Davie County Planning & Development Services, 298 East Depot Street, Suite 100, Mocksville (336-753-6050, inspections@daviecountync.gov), issues zoning and building permits through the OpenGov online portal. A new home costs $0.50 per heated and $0.30 per unheated sq ft with all trades included, and a complete application can take up to 10 business days to issue.
What requires a permit in Davie County?
The County’s permit FAQ says a building permit is needed for any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing more than $40,000, and at any cost when the work adds, repairs or replaces load-bearing members or adds plumbing, heating, air conditioning or electrical wiring and equipment. Work cannot start before the permit is issued.
Zoning permit first
- New single-family or multi-family dwellings
- Setting up a modular or manufactured home
- Accessory structures, site-built or prefabricated
- Any change or addition to a dwelling’s footprint
Building and trade permits
- New homes, remodels and alterations
- Mobile homes and moved homes
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work and HVAC or water heater change-outs
- Pools, generators and solar
- Commercial buildings, shells, upfits and renovations
- Demolition, signs, ABC and change-of-use permits
- Fire permits (separate portal category)
The office can tell you by phone whether a project needs a permit or sealed plans.
Who handles permitting in Davie County?
Planning & Development Services has two divisions. Zoning issues zoning permits and handles subdivisions, road naming and rezonings; Inspections issues building permits, reviews plans and inspects new construction and renovations.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Office | 298 East Depot Street, Suite 100, Mocksville, NC 27028 |
| Phone / email | 336-753-6050; inspections@daviecountync.gov |
| Online portal | OpenGov (residential, commercial, zoning, ABC, change of use, sign and fire permits) |
| Fire Marshal | 336-753-6163 |
| Environmental Health | 336-753-6780 |
The three towns. The County’s permit pages send building permit applications for the whole county to the same OpenGov portal and split only the zoning step:
- Mocksville: the County takes Town of Mocksville zoning permit applications through its own portal, and one planning and zoning fee schedule covers the Town and the County.
- Cooleemee: zoning permits and zoning fees are handled by the Town (Town Hall, 131 Church Street, 336-284-2141).
- Bermuda Run: zoning permits and zoning fees are handled by the Town; the County’s pages link to the Town’s website rather than giving a contact, so ask Bermuda Run Town Hall.
The department does not enforce homeowners’ association rules.
Davie County permit fees (FY2027)
The Inspection Department fee schedule for fiscal year 2027 sets a minimum of $85 for every permit. Residential new construction and remodels include all associated trades.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Work | Fee |
|---|---|
| New home | $0.50 per heated sq ft, $0.30 per unheated sq ft |
| Residential remodel or alteration | $4 per $1,000 of total cost, trades included |
| Homeowners Recovery Fund (general contractor jobs on a single-family home) | $10 |
| Mobile home, any number of sections | $475 |
| Residential mechanical, electrical or plumbing permit | $85 |
| Residential HVAC or plumbing change-out | $85 for the first unit, $15 for each additional |
| Residential pool | $150 |
| Residential generator or solar | $125 |
| Commercial plan review | $500 up to $100,000 of work; $1,000 above; $100 for accessory structures |
| Commercial building, all trades | $0.30 per sq ft |
| Commercial shell / first-time shell upfit | $0.20 / $0.15 per sq ft |
| Commercial renovation | $8 per $1,000 of total cost |
| Demolition | $100 |
| Third trip (re-inspection) | $100 |
| Expired permit renewal | $85 |
For example, a house with 2,000 heated sq ft and a 500 sq ft unheated garage comes to $1,000 plus $150, or $1,150, plus the $10 recovery fund fee when a general contractor builds it.
Fees can be paid by card in the portal or at the office (all major cards except American Express), by cash or check at the office, or by mailed check. Payment by phone is not accepted.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Trade permits and review times
Trade work on a new home or remodel is part of the building permit. Stand-alone mechanical, electrical or plumbing work needs its own permit: $85 for a home and $100 for a commercial building, with change-outs priced per unit. Commercial generators and solar are $200, and commercial solar farms $700 for the first 200 kW plus $200 for each additional 100 kW.
Once a complete application with all documents is in, the County says the permit may take up to 10 business days to issue.
How to apply for a Davie County building permit
The County posts a guide to creating the account used for every application.
For a new home, manufactured or modular set-up, accessory building or footprint change, apply for the zoning permit (County and Mocksville in OpenGov, Cooleemee and Bermuda Run from the town). It issues automatically once paid.
Choose the permit type and upload every document as a PDF, or bring paper to the office to be scanned in.
Staff check the application is complete; residential permits are not plan-reviewed for code compliance.
The portal and an email tell you when the permit is approved and awaiting payment; it issues as soon as the fee is paid.
Put up the 911 address and keep the plans on site before the first inspection request.
Rather not deal with the Davie County building department?
Get a free quote →Commercial projects start with a Commercial Plan Review permit, which anyone, including the designer, can request with a full PDF plan set. After intake and payment the plans are reviewed for building and fire code compliance. The building permit application then appears as a draft in the general contractor’s portal account, and the contractor completes and submits it. Appendix B is no longer required, but a Commercial Project Information Worksheet must be sent instead.
Inspections in Davie County
Inspections are requested in the OpenGov portal by opening the permit record and choosing the active inspection step. Requests must arrive by 4:30 p.m. the day before; a Friday request is scheduled for Monday, and a request before a holiday moves to the next business day. When the County is busy it may limit how many next-day inspections a contractor can book.
A specific time can be requested only when the homeowner must let the inspector in, such as for an HVAC or water heater change-out, or when concrete is being poured for footings or slabs, and even then the time is not guaranteed. The 911 address must be posted and the plans available on site, or the inspection may be delayed.
Results arrive by email and in the portal, and inspectors can be reached through the office at 336-753-6050. A third trip costs $100, and an Inspection Dispute Form is available for contesting a decision. When the project is complete, the certificate of occupancy is issued in the portal for printing, and the County releases power and gas to the utility, which still needs your service application.
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 →Davie County permit resources
- Apply for a Permit (OpenGov links)
- Davie County Planning & Development Services
- Inspection Department fee schedule, fiscal year 2027
- Davie County fee schedules
- Residential Permitting Process
- Commercial Permitting Process
- How to Request an Inspection
- Planning & Development Services FAQs
Davie County permit FAQ
Who issues building permits in Mocksville, Cooleemee and Bermuda Run?
Davie County Planning & Development Services takes building permit applications for the whole county through its OpenGov portal. Zoning for Mocksville goes through the County too, while Cooleemee and Bermuda Run issue their own zoning permits.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a building permit for a new house in Davie County?
$0.50 per heated sq ft and $0.30 per unheated sq ft, trades included, with an $85 minimum. A 2,000 sq ft heated home with a 500 sq ft garage is $1,150, plus $10 for the Homeowners Recovery Fund when a general contractor builds it.
How long does it take to get a permit?
Up to 10 business days after a complete application with all required documents is received.
What is the inspection deadline?
4:30 p.m. the day before. Friday requests are scheduled for Monday.
How can I pay?
Online or in the office by card (not American Express), by cash or check at the office, or by mailed check; not by phone.
Do commercial projects need Appendix B?
No. Submit the County’s Commercial Project Information Worksheet instead.
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More North Carolina permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Davie County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.