High Point, NC Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)
Key Facts
- 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
Summary
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.
No excavation for foundation nor the erection, construction or structural alteration of any structure or part of a structure, nor occupancy of streets or alleys with building materials or temporary structures for construction purposes shall be undertaken until a permit therefor shall have been issued by the administrative officer. No such permit shall be issued before application has been made for a certificate of occupancy.(b)No vacant land shall be occupied or used and no structure hereafter erected, structurally altered or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy has [been] issued by the administrative officer.(c)A certificate of occupancy, either for the whole or a part of a new building or for alteration of an existing building, shall be applied for coincident with the application for a building permit and shall be issued within 10 days after the erection or alteration of such building or part shall have been completed in conformity with the provisions of this title.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 9 | Development Ordinance: Supplement 14).
Full Breakdown
Under City of High Point Code of Ordinances § 9-2-49, no excavation, construction, or structural alteration of any structure may begin until the administrative officer issues a building permit, and no permit application may be filed without a companion certificate-of-occupancy application. No vacant land may be occupied and no altered structure used until that certificate of occupancy actually issues. Once the building or alteration is finished and found to conform to the code, the inspections division issues the certificate within 10 days. Under § 9-2-45, the permit itself expires six months after issuance if work hasn't started, and immediately if work is discontinued for 12 months.
Violations & Fines
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a certificate of occupancy in High Point, North Carolina?
How long is a High Point building permit valid?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in High Point
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