Building Permit Fees in Charlotte, NC (2026)

The typical path is $0. N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(c)(5) does not require a building permit for a like-for-like single-family reroof costing $40,000 or less.

NC OSFM guidance (10/19/2023) reads that exemption as roofing replacement plus up to 15% of the existing roof deck. A permit is required when cost exceeds $40,000, when load-bearing work exceeds the OSFM deck allowance, or when new roofing is added.

Walk the fee in three steps on the typical path.

1. Step 1: confirm the job is a like-for-like single-family reroof at or under $40,000 with load-bearing work inside the OSFM deck allowance.
2. Step 2: under N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(c)(5), no building permit is required, so no LUESA Section II.A fee and no $3 technology charge apply.
3. Step 3: the official low, typical, and high permit totals are therefore $0, $0, and $0.

Alternate LUESA Section II.A applies only if a permit is issued, and only for projects not requiring plan review: $59.70 plus $12.19 per $1,000 or part over $3,000, plus a $3 technology charge (Note f). The official valuations on this row are low $8,000, typical $12,000, and high $22,000, and the official typical project value is $12,000.

• Low $8,000 is $5,000 over $3,000, which is 5 thousands: $59.70 + $12.19 x 5 = $120.65, then $120.65 + $3 = $123.65.
• Typical $12,000 is $9,000 over $3,000, which is 9 thousands: $59.70 + $12.19 x 9 = $169.41, then $169.41 + $3 = $172.41.
• High $22,000 is $19,000 over $3,000, which is 19 thousands: $59.70 + $12.19 x 19 = $291.31, then $291.31 + $3 = $294.31.

The Valuation building permit extra of $169.41 is the Section II.A building fee at the $12,000 typical valuation before the technology charge, and the Technology charge extra of $3.00 is Note f. Those alternate totals, and those extras, are not included in the official $0 typical path.

County LUESA totals only. Confirm with Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement if cost exceeds $40,000, load-bearing work exceeds the OSFM deck allowance, or new roofing is added.

Source: N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(c)(5); Mecklenburg County LUESA Fee Ordinance (revised July 1, 2026) Section II.A, retrieved Aug 29, 2026 (ncleg.gov).

Low single-trade is the official low band when a homeowner files only one trade and there is no second trade. That path uses the Section II.A minimum for projects not requiring plan review.

The arithmetic is $59.70 + $3 tech = $62.70. A typical heating and cooling change-out on a single-family home or townhouse needs two trade permits, mechanical plus electrical or plumbing, filed through Trades Internet Permit.

That situation is the Typical TIP two-trade change-out under LUESA Section II.D.1. The arithmetic is 1.5 × $59.70 = $89.55, then $89.55 + $3 = $92.55.

The $3.00 technology charge applies once per permit, and TIP counts as one permit (Section II.A Note f), so the $3.00 is included once in the low, once in the typical, and once in the high. It is not charged once for each trade.

High non-TIP is the official high band when TIP is not available. That path uses the ordinance maximum permit fee in Section II.D.1, read from the commercial-with-plan-review minimum.

The arithmetic is 2 × $79.61 = $159.22, then $159.22 + $3 = $162.22. Replacement of heating or air-conditioning equipment requires a permit even under $40,000 (N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(c)(3)).

N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(d)(1) caps some appliance-replacement building permits at one trade permit, and the non-TIP high path is not included when TIP applies. These bands come from the Mecklenburg County LUESA Fee Ordinance revised July 1, 2026, Sections II.D.1 and II.A, retrieved Aug 29, 2026.

Alternate path not used in the official typical: the low single-trade filing and the high non-TIP filing are separate situations, and they are not stacked on top of the typical. Amounts beyond the official low and the official high were not added as new fee lines.

Confirm TIP eligibility with Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement.

Typical new-deck GC path at the $12,000 valuation: LUESA Section II.A prices the building permit as $59.70 + $12.19 × 9 = $169.41. Note f adds a $3.00 technology charge on all permits issued, included once.

