Winston-Salem building permits run through the Inspections Division of Planning and Development Services — a City-County agency that serves most of Forsyth County from one counter. The critical mechanic is that intake splits in two: BuildIT takes trade permits only, and a building or construction permit goes to plan review instead.
Winston-Salem is a city of about 257,000 people (Census estimate for 2025) and the largest jurisdiction the division serves, but the same office reviews and inspects building work across most of Forsyth County and enforces the zoning ordinances of Clemmons, Lewisville, Walkertown, and the county as well as the city. What it does not handle is High Point, Kernersville, or King.
Applies inside Winston-Salem and across most of Forsyth County. High Point, Kernersville, and King run their own inspection departments.
No invoices are ever mailed. Payments happen inside Cityworks and BuildIT. Bogus invoices claiming to come from the city or county are a documented, active pattern — verify anything you receive at (336) 727-2624 before paying.
What requires a permit in Winston-Salem?
A Winston-Salem building permit is required before most construction, alteration, repair, demolition, or change of occupancy. The city is served by a joint city-county agency rather than a city-only building department, which means the same office that reviews your Winston-Salem project also reviews most of Forsyth County — and enforces several different jurisdictions' zoning ordinances while doing it.
The enforced edition is the 2018 NC State Building Code family. On the electrical side the 2020 NC Electrical Code took effect November 1, 2021, with the previous edition retained for one- and two-family dwellings. The 2024 NC State Building Code was originally slated for January 1, 2025, but S.L. 2024-57 and then S.L. 2025-2 (the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025, passed after Hurricane Helene) pushed its effective date to 12 months after the State Fire Marshal certifies publication and the seating of the new Residential Code Council — currently expected no earlier than 2027. Until then the 2018 code governs, though an owner may elect the 2024 code as an alternate method under § 102.5 of the Administrative Code if the plan set says so clearly.
Permit required
- New construction, additions, and structural alterations
- Interior remodels that touch structure, plumbing, mechanical, or electrical
- Electrical services, panel changes, and most rewiring
- Plumbing additions, repipes, and gas piping
- Mechanical and HVAC installations and non-identical changeouts
- Accessory structures, decks, and manufactured home placement
- Signs, demolition, and change of use or occupancy
- Zoning approvals under the adopted Unified Development Ordinances
Typically exempt
- Nonstructural work costing $40,000 or less in a single-family home, farm building, or commercial building (G.S. 160D-1110(c))
- Replacement windows, doors, exterior siding, and porch/deck pickets, railings, stair treads, and decking
- Like-for-like plumbing swaps that keep size and capacity, and like-kind light fixtures, receptacles, and switches
- Same-spec water heater changeouts installed by a licensed contractor
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry, and other cosmetic work
Winston-Salem building department: who handles permitting
The Inspections Division of the Planning and Development Services Department is a City-County agency. It reviews and inspects building and zoning activity throughout Forsyth County — with the exception of the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville, and King, which run their own departments. So the Winston-Salem building department and the Forsyth County building department are the same office.
The practical consequence is a two-track intake. BuildIT is the online permitting system, but it handles trade permits only — plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and refrigeration — and only for licensed contractors in those trades. A building or construction permit does not go through BuildIT at all; it goes through plan review. Filing a construction permit in BuildIT is the most common wasted afternoon in Winston-Salem.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Bryce A. Stuart Municipal Building, 100 E. First Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday 7:45 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; phone calls not taken after 4:43 p.m. |
| Monthly closure | Permit office closed the first Tuesday of every month, 8:00–10:00 a.m. |
| Walk-in hours | Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m.–2 p.m., first floor |
| Customer service | (336) 727-2624 — also the number to verify a suspicious invoice |
| Online portal | BuildIT for trade permits; construction permits go through plan review |
Apply electronically — the division says all permits must be applied for electronically. BuildIT is the division’s map-based permitting system, and only plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration contractors can buy permits or schedule their own inspections in it; general contractors can schedule inspections there but cannot buy building permits. If you are new to the division, contact customer service before you file rather than after.
This guide covers Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Note the internal geography: Winston-Salem is in Forsyth County, while Wake Forest University — despite the name — is here rather than in Wake County, and the Town of Wake Forest is a separate municipality 100 miles east.
