When is a License and Permit Required?

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Interpretation of rules and licensing requirements is the sole responsibility of the regulating licensing boards. Chatham County Inspections has provided this printed matter as a public service to its citizens. The respective Licensing Board shall be the ruling authority if any conflicts should occur as a result of this information.

TABLE OF CONTENTS General Contractors License-Required General Contractors License-Not Required Building Permits Required Electrical Contractors License-Required Electrical Contractors License-Not Required Electrical Permits Required Plumbing/HVAC/Sprinkler License-Required Plumbing/HVAC License-Not Required Plumbing/HVAC/Sprinkler Permits-Required NC Board of Examiners of Plumbing/HVAC/Sprinklers NC Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors NC Board of Manufactured Housing General Contractors Licensing Board

General Contractors License—Required

Any person or firm or corporation who for a fixed price, commission, fee or wage, undertakes to bid upon or to construct or who undertakes to superintend or manage, on his own behalf or for any person, firm or corporation that is not licensed as a general contractor, the construction of any building, highway, public utilities, grading or any improvement or structure where the cost of the undertaking is thirty thousand dollars or more, or undertakes to erect a North Carolina labeled manufactured modular building meeting the North Carolina State Building Code.

General Statute 87-10 provides that licenses designated as LIMITED authorize the license holder to practice general contracting for projects costing up to $750,000. INTERMEDIATE for projects costing up to $1,500,000 and UNLIMITED is not restricted as to the value of any single project.

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General Contractors License--Not Required A general contractors licensed shall not be required for any person or firm or corporation who constructs a building on land owned by the person, firm or corporation when such building is to be occupied for a minimum of one year by the person, firm or corporation.

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Building Permits Required No person shall locate, erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair or relocate any building, fuel storage tanks, structure or utility or change the type occupancy thereof, or establish or change any land use or cause same to be performed without first having obtained a permit for the specific work to be done. Building permits shall not be required for non-structural work under $40,000 and residential accessory structures when no dimension exceeds twelve feet.

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Electrical Contractor License—Required Engaging or offering to engage in the business of installing, maintaining, altering or repairing any electric work, wiring, devices, appliances or equipment.

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Electrical Contractor License--Not Required Installations, construction or maintenance of facilities for providing electric service to the public ahead of the point of delivery of electric service to the customer; Installation, construction or maintenance, or repair of telephone, telegraph, or signal systems, by public utilities, or their corporate affiliates, when said work pertains to the services furnished by said public utilities; Any person in the course of his work as a bona fide employee of a licensee of the North Carolina Electrical Board; Installation, construction or maintenance of electrical equipment and wiring for temporary use by contractors in connection with the work of construction; Installation, construction, maintenance or repair of electrical wiring, devices, appliances or equipment by person, firms or corporations, upon their own property when such property is not intended at the time for rent, lease, sale, or gift, who regularly employ one or more electricians or mechanics for the purpose of installing, maintaining, altering or repairing of electrical wiring, devices or equipment used for the conducting of the business of said persons, firms or corporations; Any person who is himself and for himself installing, maintaining, altering or repairing electric work, wiring, devices, appliances or equipment upon his own property when such property is not intended at the time for rent, lease, or sale; Installation, construction, maintenance or repair of electrical wiring, devices, appliance, or equipment by State institutions and private educational institutions which maintain a private electrical department; Replacement of lamps and fuses and to the installation and servicing of cord-connected appliances and equipment connected by means of attachment plug-in devices to suitable receptacles which have been permanently installed or to the servicing of appliances connected to a permanently installed junction box. This exception does not apply to permanently installed receptacles or the installation of the junction box.

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Electrical Permits Required No person shall install, alter, repair, replace or relocate any electrical material, appliances or equipment without first having obtained a permit for the specific work to be performed.

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Plumbing, Heating, Air-Conditioning, Sprinkler License--Required Person firm or corporation who for a valuable consideration installs, alters, or restores, or offers to install, alter or restore plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, or lays out, fabricates, installs, alters or restores, or offers to lay out, fabricate, install, alter or restore fire sprinklers, or any combination thereof.

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Plumbing, Heating, Air-Conditioning, Sprinkler License--Not Required Licensing shall not be required to those who make minor repairs or minor replacements to already installed systems of plumbing, heating, or air-conditioning but shall apply to those who make repairs, replacements, or modifications to an already installed fire sprinkler system.

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Plumbing, Heating, Air-Conditioning, Sprinkler Permits Required No person shall install, replace or relocate any plumbing, heating, air-conditioning material, appliances or equipment without first having obtained a permit for the specific work to be performed. Plumbing permits shall not be required for minor repairs or replacements on the house side of a trap to an installed system of plumbing provided such repairs or replacements do not disrupt the original water supply or the waste or ventilation system. A plumbing permit shall be secured by a licensed contractor for any plumbing work performed outside the footprint of a replacement manufactured home when the occupant is not the landowner. If a fixture is replaced, a permit shall be secured and the new fixture shall be inspected. Heating and air-conditioning permits shall not be required for minor burner services, or filter replacements of warm-air furnaces or cooling systems.

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Questions concerning licensing requirement should be directed to the appropriate North Carolina Licensing Boards listed below:

NC Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating, Air-Conditioning & Fire Sprinkler Contractors
3801 Wake Forest Road, Suite 201
Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone (919) 875-3612
http://www.nclicensing.org

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