Which license each job needs in Raleigh
| Work | Board and license | Where to check | Raleigh permits (firms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New home, addition, remodel, deck, pool, ADU, $40,000 or more | NC Licensing Board for General Contractors; Building or Residential classification; Limited, Intermediate or Unlimited | NCLBGC search | new homes 1,703 (206) |
| Electrical, panels, EV chargers, generators, solar wiring | Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors: Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited or SP special-restricted | NCBEEC search | 16,812 (942) |
| Furnaces, heat pumps, AC, gas piping | State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors (heating classes) | Plumbing & heating board search | 10,761 (638) |
| Plumbing, water heaters | Same board (plumbing classes) | Plumbing & heating board search | 9,188 (513) |
| Remodel or deck under $40,000 | No general contractor license required; trade work inside it still needs the trade boards | — | decks 1,101 (459) |
The general contractor rule is in G.S. 87-1: a license is needed when the cost is "forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more". The license's limitation 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). Raleigh's numbers make that matter. The usual new-home permit here carries $456,960, and the middle half of builders' usual values runs $449,094 to $806,326, so a Limited license can be too small for a custom build. Pools ($150,000 usual) and ADUs ($112,256) are over $40,000 too; decks ($29,000) mostly are not.
The plumbing and heating board's license is required to "install, alter or restore plumbing, heating (includes air conditioning) or fire sprinkler systems", while "Minor repairs and service work to plumbing and heating systems do not require a state license" (Consumer Awareness).
How to run the lookup in five minutes
- Pick the board from the table. A whole-house remodel is the general contractors' board; its HVAC sub is the plumbing and heating board; its electrician is the electrical board.
- General contractor: open portal.nclbgc.org/Public/Search and search the license number or company name; tick "Include like sounding names" if nothing comes back. Open the details for classification, limitation and qualifier.
- Electrician: arls-public.ncbeec.org/Public/Search. Check the class covers the job size.
- Plumber or HVAC: public.nclicensing.org/Public/Search.
- Track record: open the firm on our Raleigh HVAC list, electrician list or new-home builder list.
How to search Raleigh permit records
The City's Permit and Development Portal holds Raleigh's building and trade permits. Its help center says "You do not need to register to search the available public records"; for an address, enter only the street number and street name, with no suffix such as Drive or Road (Help Center, read 22 October 2026). The City adds that "Records that are available on the Permit and Development Portal will not be provided in any other way" (Development Records); the permit helpline is 919-996-2500 and the records desk 919-996-2599.
On a trade permit, check that the contractor named is the one you hired. A different name means someone else's license is on your job.
The portal is organised by address. Ours is organised by firm: every Raleigh permit a firm pulled in three years and how long they took, on the Raleigh permit statistics page and the compare lists.
What 40,032 Raleigh permits show
| Trade | Permits | Firms | Usual days to final | Usual filed value | Firms with one permit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 16,812 | 942 | 91 | not filed | 28.7% |
| HVAC | 10,761 | 638 | 121 | not filed | 37.0% |
| Plumbing | 9,188 | 513 | 133 | not filed | 33.1% |
| New homes | 1,703 | 206 | — | $456,960 | 40.3% |
| Decks | 1,101 | 459 | — | $29,000 | 70.2% |
| Pools | 328 | 69 | — | $150,000 | 43.5% |
| Backyard units (ADU) | 139 | 102 | — | $112,256 | 77.5% |
"Usual days to final" is the middle permit's time from issue to final. We do not publish a finished share for Raleigh, so compare firms on days to final and on volume.
Trade work is concentrated: the five busiest HVAC firms hold 26.0% of HVAC permits and the five busiest plumbers 27.4%. HVAC permits peak in July (index 116, where 100 is an average month) and are fewest in December.
See every Raleigh HVAC contractor by permits and days to final →
Red flags in Raleigh
- A general contractor's license offered for electrical or HVAC work. Those are different boards.
- A Limited license ($750,000 cap) on a builder quoting near or above it.
- A job quoted just under $40,000 that keeps growing. Above $40,000 a general contractor's license is required.
- A qualifier on the board record who does not work for the firm you are hiring.
- A firm that has gone quiet: 54 electrical firms and 24 HVAC firms with 5+ permits filed none in the last 12 months. Ask what changed.
What this lookup does not tell you
We have not matched Raleigh permits to any of the three boards' license files, so our Raleigh pages show no license status: an absent license on our side is our gap, not the firm's. Raleigh's file gives no finished share and no values for trade permits. A license says the firm may work, not how its last job went. The statewide rules, limitations and penalties are in How to check a contractor's license in North Carolina.
How we know this
Permits are City of Raleigh building and trade permits on homes, 2023-10 to 2026-09, grouped into the trades above. Days to final are the middle permit's issue-to-final time. No license status is shown for Raleigh firms. 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 Raleigh building permits, data through October 12, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Who licenses contractors in Raleigh?
The State, through three boards. General contractors are licensed by the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors (jobs of $40,000 or more), electricians by the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, and plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and fire sprinkler contractors by the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors. The City of Raleigh issues permits, not contractor licenses.
- Does a $25,000 remodel in Raleigh need a licensed general contractor?
Not under the general contractor law, which starts at $40,000 (G.S. 87-1). The electrical, plumbing and HVAC work inside it still needs licensed trade contractors, because those boards have no matching dollar floor for installations.
- Where do I check a Raleigh electrician's license?
On the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors' Verify License Search at arls-public.ncbeec.org/Public/Search. License classes (Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited and special-restricted) cap the size of job.
- How do I search permits on a Raleigh address?
On the City's Permit and Development Portal (permitportal.raleighnc.gov). The City says you do not need to register to search the public records; for an address, type only the street number and street name, without Drive or Road.
- Does a furnace repair need a licensed contractor in North Carolina?
The plumbing and heating board says minor repairs and service work to plumbing and heating systems do not require a state license. Installing or altering a system does.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
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- Orlando contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- How to check a contractor's license in North Carolina
- 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, 87-13, 87-14) (2026-10-22)
- Permit and Development Portal Help Center — City of Raleigh (2026-10-22)
- Development Records — City of Raleigh (2026-10-22)