 for residential work such as added fixtures, sewer or water connections.

Commercial electrical services run from $70 (100–150 amps) to $150 (400 amps), and 480-volt systems up to 400 amps are $300. The same office handles fire-code permits and inspections, with fire alarm, sprinkler and hood plan reviews at $75 each and a 30-day blasting permit at $150.

How to apply for a Caswell County building permit

Inspections in Caswell County

Inspections are requested in the iWorQ portal: search for the permit by its number, then choose to request an inspection, upload files or pay. You need your contractor code number to make the request. Requests submitted after 3:00 p.m. move to the next business day, and the office asks callers to phone between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. when possible.

The County charges $60 when an inspector returns for a failed item or finds the job not ready. For commercial and multi-family work, a final zoning inspection must confirm that the approved site plan was followed before the Building Inspector issues the certificate of occupancy; single-family homes are exempt from that zoning step.

Local Caswell County rules that affect a building site

Zoning is limited. Only the Hyco Lake area and the two towns are zoned. Around Hyco Lake the setbacks are 30 ft front, 15 ft side and 0 ft rear from the 420 contour line, and lots must be at least 30,000 sq ft.

Everywhere else, subdivision setbacks apply: 50 ft from the right-of-way on a state road (or 60 ft from the centerline of a private road), 15 ft at the side, 20 ft on the street side of a corner lot and 25 ft at the rear. The minimum lot is one acre of usable land, rising to 2 acres in the protected area and 3 acres in the critical area of the Country Line Creek WS-II watershed.

Stream buffers. Development must keep a 30 ft undisturbed buffer plus a further 50 ft vegetated buffer along perennial streams shown on USGS 1:24,000 maps; farming and forestry are exempt.

Planning permits. Planning issues floodplain development, watershed protection and Hyco zoning compliance permits, and temporary placement permits for a manufactured home or RV.

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

Caswell County permit search and official resources

• Caswell County Planning Department
• Caswell County iWorQ Citizen Portal (apply, search permits, request inspections)
• Caswell County Department Directory (Building Inspections, Environmental Health)
• Schedule of Building Inspections Fees (rev. 5-22)
• Caswell County online permit application instructions
• Residential Building Permit Application
• Commercial Building Permit Application
• Caswell County Unified Development Ordinance (revised 2-17-25)
• Town of Yanceyville Documents & Forms
• Town of Milton Government

Caswell County permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Caswell County?

Caswell County Building Inspections, 215 County Park Road, Yanceyville, 336-694-9731 ext. 6203. Yanceyville points permit seekers to the same County number; for Milton, ask Town Hall.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Caswell County?

A flat $525 up to 1,200 sq ft, $675 to 2,000 sq ft, $825 to 3,000 sq ft and $975 to 5,000 sq ft, covering all trades, plus the $50 residential plan review fee and the $10 Homeowners Recovery Fund charge.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Caswell County?

Yes. A prefabricated building is $60 for one trip, an unfinished one $120 and a finished one $180; an unfinished building over 400 sq ft is $240 plus trade fees and needs a footing or foundation.

Can a homeowner pull the permit?

Yes, for a residential project: upload the Owner Exemption Affidavit and the workers’ compensation affidavit with the application.

How do I pay?

By cash or check only, at the office between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. or by mail to PO Box 1406, after staff email the pending permit and fee.

How do I schedule an inspection?

In the iWorQ portal, using the permit number and your contractor code. Requests made after 3:00 p.m. go to the next business day.

Does Caswell County have zoning?

Only around Hyco Lake and inside Yanceyville and Milton. Elsewhere the subdivision setbacks and one-acre minimum lot size apply.

Simplify Caswell County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in North Carolina. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

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