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

It depends. Whether roof replacement or repair needs a permit in Guilford 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. Guilford County's own permitting office is the Guilford County Inspections Department, reachable on 336-641-3707 at https://www.guilfordcountync.gov/government/departments-and-agencies/inspections. Its online permit portal is https://citizenaccess.guilfordcountync.gov/energov_prod/selfservice#/home. 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. 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. NCGS 160D-1110(c)(5) makes the addition of roofing, but not its replacement, an exception to the $40,000 permit exemption, so a like-for-like re-roof of a single-family home costing $40,000 or less generally does not need a building permit. Replacing rafters or other load-bearing structure is outside that exemption. Guilford County publishes a Roofing and Re-Roofing permit fee of $100 for construction value up to $20,000 and $150 above $20,000. Guilford County Inspections permits and inspects all unincorporated addresses, and by contract also Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield, Whitsett, and the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Sedalia, Summerfield, Whitsett, and PTAA addresses need a town Development Clearance Certificate before applying.