Building and trade permits anywhere in Scotland County are issued by the Scotland County Inspections Department (517 Peden Street, Laurinburg, 910-277-2415), which takes paper applications with 2 sets of 14″ x 17″ plans. A new house is charged $0.35 per sq ft of heated and unheated area, and any work started before the permit is issued costs double.
What requires a permit in Scotland County?
The County’s rule is broad: erecting, building, enlarging, installing, altering, repairing, moving, improving, converting or demolishing a building or a building system needs a permit from the Inspection Department first. Inspectors will not make any inspection until every permit for the job has been pulled.
Building permits
- New houses, modular homes and additions
- Renovations that add no floor area, modular offices and storage buildings
- Apartments, condominiums and other multi-family buildings
- Commercial and other non-residential buildings
- Signs, ramps, coolers, chillers, boilers and towers
- Swimming pools and demolition
- Single-wide and double-wide manufactured homes (one fee covers set-up and trades)
Trade and other permits
- Electrical work, service changes, temporary poles and solar
- Plumbing and fixtures
- HVAC units, gas piping, range hoods and fire suppression
- Fire alarms and fire sprinkler systems
- Insulation
- Daycare inspections
Septic systems and wells are separate: the Health Department’s Environmental Health Division issues the improvement permit, and the County’s checklist says to apply for it at the Inspections office.
Who handles permitting in Scotland County?
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Scotland County Inspections Department, 517 Peden Street, Laurinburg, NC 28352 (P.O. Box 489) |
| Phone / fax | 910-277-2415 / 910-277-3160 |
| Chief Inspector | Thomas Milligan, 910-277-2418 |
| Fire Marshal | 910-277-2406 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The County office handles building and trade permits for the whole county. What changes from place to place is the zoning permit, which must be in hand before the building permit:
- Unincorporated Scotland County: the Inspections office issues the zoning permit itself. Bring the deed, plat and parcel PIN; a lot in an approved subdivision needs no plat.
- Laurinburg: the City Zoning Officer in Planning & Community Development issues zoning permits (910-276-8324).
- Maxton: the Town’s zoning administration takes its own zoning permit application, which asks whether the lot lies in the Robeson County or Scotland County part of town (Town Office 910-844-5231).
- Wagram and Gibson: the County’s sheet sends zoning for any municipality to that town. Neither town publishes a permit page; Wagram Town Hall is at 24421 Marlboro Street (910-369-2776).
Scotland County applications and forms
Permits are applied for on paper at the Peden Street office; the County posts every form on its Forms & Applications page. The main one is the Building-Renovation-Addition-Demolition packet, which holds the general information sheet, the building permit checklist and the application, where the builder and each electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation and sprinkler subcontractor must be named with licence numbers.
- Separate Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical and Insulation permit applications
- Mobile Home Packet and Demolition Only Form
- Change of Contractor Form and an affidavit for contractors leaving a project
- Bonafide Employees Form, Burned Buildings Checklist and Daycare Building Form
- Owner Exemption Affidavit under G.S. 87-14: a notarised statement that the owner will personally run the job, attend every inspection and occupy the building for 12 months after completion
- Not Licensed Contractors Form for Homeowners, with an owner oath for projects of $40,000 or more (G.S. 87-14; the form still says over $30,000) and a workers’ compensation affidavit
A permit expires 6 months after issue if no inspection has been made, or 12 months after issue if work stops. Permits are not refunded once issued, and a returned check costs $35.
Scotland County permit fees
The Inspections Fee Schedule sets a $75 minimum on any building permit and adds a $10 Homeowners Recovery fee for general contractors on residential work. Starting work without a permit doubles the fee.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| House, modular home or addition | $0.35 per sq ft of heated and unheated area, $100 minimum |
| Multi-family | First unit as above; each extra unit 75% of the first |
| Residential renovation adding no floor area | $75 to $5,000 of cost; $100 to $10,000; above that $150 plus $4 per $1,000 |
| Non-residential new work, addition or renovation | $100 to $5,000 of cost; $150 to $10,000; above that $150 plus $4 per $1,000 |
| Commercial, $1 million–$10 million | $4.00 per $1,000 |
| Commercial, $10,000,001–$20 million / $20,000,001–$50 million | $3.75 / $3.65 per $1,000 |
| Commercial over $50 million | $3.50 per $1,000, trades included |
| Sign, ramp, cooler, chiller, boiler or tower | $75, plus $2.50 per $1,000 above $5,000 |
| Swimming pool / Certificate of Occupancy | $100 / $75 |
| Demolition, residential / commercial | $100 / $200 |
| Manufactured home, single-wide / double-wide | $250 / $300 |
For example, a 1,800 sq ft house with a 400 sq ft garage is 2,200 sq ft of gross area, so the building permit fee is $770 before trade permits and the Certificate of Occupancy.
