Pamlico County Building Inspections, on the first floor of the courthouse at 202 Main Street in Bayboro, issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits for the whole county, its nine towns included, and applications can be filed online through OpenGov. Under the FY 2026–27 fee schedule a new home’s building permit is $50 plus $0.16 per sq ft, and the County asks you to allow at least 48 hours for plan review.
What needs a permit in Pamlico County?
The County’s permit applications and fee schedule cover these jobs:
Homes and waterfront
- New houses, additions, garages and storage buildings
- Renovations of existing homes
- Modular homes and single- or double-wide mobile homes
- Electrical, mechanical, plumbing and insulation work, service changes and solar panels
- Piers, docks, boathouses, boatlifts, bulkheads, boat ramps, riprap and retaining walls
- In-ground pools
- Development in a flood zone (floodplain development permit)
Commercial and other
- New commercial buildings, additions and renovations
- Sprinkler systems
- Commercial docks and campgrounds (per lot, pedestal and connection)
- Cell towers, new or modified
- Signs up to 32 sq ft
- Storage tanks and gas dispensers
- Tents, fireworks and fire prevention inspections
- Construction trailers
Waterfront work may also need a CAMA exemption or CAMA minor permit, which the same office administers locally.
Who handles permitting in Pamlico County?
Pamlico County Building Inspections enforces the North Carolina Building Code in both the incorporated and unincorporated parts of the county, so it is the permit office for every town as well as the countryside. The same staff review development applications against the County’s subdivision regulations, mobile home park ordinance and CAMA land use plan, and they run the local CAMA, FEMA floodplain and Community Rating System programs. Ray Bennett is the department supervisor.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Area | Building and trade permits | Zoning |
|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated county | Pamlico County Building Inspections | County subdivision and mobile home park rules apply |
| Alliance, Arapahoe, Bayboro, Grantsboro, Mesic, Minnesott Beach, Oriental, Stonewall and Vandemere | Pamlico County Building Inspections | A town zoning permit, if the town requires one, before the County permit |
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Office | Pamlico County Courthouse, 202 Main Street, 1st floor, Bayboro |
| Mailing address | PO Box 776, Bayboro, NC 28515 |
| Phone / fax | 252-745-3861 / 252-745-7067 |
| pcbi@pamlicocounty.org | |
| Floodplain Administrator | 252-745-4131, pcfp@pamlicocounty.org |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
Applying through OpenGov or at the courthouse
Applications and paperwork can be uploaded to the County’s OpenGov permit portal, or handed in at the Building Inspections office in the courthouse. Once the application is approved you can pay by card in the portal, or by cash, check or card at the office; a fee is added to card payments in either place.
The forms on the Inspections page are the Residential Permit Application and Commercial Permit Application (both July 2025), the Floodplain Development Permit Application, the CAMA Minor Permit Application with its adjacent riparian owners form, the Owner Exemption Affidavit, the Lien Agent Exemption Form and a Septic Affidavit. The septic affidavit is for an owner who builds on a lot with an existing septic system and swears the work will meet setbacks without adding to the system’s design flow or wastewater strength.
Pamlico County permit fees for FY 2026–27
The Board of Commissioners adopted the Inspections Department’s 2026–2027 fee schedule by resolution for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2026. The residential rows are stated to include the $10 Homeowner’s Recovery fee.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential building or addition | $50 plus $0.16 per sq ft |
| Residential electrical, mechanical or plumbing | $50 plus $0.08 per sq ft each |
| Residential insulation | $50 plus $0.06 per sq ft |
| Residential renovation (existing structure) | $100 building; $150 electrical; $100 each insulation, mechanical, plumbing |
| Residential solar | $50 plus $3 per panel |
| Floodplain development permit (FEMA) | $25 |
| Modular home | $50 application; $50 plus $0.16 per sq ft building; $150 electrical; $100 each other trade |
| Single-wide / double-wide mobile home | $235 / $260 in total, all trades included |
| Commercial plan review | $100 up to 10,000 sq ft; $250 over |
| Commercial building or addition | $50 application, plus $50 and $0.18 per sq ft |
| Commercial mechanical, plumbing or sprinkler | $50 plus $0.10 per sq ft each |
| Commercial renovation, building | $50 plus $0.09 per sq ft |
| Pier, dock, retaining wall, walkway, boatlift | $50 plus $0.16 per sq ft |
| Riprap, bulkhead or boat ramp | $50 plus $0.65 per linear foot |
| In-ground pool | $100 |
| Re-inspection | $50 |
On these rates, a new 2,000 sq ft house costs $370 for the building permit, $210 each for the electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and $170 for insulation, $1,170 in total, plus $25 if it needs a floodplain development permit.
