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

Sec. 14-291 makes it unlawful to begin excavation, soil removal, site clearing, or fill placement, or to begin construction, moving, alteration, or renovation of any building or structure, including accessory structures and signs, until the planning director issues a land use permit certifying compliance with the Land Development Code. Sec. 14-292 requires site plan review before that permit issues for most development, but exempts single- or two-family dwellings and their accessories, and lets the planning director approve smaller expansions administratively if they add no more than 15 percent (or 2,500 square feet) of floor area, no more than 15 percent (or 20 spaces) of parking, and no more than 15 percent (or 10,000 square feet) of new land clearing.

Sec. 14-296 ties the land use permit to other permits: where a building permit, stormwater management permit, or sign permit is required, none of those can be issued before the land use permit, and no building may be occupied until a final inspection produces a certificate of occupancy. Conditions of approval can require a performance guarantee under Sec. 14-295, capped at 125 percent of the estimated completion cost and normally running one year from issuance. A denial or approval by the planning director on site plan review can be appealed to the board of adjustment under Sec. 14-297; a special use permit's site plan decision by the board of commissioners goes instead to superior court within 30 days.