Do I need a permit for roof replacement or repair in Brunswick County?

It depends. Whether roof replacement or repair needs a permit in Brunswick County comes down to the details of your project.

North Carolina's statewide line is a cost test, not a code exemption list. Under NCGS 160D-1110(c) no permit is required for construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing forty thousand dollars or less on a single-family residence, performed in accordance with the North Carolina State Building Code. The listed exceptions include the addition of roofing but expressly exclude replacement, so a straightforward reroof under that figure can fall outside the permit requirement. The exceptions bite quickly on a real reroof. Adding, repairing or replacing load-bearing structure, which includes decking and framing, is outside the exemption and needs a permit, as does anything the North Carolina Fire Code reaches or any material the State Building Code does not permit. Many roofers open decking once the old covering is off. Cost means the whole project cost, so confirm both the figure and the scope with your local inspections department before you decide to skip the permit. Brunswick County's own permitting office is the Brunswick County Code Administration office, reachable on 910-253-2021 at https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/181/Code-Administration. Its online permit portal is https://bcpp.brunswickcountync.gov/. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, this is the office that will handle the job, and that is more common in North Carolina than most states. Under NCGS 160D-1110(c), replacing the roof covering on a single-family home does not need a building permit when the whole job costs $40,000 or less and meets the State Building Code. Adding new roofing, structural roof work such as decking or rafters, and jobs over $40,000 still need a permit. Brunswick County's Do I Need a Permit? page says nonstructural work costing less than $40,000 in a single-family home generally needs no building permit, in line with NCGS 160D-1110(c), which exempts like-for-like re-roofing of a single-family home when the project costs $40,000 or less. Structural roof work, added roofing, and larger jobs need a permit from Brunswick County Code Administration. A North Carolina licensed general contractor must do any work costing more than $40,000. Working without a required permit brings a stop work order and a doubled permit fee ($200 minimum).