Electrical, mechanical and fire permits
The County’s inspectors carry out the building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections themselves, and fire prevention inspections are charged on the same schedule.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Service change, 100 A / 200 A / 400 A | $100 / $150 / $200 |
| Service over 400 A | $50 per 100 A |
| Temporary power, pier, camper or LLP electrical | $100 each |
| Electrical reconnect or miscellaneous | $50 |
| HVAC change-out | $100 |
| Ductwork | $50 plus $0.08 per sq ft |
| Commercial solar | $150 plus $5 per panel up to 200, $0.85 per panel above |
| Fire prevention inspection, under 25,000 sq ft / larger | $75 / $250 |
| Fire / Fire Level III / fireworks | $100 / $200 / $100 |
What to bring for a new house
The County’s “Building a House in Pamlico County” checklist and the July 2025 application set out the package:
- Two sets of plans with dimensions and, if possible, a materials list. They do not have to be engineered drawings.
- A plot plan showing where the building sits and how far it is from each property line.
- Wastewater approval: a septic permit from Pamlico County Environmental Health or a sewer permit from Bay River Sewer. No permit that needs a plot plan is issued without it.
- A town zoning permit where the town requires one.
- A CAMA exemption or CAMA minor permit for waterfront lots.
- Flood zone papers: a surveyor’s benchmark and the pre-construction Elevation Certificate with the first submission; a site plan when the lot is partly in the flood zone; flood vents on storage buildings.
- Lien paperwork: a lien agent form for construction above $40,000, or the lien exemption form below that.
Rather not deal with the Pamlico County building department?
Get a free quote →For a single- or double-wide mobile home the list is shorter: the plot plan, septic or sewer permit, town zoning permit if needed and the application, plus the tax moving permit if the home is being moved.
How to get a building permit in Pamlico County
If the lot is inside one of the nine towns and the town requires zoning approval, get it first; the County application asks which town.
Apply to Environmental Health for a septic permit, or to Bay River Sewer for a sewer permit.
Get any CAMA exemption or minor permit, the surveyor’s benchmark and the pre-construction Elevation Certificate.
Upload the application, two sets of plans, plot plan and lien form.
Allow at least 48 hours, then pay the fees once the application is approved.
Every inspection is booked through the Inspections office.
Inspections in Pamlico County
All inspections must be scheduled through the Inspections office, by phone at 252-745-3861 or by email to pcbi@pamlicocounty.org. Two approvals have to be in hand before late-stage inspections: septic completion approval before a pre-final or a mobile home inspection, and, in a special flood hazard area, the final Elevation Certificate before you ask for permanent power on any structure.
A re-inspection costs $50 on residential and commercial permits. On fire prevention inspections the re-inspection is $75 and each later one $100.
Local Pamlico County details
Flood zones: the County’s regulatory flood protection elevation is the base flood elevation plus 4 feet of freeboard. Solid foundation walls need at least two openings on different walls, with one square inch of opening for every square foot of enclosed area, and materials below that elevation must be flood resistant. Work in the floodway needs an engineering analysis showing no rise in flood levels, and V and Coastal A zones need a V-Zone certificate.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →CAMA: Building Inspections is the local CAMA office; a CAMA minor permit costs $119, and the application includes notice to adjacent riparian owners.
Power companies: the application asks whether the site is served by Duke or Tideland.
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
Pamlico County permit search and official resources
- Pamlico County government website
- Building a House in Pamlico County checklist (PDF)
- Pamlico County Inspections Department
- Pamlico County OpenGov permit portal
- Pamlico County fee schedule FY 2026–27 (PDF)
- Residential Permit Application, July 2025 (PDF)
- Floodplain Development Permit Application (PDF)
- CAMA Minor Permit Application (PDF)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Pamlico County permit FAQ
Who issues building permits in Oriental, Bayboro and the other Pamlico towns?
Pamlico County Building Inspections issues and inspects building and trade permits for the incorporated towns as well as the unincorporated county. A town zoning permit may be needed first.
How much is a building permit for a new house in Pamlico County?
$50 plus $0.16 per sq ft for the building permit. With the electrical, mechanical, plumbing and insulation permits, a 2,000 sq ft house comes to $1,170.
How long does plan review take?
The applications say to allow at least 48 hours.
Do I need an engineer for my house plans?
No. The County’s checklist says the two sets of plans do not have to be engineered drawings, as long as they show dimensions.
What does it cost to permit a mobile home?
$235 for a single-wide and $260 for a double-wide, covering set-up, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, the FEMA charge and the Homeowner’s Recovery fee.
Do I need a permit for a dock or bulkhead?
Yes. Piers and docks are $50 plus $0.16 per sq ft and bulkheads $50 plus $0.65 per linear foot, and a CAMA permit or exemption may also be required.
How high must I build in a flood zone?
To the base flood elevation plus 4 feet, with an Elevation Certificate before construction and another before permanent power and the certificate of occupancy.
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More North Carolina permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Pamlico County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.