In 2025, building permits issued in Winston-Salem authorized 1,376 new privately owned housing units, 1,364 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Winston-Salem permits: record types and what each covers
Winston-Salem sorts permits by which track they run on more than by what they are called, and the track decides where you file. These are the records the Inspections Division issues:
Residential permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | New dwellings, additions, and accessory structures above the local size threshold | Full plan review against the 2018 NC Residential Code, plus zoning | Valuation-based |
| Renovation / alteration | Load-bearing changes, work over $40,000, or added or redesigned plumbing, HVAC, or electrical | Plan review scaled to scope; 15-business-day residential clock applies | Valuation-based |
| Reroof | Roof covering replacement costing over $40,000, and any work that adds rather than replaces roofing | Inspections set by the local department; plan review rarely required | Valuation or squares |
| Solar photovoltaic | Rooftop or ground-mount PV, with or without battery storage | Electrical review led, with structural review of the attachment | Flat or system-size based |
| Battery energy storage | Wall or floor-mounted ESS added to a dwelling | Electrical review plus fire separation and location check | Flat or per-permit minimum |
| Electrical | Service changes, panel upgrades, new circuits, EV chargers, most rewiring | Trade review by the electrical inspector; filed as its own record | Per-permit minimum or per-device |
| Plumbing | New piping, repipes, fixtures, gas piping, and non-identical water heater swaps | Trade review; like-for-like same-capacity swaps are statutorily exempt | Per-permit minimum or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | All HVAC equipment installs and changeouts, including like-for-like swaps, plus ductwork and refrigeration | Trade review by the mechanical inspector | Per-permit minimum or per-unit |
| Deck and porch | New decks and structural rebuilds; pickets, rails, treads, and decking are exempt replacements | Footing and framing review against the residential code | Flat or valuation-based |
| Pool and spa | In-ground and above-ground pools, spas, barriers, and bonding | Structural, barrier, and electrical bonding review | Valuation-based |
| Accessory structure | Sheds, detached garages, and carports above the local size threshold | Zoning first, then structural review where applicable | Flat or valuation-based |
| Demolition | Full or partial demolition of a structure | Utility disconnect verification and asbestos notification | Flat |
| Residential trade permit (BuildIT) | Plumbing, electrical, mechanical, or refrigeration work | Purchased directly in BuildIT by the licensed contractor | Per-permit |
| Zoning permit | Use and setback confirmation under the adopted UDO | Reviewed by the same division that handles the building code | Flat |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Commercial permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | Ground-up commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings | Full multi-discipline review; sealed plans required | Valuation-based |
| Upfit / tenant improvement | Interior build-outs and suite fit-ups in an existing shell | Concurrent building, trade, and fire review | Valuation-based |
| Renovation / alteration | Structural, envelope, or system changes to an existing building | Plan review scaled to scope; accessibility triggers attach | Valuation-based |
| Change of occupancy | Converting a building from one occupancy classification to another | Life-safety, accessibility, and zoning review | Valuation or flat |
| Shell building | A building permitted without a known tenant or use | Shell review only; no certificate of occupancy until an upfit closes | Valuation-based |
| Reroof | Commercial roof covering replacement or recover | Structural check on added dead load; fire review where applicable | Valuation or squares |
| Solar photovoltaic | Commercial rooftop, carport, and ground-mount arrays | Structural, electrical, and fire access review | Valuation or system-size based |
| Electrical | Service, distribution, and branch circuit work | Trade review; separate record from the building permit | Valuation or per-device |
| Plumbing | Supply, waste, vent, grease, and gas systems | Trade review; backflow and grease interceptor sign-offs attach | Valuation or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | Rooftop units, ductwork, exhaust, and refrigeration | Trade review; energy compliance documentation required | Valuation or per-unit |
| Fire protection | Sprinkler, standpipe, alarm, hood, and suppression systems | Fire prevention review, often a separate submittal | Valuation or per-device |
| Sign | Wall, monument, and illuminated signage | Zoning review plus electrical where illuminated | Flat or per-sign |
| Commercial construction permit | Ground-up, upfit, and alteration work | Plan review — cannot be filed through BuildIT | Valuation-based |
| Refrigeration permit | Commercial refrigeration systems, separately classified | Trade review by a licensed refrigeration contractor | Per-permit or per-unit |
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- Single-discipline review in most cases
- One permit covers simultaneous same-address residential projects (G.S. 160D-1110(d))
