The usual HVAC permit in Wilmington, NC, the biggest trade with a completion date, takes 27 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (2,576 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). EV Charger is quickest at 10 days; windows, doors & siding the slowest at 445 days. This is the turnaround to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve it. Wilmington, NC's file we read does not carry a usable application date, so we don't guess at it. Ask the permit office for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → completion. The day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded a final inspection or closeout. That is the contractor's part: doing the work and getting it signed off.
What “finished” means in Wilmington, NC: For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share the County marked complete or issued a certificate for, adjusted for permit age. Permits that expire count against it.
Speed: How long their permits take from issue to the County's finaled date, compared with other Wilmington contractors in the trade. Shown for firms with 10+ permits.
Usual is the middle permit: half finish sooner, half later. Finished is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed out. A dash means the Wilmington, NC record has no completion date for that trade (deck, porch & sunroom), so there is nothing to count days from; it does not mean those permits are slow.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 2,576 | 27 | 89.4% | 44 |
| New Home | 1,717 | 244 | 96.2% | 28 |
| Electrical | 1,662 | 54 | 82.6% | 38 |
| Plumbing | 967 | 78 | 82.2% | 20 |
| Gas Line | 827 | 30 | 84.3% | 20 |
| Generator | 644 | 35 | 84.3% | 9 |
| Remodel & Repair | 591 | 231 | 54.2% | 6 |
| Pool & Hot Tub | 416 | 238 | 75.1% | 11 |
| Addition | 358 | 235 | 74.1% | 2 |
| Deck, Porch & Sunroom | 315 | — | 20.0% | 3 |
| Foundation & Crawl Space | 301 | 153 | 67.9% | 3 |
| Solar | 287 | 71 | 81.2% | 5 |
| EV Charger | 165 | 10 | 95.3% | 4 |
| Demolition | 162 | 28 | 95.4% | 1 |
| Windows, Doors & Siding | 155 | 445 | 9.8% | 2 |
| Garage, Shed & Outbuilding | 144 | 167 | 96.2% | 1 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the city's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual HVAC permit in Wilmington, NC takes 27 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (2,576 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 89.4% of HVAC permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.7 months, the slowest quarter in 0.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
41 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC HVAC contractors →
The usual new home permit in Wilmington, NC takes 244 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,717 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 96.2% of new home permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 5.4 months, the slowest quarter in 11.8 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
26 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC new home contractors →
The usual electrical permit in Wilmington, NC takes 54 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,662 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 82.6% of electrical permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.9 months, the slowest quarter in 2.2 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
36 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC electrical contractors →
The usual plumbing permit in Wilmington, NC takes 78 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (967 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 82.2% of plumbing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
The usual gas line permit in Wilmington, NC takes 30 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (827 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 84.3% of gas line permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.4 months, the slowest quarter in 1 month. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
19 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC gas line contractors →
The usual generator permit in Wilmington, NC takes 35 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (644 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 84.3% of generator permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.8 months, the slowest quarter in 1.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
8 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC generator contractors →
The usual remodel & repair permit in Wilmington, NC takes 231 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (591 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 54.2% of remodel & repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4 months, the slowest quarter in 10.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC remodel & repair contractors →
The usual pool & hot tub permit in Wilmington, NC takes 238 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (416 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 75.1% of pool & hot tub permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4.3 months, the slowest quarter in 8.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
10 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC pool & hot tub contractors →
The usual addition permit in Wilmington, NC takes 235 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (358 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 74.1% of addition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 6.4 months, the slowest quarter in 13.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
2 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC addition contractors →
The Wilmington, NC record carries no completion date for deck, porch & sunroom permits, so we can't count days. 20.0% of deck, porch & sunroom permits a year or more old have been closed out. That is from 315 permits, October 2023 through September 2026. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
The usual foundation & crawl space permit in Wilmington, NC takes 153 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (301 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 67.9% of foundation & crawl space permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
The usual solar permit in Wilmington, NC takes 71 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (287 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 81.2% of solar permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
The usual EV charger permit in Wilmington, NC takes 10 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (165 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 95.3% of EV charger permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.2 months, the slowest quarter in 0.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
4 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare Wilmington, NC EV charger contractors →
The usual demolition permit in Wilmington, NC takes 28 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (162 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 95.4% of demolition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
The usual windows, doors & siding permit in Wilmington, NC takes 445 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (155 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 9.8% of windows, doors & siding permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
The usual garage, shed & outbuilding permit in Wilmington, NC takes 167 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (144 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 96.2% of garage, shed & outbuilding permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in Wilmington, NC's file.
Source: New Hanover County Building Safety permits on homes inside the City of Wilmington (the County issues the City's building permits). The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit when they applied. It is not a quote and not the final bill.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits, and one permit can cover several visits.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Wilmington, NC →
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