Do You Need a Permit to Demolish a House in North Carolina?

Yes. State law says no one may demolish a building without first getting the permits the building code requires. The county or town inspections office issues the demolition permit.

The permit is one step of several. Before a house demolition starts, the state wants an asbestos notice and an 811 call. An old well or septic tank on the lot has its own state rules.

This guide is general information. The office that issues your permit has the final word.

Who issues a demolition permit in North Carolina?

State law makes every county and town provide building inspections. A town can run its own department or have the county do the work. The building permit office handles demolition permits too. Here is who issues building permits in eight western counties.

An ETJ is land just outside town limits where the town’s zoning still applies. Inside Waynesville and its ETJ, anyone who demolishes a building must first get the town’s land development permit. In Highlands, the town issues a zoning certificate and the county issues the building permit.

Haywood County wants a separate written permit for each structure, manufactured homes included. A house and an old mobile home on one lot mean two permits there. The same office handles mobile home demolition and barn or garage demolition.

State law exempts some farm buildings outside town jurisdiction. Ask the county before you skip the permit on a barn. Under state law, a permit also expires if work has not started within six months.

What does the state require for asbestos before a demolition?

Asbestos is a state step, apart from the county permit. The state health department’s Health Hazards Control Unit runs it. Its demolition page says to notify the unit before a building comes down, even if no asbestos is present.

The notice goes in at least 10 working days before work begins. The unit counts weekdays as working days, holidays included. A local permit alone does not meet the state’s notice rules, the page says.

The page also calls for an asbestos inspection by an inspector accredited by the state. The federal rule behind the notice reaches commercial buildings and residential buildings with more than four units. For houses and other buildings with four or fewer units, the state recommends an inspection anyway. Ask the unit what your house needs.

If regulated asbestos has to come out, it comes out before the demolition. A state removal permit is needed above any of these amounts:

• 160 square feet
• 260 linear feet
• 35 cubic feet

That application also goes in 10 working days ahead. The state says removal is work for asbestos workers who hold state accreditation. For removal ahead of a demolition, state law caps the permit fee at $1,500.

Which utilities have to be off before a house comes down?

The owner arranges the shutoffs with each utility. Power and gas service have to be off before the excavator starts. The water service gets shut off too. Macon County’s form asks whether natural gas or propane still reaches the structure.

The state’s 811 law names demolition as well as digging. Notice goes to NC 811 at least three full working days before work starts. Weekends and state holidays do not count. The ticket runs out 28 calendar days after the work start date.

The same law gives each utility reasonable time to remove or protect its lines before a building comes down. NC 811 gets public lines marked. Propane lines and power lines to outbuildings count as private, so point them out. Show where the well line and septic tank sit too.

What happens to an old well or septic tank?

Macon County’s demolition form asks whether a well or septic tank will be abandoned or reused. Either way, state rules apply.

State rules make the well owner responsible for sealing an unused well for good. A drilled well gets its casing filled with grout up to the ground surface. A bored or hand-dug well loses its top three feet of casing. It is then filled and capped with a six-inch concrete plug.

State law requires certification for well work, but owners may seal a well on land they own or lease. A record of the sealing goes to the state within 30 days, with a copy to the county health department.

For a septic system that goes out of use, a septage firm with a state permit pumps the tanks. Each tank is then removed or collapsed so it cannot hold liquid, and backfilled. Electrical parts get shut off, and parts above ground come out.

Rebuilding on the old septic system? Ask the county health department first. A house that needs a bigger system, or sits off the old footprint, needs a new approval. A new well permit also requires closing any old well on the site.

What do the demolition inspections look at?

Macon County’s packet spells out its demolition inspections. A county inspector visits before the demolition begins, and a final inspection follows when the work is complete. The county also wants copies of the landfill receipts. They show the waste and debris were properly disposed of.

Cherokee County asks permit holders to post the inspection record on the job site. It stays up until the final inspection is approved.

Ground disturbance has rules of its own. Under state law, disturbing more than one acre takes an approved erosion control plan, filed 30 or more days ahead. Some local rules start sooner, such as Waynesville’s plan rule above 1,000 square feet.

How much does a demolition permit cost?

Each county or town sets its own fee. Here is what three posted fee schedules list.

These are government fees, not our price list. Fees change, so check the current schedule before you apply. For the cost of the work itself, see what it costs to demolish a house.

Planning a teardown in western North Carolina?

Sanders Contracting is based in Murphy and takes on house demolition across western North Carolina and the tri-state area. We take houses down with an excavator and haul the debris off in our dump truck. When the job calls for it, the slab or foundation comes out too.

See how a job runs on our house demolition page. We look at the job and put the quote in writing. To set that up, call or text (828) 342-1467.