- Initial review due within 15 business days; after 20, 10% of the fee is refunded for each business day late (up to 10 days)
- No engineer's or architect's seal may be demanded unless the code itself requires it
Commercial — multi-discipline
- Concurrent review across building, trades, fire, and zoning
- Signed and sealed plans where state law requires them; small commercial buildings can be exempt (G.S. 83A-13)
- Third-party plan review available under G.S. 160D-1110.1 when review stalls
- Accessibility and life-safety review attach to any change of occupancy
Records you will actually see in Winston-Salem
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Building (construction) permit | New construction, additions, and alterations — filed through plan review, not BuildIT |
| Electrical trade permit | Purchased in BuildIT by a licensed electrical contractor |
| Plumbing trade permit | Purchased in BuildIT by a licensed plumbing contractor |
| Mechanical / refrigeration permit | Purchased in BuildIT by a licensed mechanical or refrigeration contractor |
| Zoning permit | Enforced under the adopted Unified Development Ordinances by the same division |
| Sign permit | Wall, monument, and illuminated signage, with electrical where applicable |
| Demolition permit | Full or partial demolition with utility disconnect verification |
| Manufactured home permit | Placement, setup, anchoring, and utility connection |
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Solar permits in Winston-Salem
A Winston-Salem solar array is an electrical-led record, which means the licensed electrical contractor buys it in BuildIT. The structural side attaches to the construction record instead, so a solar job can genuinely sit on both tracks at once.
Roofing permits in Winston-Salem
Reroofs are handled by the joint division across Winston-Salem and most of Forsyth County. If the property is in High Point, Kernersville, or King, none of this applies — those cities take their own roofing permits with their own fee schedules.
Solar covenants and the roofing permit exemption are set by state law, and utilities run interconnection on their own timeline. North Carolina rules
Winston-Salem permit cost
Winston-Salem building permit fees come from the Inspections Division fee schedule and are based on the type and value of the work, with separate building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing fees. A fee increase took effect July 1, 2024, marked in the published schedule.
Two mechanics are worth knowing before you pay. Refunds are possible if the permit has not expired, no inspections have been performed, and work has not started — but the city keeps a $75 minimum permit fee on every refund, and the request has to be made within 60 days of the permit being issued. Separately, pay-by-escrow has been discontinued, so accounts that used to run on escrow need a different payment route.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Fee schedule based on type and value of work |
| Trade permits (E/P/M) | Separate fee per trade, purchased in BuildIT |
| Fee increase | Effective July 1, 2024, shown in the published schedule |
| Refunds | Within 60 days of issuance, if unexpired, uninspected, and unstarted; $75 minimum fee retained |
| Escrow | Pay-by-escrow discontinued — use in-system payment |
| Invoices | Never mailed. Any mailed or emailed invoice is fraudulent |
Want a precise number for a specific Winston-Salem project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Winston-Salem trade permits
Winston-Salem trade permits for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and refrigeration work are bought directly in BuildIT by the licensed contractor doing the work — and only that contractor can buy them or schedule the inspections against them.
Electrical permits
Bought in BuildIT by a licensed electrical contractor. The 2020 NC Electrical Code took effect November 1, 2021, with the prior edition retained for one- and two-family dwellings.
Plumbing permits
Bought in BuildIT by a contractor licensed by the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors.
Mechanical / refrigeration permits
Bought in BuildIT by a licensed mechanical or refrigeration contractor; the refrigeration classification is separately recognised in the system.
Building permits — different track
Not available in BuildIT. Construction permits are submitted to plan review, which is the single most important thing to know about filing in Winston-Salem.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Winston-Salem permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Winston-Salem, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
The Inspections Division serves Winston-Salem and most of Forsyth County — but not High Point, Kernersville, or King. Settle that before anything else.
Trade permit for a licensed plumbing, electrical, mechanical, or refrigeration contractor? BuildIT. Building or construction permit? Plan review. They are not interchangeable.
First-time filers should contact customer service to get an account and confirm the submittal requirements for the record type.
All permits must be applied for electronically. Assemble the plan set and supporting documents before you open the record.
Resolve plan review comments, then pay inside Cityworks or BuildIT. Never pay against a mailed invoice — the division does not issue them.
