Cary contractor license lookup: which NC board, where to search, and what the permits show

Which license each job needs in Cary

The general contractor law, G.S. 87-1, applies when "the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more", and the license's limitation caps the project: Limited up to $750,000, Intermediate up to $1,500,000, Unlimited "without restriction" (G.S. 87-10). In Cary the usual remodel permit sits right at that line ($40,000), so a large share of remodels need a licensed general contractor. Pools ($137,000 usual) and new homes ($359,500) always do.

The plumbing and heating board licenses anyone who contracts to "install, alter or restore plumbing, heating (includes air conditioning) or fire sprinkler systems"; "Minor repairs and service work... do not require a state license" (Consumer Awareness, read 22 October 2026).

The Town's FAQ tells applicants to "include all of your contractors' names, addresses and state license numbers", and says plan review checks them. An owner may do their own building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work unlicensed, but the property must be the owner's primary residence for at least 12 months after the work.

How to run the lookup in five minutes

1. Get every license number on the quote: the general contractor's, the electrician's and the HVAC or plumbing contractor's. The Town will ask for them anyway.
2. General contractor: portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search. Check the limitation fits the price.
3. Electrician: arls-public.ncbeec.org/Public/Search.
4. HVAC, gas or plumbing: public.nclicensing.org/Public/Search.
5. Track record: open the firm on our Cary HVAC list, remodeler list or deck, porch and sunroom list.

How to search Cary permit records

The Town's Reports & Records page says permit applications, payments and inspection details are online 24/7 in Building Permits Online, searchable by permit number or street address. The full permit file is also on Cary's open data portal. Questions: 311 or (919) 469-4000, or Inspections & Permits at 316 N. Academy St.

On a trade permit, the contractor named should be the one you hired. Many Cary permits carry the qualifier's state license number beside the company name, which makes the board search quick.

The Town's search is organised by permit. Ours is organised by firm: each firm's Cary permits, the share finaled and the days to final, on the Cary permit statistics page and the compare lists.

What 23,394 Cary permits show

"Finaled" is the share of permits a year or more old that reached Permit Finaled or occupancy; expired permits count against it. HVAC is the trade to check: only 77.9% finaled, against 95.0% for EV chargers. Among the 107 HVAC firms with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm finaled 51.6% and the 90th 95.4%; 21 were under 70%.

See every Cary HVAC contractor by permits finaled →

Red flags in Cary

• No state license number to give you. The Town asks for it on the application.
• A general contractor's license offered for HVAC or electrical work. Those are separate boards.
• A remodel quoted at $39,000. At $40,000 a general contractor's license is required.
• A suggestion that you file as owner for work the contractor does; the owner exemption assumes you will live there 12 months and do the work yourself.
• A firm that has gone quiet: 11 HVAC and 12 EV charger firms with 5+ permits filed none in the last 12 months.

What this lookup does not tell you

We have not matched Cary permits to any of the three boards' files, so our Cary pages show no license status; a blank there is our gap, not the firm's. Company names on Cary permits are cut at 30 characters, so a firm can appear under a shortened name. Our data stops at September 2026; check the board the week you sign. Statewide rules are in How to check a contractor's license in North Carolina; for Raleigh see Raleigh contractor license lookup.