What the City wants before review starts
From the City's Building a New Single-Family Dwelling or Duplex page (updated 13 July 2026, read 23 October 2026), submitted "directly through the Permit and Development Portal". It does not cover "decks, porches, screened porches, garages, or alterations/repairs", and "Detached ADUs are also considered a single-family dwelling."
| Item | The City's requirement |
|---|---|
| Portal account | "You must be registered in the permit portal before you can manage your project, pay fees, or schedule inspections" |
| Contractors | "All contractor information (General contractor and sub-contractors) must be entered" |
| Residential Permit Application and Residential Permit Data Form | Required, as PDFs |
| Site plan or survey | Guided by the Residential Tier One Site Plan Checklist |
| Lot grading plan | When the project adds 800 sq ft or more of impervious surface or concentrates flow |
| Lien agent | Required (designated through liensnc.com) |
| Construction drawings | "with elevations" |
| Well or septic | Wake County approval before you apply to the City |
| Historic district or landmark | A Certificate of Appropriateness from the RHDC, possibly before you apply |
| Recorded map | The lot should have one at the Wake or Durham Register of Deeds |
"Detailed code review will not begin until application submittals have been deemed complete by customer service staff." And a warning for owners juggling subs: plans ready for issue "but have incomplete contractor information will be kept ... for up to six months. After six months, the plans will be considered invalid, and the application will be voided." Questions: the Permit Helpline, 919-996-2500.
What it costs
From Raleigh's Development Fee Guide for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (FY27), read 23 October 2026:
| Fee | FY27 rate |
|---|---|
| New residential building permit | 0.38% of calculated construction value |
| Electrical permit | 49% of the building permit fee |
| Mechanical permit | 28% of the building permit fee |
| Plumbing permit | 34% of the building permit fee |
| Plan review | 57% of the building permit fee, due before review |
| Technology fee | 4% of all other fees |
| Thoroughfare fee, single family | $1,833 (under 1,000 sq ft) to $2,937 (over 5,000 sq ft) per unit |
| Open space fee, single-family dwelling | $1,615 to $1,916 per unit, by zone |
| Temporary certificate of occupancy, single-family | $200 |
The "calculated construction value" is the City's, not your contract: the guide explains that Raleigh uses the International Code Council's Building Valuation Data per square foot, adjusted by a regional cost index, which it says "reduces the national average by 12.4%", and that land is not included. Worked example (our arithmetic) on a $400,000 calculated value: $1,520 building, $2,553.60 for the three trades and plan review, $4,073.60 together, $4,236.54 with the technology fee; a 2,000 to 2,999 sq ft house then adds a $2,417 thoroughfare fee and the open space fee for its zone. Water and sewer connection charges are separate. The City's fee calculator gives an estimate for your plans.
Who can build it
A licensed general contractor. North Carolina's general contractor license applies at $40,000 and up, with limits by job size; check the license and limitation on the NCLBGC search. Steps: Raleigh contractor license lookup.
You, under the owner exemption. The City requires its Owner Exemption Affidavit, signed before a notary. You initial that you will "personally superintend and manage all aspects" of the work, be "personally present for all inspections required by the North Carolina State Building Code" unless an architect sealed the plans, and "occupy the building ... for twelve months after completion, during which time it may not be offered for rent, lease or sale". A copy goes to the general contractors' board, and the form warns "It is a class F felony to willfully commit perjury". If you might sell inside a year, hire a licensed builder.
Fees, inspections and the certificate
A plan review fee is due before review; "All other permit fees are due when permits are ready for issuance", payable in the portal. Inspections are scheduled in the portal, and plan review comments can be read there any time. The FY27 guide lists a re-inspection fee of $122. Searching an address needs no account (Raleigh building permit search).
What 1,703 Raleigh new-home permits show
| Measure | Raleigh new homes |
|---|---|
| Permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,703 |
| Builders | 206 |
| Builders with a permit in the 12 months to September 2026 | 127 |
| Usual filed value | $456,960 |
| Middle half of builders' usual value | $449,094 to $806,326 |
| Builders with 10+ permits | 32 |
| Share held by the five busiest builders | 36.4% |
| Builders with 5+ permits and none in the 12 months to September 2026 | 9 |
| Busiest / quietest month (index, 100 = average) | May (122) / January (72) |
Raleigh's new-home market is spread out: the five busiest builders hold 36.4% of permits, and the busiest in the 12 months to September 2026, Toll Brothers, filed 57. The middle half of builders' usual filed values runs from $449,094 to $806,326. 9 builders with five or more permits filed none in that last year; for a custom build, ask the builder for recent Raleigh addresses you can look up. Prices by home value: Raleigh new home cost.
See every Raleigh home builder by permits filed →
Related
Other places' rules: do I need a permit to build a house. The checklist: hiring a home builder; national prices: new home construction cost. Trade permits inside a later project: Raleigh electrical permit and plumbing permit. Detached ADUs have their own compare list; counts by year: Raleigh permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
We do not show a finished share or days to final for Raleigh new homes: the City's records did not separate builders reliably on completion in our tests, so this page compares builders on volume and recency only. Filed value is the value on the permit, not the City's calculated value or a contract price. North Carolina publishes no bulk license file, so we show no license status.
How we know this
Submittal requirements are quoted from the City of Raleigh's Building a New Single-Family Dwelling or Duplex and How to Get a Residential Permit pages, FY27 fees and the valuation method from its Development Fee Guide, and owner terms from its Owner Exemption Affidavit, read 23 October 2026. Counts are City of Raleigh new-home permits, October 2023 to September 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
- How much is a new home building permit in Raleigh?
For FY27 (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027) the building permit is 0.38% of the City's calculated construction value, and the electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and plan review are 49%, 28%, 34% and 57% of that building fee, plus a 4% technology fee. On a $400,000 calculated value that is about $4,237 before thoroughfare and open space fees (our arithmetic).
- What do I need to submit for a new house permit in Raleigh?
A Residential Permit Application, a site plan or survey, the Residential Permit Data Form, a lien agent, and construction drawings with elevations, all as PDFs in the Permit and Development Portal, with every contractor and subcontractor entered. Projects adding 800 sq ft or more of impervious surface need a lot grading plan.
- Can I build my own house in Raleigh as an owner-builder?
Yes, with the City's notarized Owner Exemption Affidavit under G.S. 87-14(a)(1). You must personally superintend the work, be present for required inspections, and occupy the house for twelve months after completion, during which it may not be offered for rent, lease or sale.
- How long does a new home permit take in Raleigh?
The City publishes standard review times on its turnaround-times page; a plan review fee is due before review starts. Plans that are ready but missing contractor information are held up to 6 months and then voided. We do not show days to final for Raleigh new homes.
- How much does it cost to build a new house in Raleigh?
The usual Raleigh new-home permit was filed at $456,960, and the middle half of builders' usual filed values ran $449,094 to $806,326. That is the value on the permit, not land or a contract price.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Building a casita in Albuquerque: the 750 sq ft limit, rear-yard rule, parking, free plans, and who builds them
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Arlington's 2,500-square-foot rule: when an addition or new house needs a Land Disturbing Activity and stormwater permit
For one city
- Building a New Single-Family Dwelling or Duplex — City of Raleigh (accessed 2026-10-23)
- How to Get a Residential Permit — City of Raleigh (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Development Fee Guide, July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 — City of Raleigh (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Owner Exemption Affidavit (G.S. 87-14(a)(1)) — City of Raleigh Inspection Department (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Permit and Development Portal — City of Raleigh (2026-10-23)
- Verify License Search — NC Licensing Board for General Contractors (2026-10-22)