Franklin County, NC Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

The Franklin County department of planning and inspections enforces the county's building regulations under Sec. 8-19(a), including the technical codes adopted by reference and the Unified Development Ordinance published as Appendix A. Sec. 8-19(c) limits this permitting authority to the unincorporated areas of the county, though a municipality inside Franklin County can opt in by resolution and a memorandum of understanding with the county. Sec. 8-20 sets the permit exemptions: no permit is required and no fee is charged for buildings owned by the United States government or by the state.

County-owned or county-leased buildings are not exempt from review, but Sec. 8-20(f) waives the fee for them; plans still must be reviewed, permits issued, and inspections performed. Every other project needs a permit from the department before work begins. Sec. 8-22(b) requires permit fees to be paid when the application is filed with the department of planning and inspections, using a fee schedule the board of commissioners sets and can change. Sec. 8-22(c) gives building permits a six-month shelf life: if construction has not started within six months of issuance, the permit expires.

A fee refund is available only if the applicant shows the delay was an unavoidable hardship, such as a death in the family, personal sickness, a natural disaster like a hurricane or flood, or government-caused delay, and the applicant must apply for the refund within six months and return the permit with no work begun. Sec. 8-23 makes clear that a county inspector's oversight or failure to catch a violation never legalizes it, and permit issuance does not make the county liable for an applicant's own acts or omissions.