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Building a house on land you own: the order of approvals

To build a house on land you own in North Carolina, you clear the approvals in order: legal access and a driveway, a septic permit or a sewer connection, a well permit or a water tap, a zoning permit, a building permit, the inspections, and a certificate of occupancy. State law makes some steps gates for the next, so the order matters.

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Quick summary: This guide lists the approvals you need to build a house on land you own in North Carolina, in the order you get them. It is for land buyers and owners of rural or infill lots who plan one house. The key takeaway: the wastewater answer comes before the building permit by law, so the septic or sewer question decides when, and whether, the rest can start.

The order of approvals at a glance

The approvals for a house on your own land run in a fixed order, because several of them are gates for the next. This page is the sequence. Each step links to its own guide.

Step Approval Who issues it
1 Jurisdiction and zoning check County or town planning staff
2 Legal access and a driveway permit NCDOT or the town, for the driveway
3 Septic permits or a sewer connection The local health department or the utility
4 Well permit or a water tap The local health department or the utility
5 Zoning permit Planning or zoning staff
6 Building permit The inspections department
7 Inspections The inspections department
8 Certificate of occupancy The inspections department

Steps 2, 3, and 4 can run at the same time. Step 3 must finish before step 6, under state law.

Step 1: confirm who regulates the lot

Your first step is to find which government’s rules apply to the lot and what the zoning district allows. A lot inside a town limit or its extraterritorial area follows the town’s ordinance. A lot outside both follows the county’s ordinance, if the county has adopted one for that area. See Who regulates a property in North Carolina.

Read the district’s use list, minimum lot size, and setbacks against the house you plan. Note any overlay, such as a watershed or a floodplain, because each adds its own permit. See Minimum lot size: what it is and how to find it and How many lots is this tract, really?.

Your house needs a recorded legal right to reach a road, and a driveway permit where the drive meets the road. Legal access comes from the deed, the plat, or a recorded easement. A road beside the lot does not prove it.

The driveway permit comes from NCDOT on a state-maintained road, or from the town on a town street. The permit sets the driveway location and any pipe under it. See NCDOT driveway permit: how access to a state road works.

Step 3: septic or sewer

Off public sewer, you need an improvement permit and a construction authorization before you build a residence, under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-336. The improvement permit fixes the system site and the number of bedrooms the house can have. Design the house around it, not the reverse.

This step is a gate. Under § 130A-338, no building, electrical, plumbing, or heating permit issues for a residence until the construction authorization issues, or until the health department accepts a complete notice of intent on a private path. On public sewer, the utility sets the connection terms and fees instead. See Septic permits in North Carolina: the improvement permit, the construction authorization, and the operation permit.

Watch for: A lot that cannot get a septic permit cannot get a building permit, unless sewer reaches it. Get the wastewater answer before you close on the land.

Step 4: well or water

Off a public water system, you need a well construction permit from the local health department before anyone drills, under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-97. Every county runs a private well permit program through its health department.

The well must sit at least 50 feet from a house’s septic tank and drainfield, including the repair area, under 15A N.C. Admin. Code 02C .0107. Site the two together. On a public system, the utility issues the tap. See Well permits in North Carolina: drilling a private well and Water and sewer tap fees and system development fees.

Step 5: the zoning permit

The zoning permit confirms that the house meets the zoning ordinance: the use, setbacks, height, and lot coverage. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-403(a), no one may start development without first securing any approval the local government requires.

You submit a plot plan that shows the house, the drive, the septic or sewer line, and the well against the lot lines. Planning staff confirm whether the lot needs one. See Zoning permits: the approval before the building permit.

Take action: Before you buy land for a house, check the zoning, the access, and the wastewater path in that order. Start with Acreage that holds up after the survey.

Step 6: the building permit

The building permit approves the construction and the plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical work, under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-1110. The local inspections department issues it. See Barndominiums in North Carolina: land, zoning, and permits.

A second gate applies to grading. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 113A-57, land disturbance of more than one acre needs an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan, filed 30 or more days before the work starts. Under § 160D-1110(e), a building permit for that work does not issue until the plan is approved. See Building permits in North Carolina: what needs one and how it works.

Step 7: inspections during construction

Inspectors check the work in stages while you build, under § 160D-1113. One county inspection guide lists footing, foundation, rough-in, framing, and insulation inspections before the finals.

The health department inspects the septic system before it is covered. In a mapped flood zone, the floodplain administrator adds its own inspections.

Step 8: the certificate of occupancy

The certificate of occupancy issues after the final inspection passes. No one may occupy a new building before it issues, under § 160D-1116, unless a temporary certificate covers it. The septic operation permit must also issue before anyone moves in. See Certificate of occupancy in North Carolina and Living in an RV on your own land in North Carolina.

Key recap

  • The approvals run in order: jurisdiction and zoning check, access and driveway, septic or sewer, well or water, zoning permit, building permit, inspections, certificate of occupancy.
  • Off sewer, the septic construction authorization must issue before any building permit.
  • Every county requires a health department permit before a private well is drilled.
  • Land disturbance of more than one acre needs an approved erosion control plan before the building permit.
  • No one may move in until the certificate of occupancy and, off sewer, the septic operation permit issue.

Questions

What do I need before I can build a house on my land?

You need legal access, a wastewater answer, a water answer, and the zoning and building permits. Off sewer, the septic construction authorization comes first by law, because no building permit issues without it.

Can I build a house on land I own without a contractor?

State law lets an owner build a house for the owner’s own family without a general contractor license, under an affidavit and inspection rules. Trade work such as electrical and plumbing has its own licensing rules. The inspections department explains what it requires.

Which comes first, the septic permit or the building permit?

The septic permit. The construction authorization must issue, or the health department must accept a complete notice of intent, before any building permit for a residence can issue.

References

Primary sources cited on this page, in APA style.

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