Re-inspections: the Fee Schedule charges $50 for the first extra inspection, $75 for the second and $100 for the third, and $50 when an inspector arrives and the work is not ready. The older General Information sheet still lists $30, $40 and $60. The schedule also sets $75 for a requested inspection time, a $200 minimum for holiday or weekend inspections and $100 for after-hours emergency inspections of electrical or water connections.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
Each trade is permitted by the same County office on its own application, except on a manufactured home, where the set-up fee covers them.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical, new house to 200 A | $100 ($120 above 200 A, plus $0.20 per amp over 200) |
| Residential service repair or change | $75 to 200 A; $100 for 201–400 A; $150 over 400 A |
| Commercial electrical service | $100 to 100 A; $200 for 101–200 A; over 200 A $200 plus $0.20 per amp |
| Motors / gasoline pumps | $3.50 up to 4 hp, $6 above / $100 first pump, $25 each extra |
| Temporary service | $75 |
| Solar | $200 building and $200 electrical, plus $20 per transformer or inverter and $10 per string |
| Plumbing | $75 basic; $50 per bath or half bath; $5 per other fixture |
| HVAC | $75 first unit, $10 each additional |
| Gas piping / other mechanical | $75 each |
| Range hood, fire suppression or fire alarm | $125 each |
| Fire sprinklers | $150 for the first 100 heads, $0.50 each after |
| Insulation | $0.25 per sq ft, $75 minimum |
The County Fire Marshal, listed under the Inspections Department (910-277-2406), publishes the fire inspection forms for day cares, ABC permits and festivals.
What to bring with the application
- The parcel PIN, plat and deed, which the Map and Tax Department can supply.
- The zoning permit from the County or the town.
- For a septic system or well, the Improvement Permit and Construction Authorization issued by the County Health Inspector.
- 2 sets of 14″ x 17″ drawings, handed in with the application, detailed enough to define the structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems: at least footing and pier, floor framing (with insulation), wall framing with header sizes, and roof framing plans.
- A lien agent appointment when the project is worth $40,000 or more.
- The names and licence numbers of every contractor; no permit is issued until all are listed.
Rather not deal with the Scotland County building department?
Get a free quote →The current packet says drawings may go without an engineer’s stamp for projects under 3,000 sq ft, under $300,000 in value, or residential. The General Information web page still shows the older 2,500 sq ft and $90,000 limits, so a larger commercial job should be discussed with the office first.
How to apply for a Scotland County building permit
Rural parcels are zoned at the County Inspections office; lots in Laurinburg, Maxton, Wagram or Gibson are zoned by the town.
For a septic system or well, apply at the Inspections office; the Health Department issues the Improvement Permit and Construction Authorization.
Get the deed, plat and PIN, appoint a lien agent for a job of $40,000 or more, and line up every subcontractor’s licence number.
Complete the Building-Renovation-Addition-Demolition application and any separate trade forms, or the Owner Exemption Affidavit if you are building without a general contractor.
Hand in the forms with 2 sets of 14″ x 17″ plans and pay the fees.
Request each stage by phone and hold off on further work until it passes.
Inspections in Scotland County
The application states that all inspection requests come from the permit holder or their agent; call the Inspections office at 910-277-2415. No further work may be done until each stage has been inspected and approved. The County’s list, used as the job requires:
- Footing and under-slab, both before any concrete is poured
- Temporary service
- Foundation
- Rough-in for framing, electrical, plumbing and mechanical
- Fire protection
- Insulation
- Prefinal for conditional power
- Final and Certificate of Occupancy ($75)
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →An extra trip is charged when the same inspection needs a third visit, or when the work is clearly not ready on the first one.
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
Scotland County permit search and official resources
- Scotland County Inspections Department
- General Information & Inspections
- Inspections Fee Schedule
- Inspections Forms & Applications
- Building-Renovation-Addition-Demolition packet (PDF)
- Owner Exemption Affidavit (PDF)
- Scotland County Fire Marshal
- Environmental Health septic, well and pool permits
- City of Laurinburg Planning & Community Development
- Town of Maxton zoning permit application (PDF)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Scotland County permit FAQ
Who issues building permits in Scotland County?
The Scotland County Inspections Department at 517 Peden Street, Laurinburg (910-277-2415) issues building and trade permits for the county and its towns. Zoning is issued by the County outside the towns and by each town inside its limits.
How much is a building permit for a new house in Scotland County?
$0.35 per sq ft of heated and unheated area with a $100 minimum, so 2,200 sq ft costs $770. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits and the $75 Certificate of Occupancy are extra.
Can I build my own house without a contractor?
Yes, if you sign the County’s notarised Owner Exemption Affidavit: you must supervise the work yourself, be present for inspections and live in the house for 12 months after it is finished.
Do my plans need an engineer’s stamp?
Not for residential work, or for projects under 3,000 sq ft and under $300,000 according to the County’s current packet. Larger commercial projects need sealed drawings.
What happens if I start work before getting a permit?
The permit fee is doubled, and no inspection is made until every permit for the job has been issued.
How long is a Scotland County permit valid?
Six months from issue if no inspection has taken place, and 12 months from issue if work is stopped.
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More North Carolina permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Scotland County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.