Do I need a permit for electrical panel or service upgrade in Unincorporated Duplin County?

Yes. In North Carolina, electrical panel or service upgrade generally requires a permit, and Unincorporated Duplin County is no exception.

A panel upgrade or service change requires an electrical permit and must be performed by a contractor licensed by the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors; it is electrical work and never exempt under NCGS 160D-1110. For a service change, the utility must disconnect and reconnect power, and the jurisdiction issues an inspection release before reconnection. Duplin County's own permitting office is the Duplin County Building Inspections office, reachable on 910-296-2124 at https://www.duplinnc.gov/182/Building-Inspections. 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: the county is often the building authority even inside city limits, with the city handling only zoning. A service change needs the inspection to clear before the utility resets the meter, so schedule it before the changeover day. Electrical equipment replacement is excluded from the NCGS 160D-1110(c) exemption, so a panel or service change needs an electrical permit from Duplin County Building Inspections regardless of cost. Duplin County's trade permit application asks for the size of the electrical service in amps, and the county publishes a separate Reconnection Permit Application. The permit application states reinspection fees are $50 per trip. In a Special Flood Hazard Area, UDO Section 1119(D) requires new electrical service equipment and meter panels at or above base flood elevation plus 2 feet.