Licensed trade contractors schedule their own inspections in BuildIT; run through rough-in, framing, and final to your certificate.
Inspections in Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem inspections are requested against the permit record, with licensed plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration contractors able to schedule their own in BuildIT. Typical checkpoints run footing and foundation, rough-in trades, framing, insulation, and final.
The counter has real constraints worth planning around: phone calls are not received after 4:43 p.m., walk-in hours run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the permit office closes the first Tuesday of every month from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. If a local government reviews residential plans at all, G.S. 160D-1110(b) requires the initial review within 15 business days of submission — and if it slips past 20 business days, the jurisdiction must refund 10% of the total permit fee for every business day of delay, up to 10 days (a full refund). The same subsection bars requiring an engineer's or architect's seal on one- and two-family plans unless the code itself demands it.
State law sets how long a North Carolina permit stays valid and when changes need written approval. North Carolina rules
Winston-Salem permit search and official resources
Run a Winston-Salem permit search, open BuildIT, or check the current fee schedule with the official links below — and use the customer service number to verify anything that looks like an invoice.
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division
- BuildIT online permitting system
- Inspections Division fee schedules
- NC Licensing Board for General Contractors
- LiensNC — designate a lien agent (jobs of $40,000 or more)
- NC State Building Code (OSFM)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Winston-Salem?
The Inspections Division of the Planning and Development Services Department — a joint City-County agency that serves Winston-Salem and most of Forsyth County. There is no separate city-only building department, and no separate county one.
Can I apply for a Winston-Salem building permit in BuildIT?
No. BuildIT handles trade permits only — plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and refrigeration — and only for licensed contractors in those trades. A building or construction permit goes through plan review instead. This catches more people than any other rule here.
What areas does the Winston-Salem Inspections Division cover?
Winston-Salem and the rest of Forsyth County, with the exception of the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville, and King. Those three run their own inspection departments and their own fee schedules.
How much does a Winston-Salem building permit cost?
Fees follow the Inspections Division fee schedule and are based on the type and value of the work, with separate building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing fees. A fee increase took effect July 1, 2024 and is marked in the published schedule.
I received an invoice for a Winston-Salem permit — is it real?
Almost certainly not. The division does not send invoices; payments are handled inside Cityworks and BuildIT. Bogus invoices claiming to be from the city or county are a documented pattern here. Call customer service at (336) 727-2624 to verify before paying anything.
Can I get a refund on a Winston-Salem permit?
Yes, if the permit has not expired, no inspections have been conducted, and work has not started. The request must be submitted within 60 days of issuance, and the city keeps a $75 minimum permit fee on every refund.
How do I run a Winston-Salem permit search?
Permit and inspection records are accessible through the division's online systems. For records or history the portal does not surface, contact the division directly at (336) 727-2624 during counter hours.
What are the Winston-Salem permit office hours?
Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., with phone calls not received after 4:43 p.m. Walk-in hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the permit office closes the first Tuesday of every month from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Which electrical code applies in Winston-Salem?
The 2020 NC Electrical Code took effect November 1, 2021, with the previous edition retained for one- and two-family dwellings. The rest of the 2018 NC State Building Code family governs the balance of the work.
Do I need a general contractor licence in Winston-Salem?
On any project of $40,000 or more, yes — under G.S. 87-1 and the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors. Licence classifications cap single-project value at $750,000, $1,500,000, or without limit depending on tier.
Who handles zoning in Winston-Salem?
The same Inspections Division, which enforces zoning under the adopted Unified Development Ordinances alongside its building code role. That consolidation is unusual and generally works in an applicant's favour, because one office is looking at both questions.
How do I schedule a Winston-Salem inspection?
Licensed plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration contractors schedule their own inspections in BuildIT. For other records, requests go through the division. State law requires the inspector to complete every inspection requested for a visit and to identify specifically what failed.
Simplify Winston-Salem permitting with Alliance Permitting
Two intake tracks that look like one system, a counter with a monthly closure and a 4:43 p.m. phone cutoff, and an active invoice fraud campaign running against the city's name — Winston-Salem is a place where knowing the mechanics is most of the job. That is what a permit expediter for Winston-Salem does: we file on the right track, pay inside the system, and carry the record through inspection.
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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.
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More North Carolina permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Winston-Salem permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.