County Building Permits
Johnston County Building Permit Guide (Unincorporated Area)
How to apply for a building permit in unincorporated Johnston County, North Carolina. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.
Permit Authority
Johnston County issues building permits and administers code enforcement for unincorporated areas. County permit chart states that for areas inside a municipal jurisdiction or ETJ, that municipality's policies and regulations apply and are administered by that entity.
- Department
- Johnston County Building Inspections
- Address
- Land Use Center, 309 E. Market Street, Smithfield, NC 27577
- Phone
- 919-989-5060
Online Permit Portal
Platform: • Account required: No • Submission: Online only
Additional resources:
Application Process
- Determine whether the property is in unincorporated Johnston County and not within a municipality or ETJ governed by separate municipal review.
- Complete the required land use, septic, floodplain, environmental health, and other regulatory reviews shown on the county permit chart before building permit issuance.
- Prepare residential or commercial plan review materials and site plans.
- Submit the county building permit application and supporting documents to Johnston County Building Inspections.
- Respond to review comments and complete all required pre-issuance approvals.
- Pay permit fees.
- Receive the permit and request inspections through the county inspection tools.
General Requirements
Johnston County publishes dedicated pages for when and why a permit is required, building permit requirements, commercial permit information, irrigation permits, reconnect power permits, moved house permit requirements, and related topics.
Required Documents
- Residential and commercial plan review materials
- Site plans
- Building permit application
- Any other regulatory approvals required by the permit chart
- Permit validity
- County-issued permits follow NC code validity rules; the reviewed county landing pages did not publish a separate county-specific expiration summary.
- Building code
- 2018 NC State Building Code with amendments currently in force
- Owner-builder
- County forms and applications include homeowner-related materials and affidavits; confirm specific owner-builder filing requirements from current forms.
- Contractor requirements
- State NC contractor licensing rules apply.
Fees
- Permit fee formula
- County publishes a permit fee schedule; exact current formula was not fully visible in indexed text review
- Payment note
- County permit and inspection tools are available online; in-person service is available at the Land Use Center
Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.
Work That Does NOT Require a Permit
Contact the Johnston County Building Inspections to confirm whether your project requires a permit before starting work.
Inspections
How to Schedule
- County permit and inspection request tools (online)
- 919-989-5060 (phone)
- Inspection hours
- Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Typical inspection sequence: Depends on project scope; county publishes standard inspections after permit issuance and provides guidance on how to call for an inspection
Additional Resources
- Building code: 2018 NC State Building Code with amendments currently in force
- Zoning information: View zoning info
- Johnston County Permit Search and Inspections
- Johnston County Building Inspections
- Johnston County Permit Chart
- License lookup guide: North Carolina Contractor License Requirements
- Contract template: North Carolina Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
- North Carolina hub: North Carolina Contractor License & Permit Hub
Information on this page was last verified: March 2026. Permit rules and fees change — confirm current requirements directly with the Johnston County Building Inspections before applying.
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