Which license each job needs in Greensboro
| Work | Board and license | Where to check | Greensboro permits (firms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New home, addition, remodel of $40,000 or more | NC Licensing Board for General Contractors; Limited, Intermediate or Unlimited | NCLBGC search | new homes 2,341 (123), additions 393 (167) |
| Electrical, panels, solar wiring | Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors: Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited or special restricted | NCBEEC search | 17,544 (942) |
| Furnaces, heat pumps, AC | Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler board, heating groups 1–3 | Plumbing & heating board search | 16,678 (545) |
| Plumbing, water heaters | Same board, plumbing classes | Plumbing & heating board search | 8,165 (415) |
| Remodel, deck or repair under $40,000 | No general contractor license; trade work inside still needs the trade boards | — | remodel 1,509 (405), decks 226 (112) |
G.S. 87-1 makes a firm a general contractor when "the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more". The license limitation then caps the job: Limited "up to seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000)", Intermediate up to $1,500,000, Unlimited "without restriction" (G.S. 87-10). A homeowner building or altering a house for their own occupancy is exempt, but must sign an affidavit for the permit (G.S. 87-1(b)(2) and 87-14).
Greensboro's numbers put many jobs near the line. The usual remodel permit carries $35,000 and the usual addition $66,975, so additions mostly need a licensed general contractor and remodels sit just under the threshold. Ask for the license number before the scope grows.
For the trades, the plumbing and heating board's license is needed to "install, alter or restore plumbing, heating (includes air conditioning) or fire sprinkler systems", and "Minor repairs and service work to plumbing and heating systems do not require a state license" (Consumer Awareness, read 22 October 2026).
How to run the lookup in five minutes
- Pick the board from the table. An addition is the general contractors' board; its electrician is the electrical board; its HVAC sub is the plumbing and heating board.
- General contractor: search the license number or company name on portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search; tick "Include like sounding names" if nothing comes back. Check the limitation covers the contract price.
- Electrician: arls-public.ncbeec.org/Public/Search. The class (Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited) caps the job size.
- Plumber or HVAC: public.nclicensing.org/Public/Search, searchable by classification, license number, company or person.
- Track record: open the firm on our Greensboro HVAC list, electrician list or addition list.
How to search Greensboro permit records
The City's GSO BI Scheduler is its inspection-scheduling site; its help page says it can look up "Permits and Inspections by Address or Permit Number". Development Services answers on (336) 373-2155. The City holds building permits and inspections for properties inside city limits; for properties outside, the City says to request records from Guilford County (Records You Don't Have to Request, read 22 October 2026).
On a trade permit, the contractor named should be the one you hired. A different name means someone else's license is on your job.
The lookup is organised by address. Ours is organised by firm: each firm's Greensboro permits, the share that reached final and the days it took, on the Greensboro permit statistics page and the compare lists.
What 49,860 Greensboro permits show
| Trade | Permits | Firms | Reached final | Usual days to final | Firms with one permit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 17,544 | 942 | 93.9% | 52 | 31.8% |
| HVAC | 16,678 | 545 | 89.7% | 48 | 31.9% |
| Plumbing | 8,165 | 415 | 94.1% | 121 | 36.1% |
| Remodel & repair | 1,509 | 405 | 85.4% | 126 | 58.5% |
| Additions | 393 | 167 | 89.4% | 179 | 57.5% |
| New homes | 2,341 | 123 | 97.7% | 156 | 49.6% |
"Reached final" counts permits with a final inspection made; permits that expired without one count against it. Trade permits in Greensboro carry a fee but no job value, so we show values only for building work.
Firms differ more than trades do. Among the 145 HVAC firms with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm reached final on 66.9% of its permits and the 90th on 98.3%; 16 were under 70%. A license search cannot show that gap.
See every Greensboro HVAC contractor by permits finished →
Red flags in Greensboro
- A general contractor's license offered for electrical or HVAC work. Those are different boards.
- A remodel quoted just under $40,000 that keeps growing. At $40,000 a general contractor's license is required.
- A Limited license ($750,000 cap) on a builder quoting near it.
- A permit in someone else's name, or no permit at all for a furnace or water heater swap.
- A firm that has gone quiet: 37 electrical and 23 HVAC firms with 5+ permits filed none in the last 12 months.
What this lookup does not tell you
We have not matched Greensboro permits to any of the three boards' files, so our Greensboro pages show no license status; a blank on our side is our gap, not the firm's. Our data stops at September 2026, so a firm that lost its license since then still looks the same here: run the board search the week you sign. A license says the firm may work, not how its last job went. Statewide rules are in How to check a contractor's license in North Carolina, and Raleigh's version of this page is here.
How we know this
Permits are City of Greensboro building and trade permits on homes, 2023-10 to 2026-09, grouped into the trades above. "Reached final" is the share with a final inspection made; expired permits count as not finished. Days to final are the middle permit's issue-to-final time. No license status is shown. Statute text is quoted from the General Assembly's Chapter 87; board and City text from their own pages, read 22 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Greensboro building and trade permits, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Who licenses contractors in Greensboro?
The State of North Carolina, through three boards: the Licensing Board for General Contractors (jobs of $40,000 or more), the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, and the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors. The City of Greensboro issues permits, not contractor licenses.
- Does a $35,000 Greensboro remodel need a licensed general contractor?
Not under G.S. 87-1, which starts at $40,000. But the usual Greensboro remodel permit in our file carries $35,000, close to that line, so a job that grows can cross it. The electrical, plumbing and HVAC work inside any remodel still needs the trade boards' licenses.
- How do I look up permits on a Greensboro address?
On the City's GSO BI Scheduler (bisched.greensboro-nc.gov), whose help page says you can look up permits and inspections by address or permit number. Development Services is on (336) 373-2155. Outside city limits, Guilford County holds the records.
- Does a furnace repair need a licensed contractor in North Carolina?
The plumbing and heating board says minor repairs and service work do not require a state license; installing, altering or restoring a heating or air-conditioning system does.
- How long do Greensboro trade permits take to reach final inspection?
In our file the usual electrical permit reached final in 52 days, HVAC in 48 and plumbing in 121.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
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- Verify License Search — NC Licensing Board for General Contractors (2026-10-22)
- Verify License Search — NC Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (2026-10-22)
- Verify License Search — NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors (2026-10-22)
- Consumer Awareness — NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors (2026-10-22)
- NC General Statutes Chapter 87, Article 1 (G.S. 87-1, 87-10, 87-14) (2026-10-22)
- GSO BI Scheduler (permit and inspection lookup) — City of Greensboro (2026-10-22)
- GSO BI Scheduler Help — City of Greensboro (2026-10-22)
- Records You Don't Have to Request — City of Greensboro (2026-10-22)