Section II.D.13 adds a $10.00 Homeowner Recovery Fund per single-family construction or alteration permit issued to a general contractor. The typical path assumes a GC-built deck, so the fund is included once.

The arithmetic is $169.41 + $3.00 + $10.00 = $182.41. Source: Mecklenburg County LUESA Fee Ordinance (revised July 1, 2026), Section II.A and II.D.13, retrieved Aug 29, 2026.

Low and high keep the same $3.00 tech charge and $10.00 recovery fund. They differ by the valuation steps on the Section II.A table.

• Low $8,000 uses 5 steps: $59.70 + $12.19 × 5 = $120.65, then $120.65 + $3.00 + $10.00 = $133.65.
• High $19,200 uses 17 steps: $59.70 + $12.19 × 17 = $266.93, then $266.93 + $3.00 + $10.00 = $279.93.

New decks are load-bearing and need a permit even under $40,000 (N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(c)(1)). Not included in those totals: City of Charlotte LDIRL zoning, stormwater, and inspection (Individual Residential Lot review inside city limits; urban forestry if trees).

FY2027 line-item dollars are not published in the fee schedule (User Fee Schedules on charlottenc.gov, effective July 1, 2026); no amount is listed. FY2026 IRL figures expired June 30, 2026 (residential zoning $65, stormwater for deck $50, SF/duplex inspection $160) and are not used as 2027 fees.

Alternate paths not used in the official bands: replacement of deck boards, railings, or treads only, at or under $40,000, is permit-exempt under N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(c)(1). Owner-as-contractor jobs under $40,000 use Section II.D.36 ($60/trade + $45 plan review if required + $45/inspection trip) instead of the valuation table; no amount is listed because trade count and inspection trips are not assumed.

County LUESA totals only. Confirm valuation, GC vs owner-builder path, and current LUESA / City LDIRL fees with Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement and the City of Charlotte before filing.

Typical renovation/upfit under $100,000 (3 trades B+E+P): LUESA Section II.A Note a charges $79.61 per BEMP trade for renovation, alteration, or upfit work under $100,000. Assumed valuations are low $15,000, typical $35,000 (the same figure as the typical project value), and high $75,000.

Source: Mecklenburg County LUESA Fee Ordinance (revised July 1, 2026), Section II.A Note a and Note f, retrieved Aug 29, 2026 (mecknc.widen.net). The caveat calls these totals a floor.

The low path uses 2 trades: 2 × $79.61 = $159.22. The typical path assumes building + electrical + plumbing: 3 × $79.61 = $238.83.

The high path uses 4 trades (BEMP): 4 × $79.61 = $318.44. Note f adds $3.00 on all permits issued.

The low path assumes 2 trade permits ($6.00). The typical path assumes 3 trade permits (Note f 3 × $3 tech, $9.00).

The high path assumes 4 trade permits ($12.00). The Homeowner Recovery Fund is a flat $10.00 included once in each band (Section II.D.13: $10.00 per SF construction/alteration permit issued to a general contractor).

Low: $159.22 + $6.00 + $10.00 = $175.22. Typical: $238.83 + $9.00 + $10.00 = $257.83.

High: $318.44 + $12.00 + $10.00 = $340.44. Not included in those totals: the same Note a room add-on of $0.12/sf of the room for the building trade and $0.08/sf for each involved E/M/P trade ($0.12/$0.08 per-sf-of-room), because kitchen square footage is not assumed; no published amount.

City of Charlotte LDIRL (zoning / stormwater / inspection) is not included, because interior kitchens are not on the City LDIRL project list (decks/additions are); county LUESA totals only. Alternate path not used in listed totals: same-layout cabinet-only work with no plumbing/electrical/HVAC change may be exempt under N.C.G.S. 160D-1110(c) at or under $40,000.

Listed bands assume renovation/upfit trades under LUESA Section II.A Note a instead. Confirm trade count and current fees with Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement before filing.