Building Safety in High Point, NC: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in High Point or are thinking about moving there, building safety are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. High Point has 7 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of building safety, and some of them might surprise you.

Childcare Center Rules

High Point requires every day care center to hold State licensing, front on a street classified higher than a residential local street, and fully enclose its outdoor play yard with a fence at least 4 feet tall under § 4.3.3.B.1.

Key details: Play-yard fence: 4 feet minimum. Residential-buffer screen: 6 feet opaque. Street access: No residential local street. Licensing: State day care license required.

A day care center built without the required 4-foot play-yard fence, State licensing, or proper street access is an unpermitted institutional use, exposing the operator to zoning enforcement action or a denied certificate of occupancy.

Green Building Code

High Point, North Carolina has no mandatory green building code, but its Development Ordinance rewards LEED-certified construction with bonus points toward optional development incentives.

Key details: Green building mandate: None: voluntary only. LEED Platinum credit: Counts as 3 features. LEED Gold/Silver credit: Counts as 2 features. Proof required: GBCI certification verification.

There's no requirement or fine: using LEED certification toward the incentive schedule is optional. A project that claims the incentive but never obtains the promised certification becomes nonconforming and can lose the bonus under § 5.15.5.

The rules around green building code in High Point lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Fire Sprinkler Requirements

High Point requires city approval, a tap fee, and backflow preventors before any fire sprinkler system connects to the municipal water supply, and bans using the line for any non-fire purpose.

Key details: Citation: High Point Code § 8-2-22. Approval needed: Director of Public Services & county health. Fee: Tap fee per council schedule. Misuse: Unlawful; triggers mandatory metering. Chemical systems: Require approved backflow preventors.

Tapping a fire sprinkler line for any non-fire use is unlawful under § 8-2-22; the city can require metering at the owner's expense for detected misuse, and a false installation certification is grounds for discontinuing the fire protection service.

Electrical Permits

High Point requires a written permit from the city electrical inspector before anyone installs, extends, alters or repairs electrical wiring, devices, appliances or equipment. The rule covers the city and the Guilford County portion of its extraterritorial area under the National Electrical Code, 1984 edition. Skipping the permit draws escalating civil penalties under the city's general enforcement section.

Key details: Permit required for: Installation, extension, alteration or repair of wiring. Issuing official: City electrical inspector. Code adopted: National Electrical Code, 1984 edition. Permit expires: 6 months if work not started. First penalty: $50.00 civil fine.

Working without the required electrical permit is a Code violation. Under the city's general enforcement section 1-1-4, unless a section specifically labels a violation a misdemeanor, it draws an escalating civil penalty: $50.00 for a first violation, $100.00 for a second, $200.00 for a third, and $500.00 for the fourth and each violation after that. A cited person may appeal in writing to the city within 30 days, with review by a hearing officer and further review by the superior court under G.S. 160D-1402.

Building Permits

Before building, rebuilding, altering, repairing, removing, or tearing down any structure in High Point, you need a written permit from the director of planning and development.

Key details: Citation: High Point Code § 9-2-41(a). Issuing office: Director of Planning & Development. Covers: Construction, alteration, repair, demolition. Also required: Certificate of occupancy, § 9-2-49. Permit expires: 6 months if work unstarted.

Building or altering a structure without the required permit violates § 9-2-41(a) and can trigger enforcement action; the director may also revoke an issued permit for material departures from approved plans or false statements, under § 9-2-44.

Plumbing Permits

High Point law requires a written permit from the city plumbing inspector before any installation, extension, or general repair of a plumbing system begins.

Key details: Citation: High Point Code § 9-2-41(b). Issuing office: City plumbing inspector. Covers: Installation, extension, general repair. Permit expires: 6 months if work unstarted. Substantive code: NC State Plumbing Code, Volume II.

Starting plumbing work without a permit violates § 9-2-41(b); the plumbing inspector can revoke an issued permit for material departures from the approved plans or for false statements made to obtain it, under § 9-2-44.

Building Inspections

High Point requires a building permit before any excavation, construction, or structural alteration begins, plus a certificate of occupancy filed alongside it and issued within 10 days after the work is finished and found to comply.

Key details: Permit needed: before any excavation or construction. CO application: filed with the permit application. CO issued: within 10 days of completion. Permit expires: 6 months if work unstarted. Permit voids: after 12 months of stopped work.

Starting excavation or construction without a permit, occupying a building before its certificate of occupancy issues, or working under an expired permit exposes the owner to inspections-division enforcement and permit revocation under § 9-2-44.

The Bottom Line

High Point's building safety rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming High Point is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that High Point can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.