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

Most likely yes. Roof replacement or repair usually requires a permit in North Carolina. Confirm the specifics with Charlotte.

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. Mecklenburg County's own permitting office is the Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement (LUESA) office, reachable on 980-314-2633 at https://code.mecknc.gov/. Its online permit portal is https://code.mecknc.gov/customer-tools/aca. 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. In Charlotte, residential building permits are issued by Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement (part of LUESA), not a City of Charlotte building department, and roofing permits are filed through the county AccelaMeck portal. North Carolina General Statute 160D-1110 lets Mecklenburg County exempt residential work costing $40,000 or less, but the county lists the addition of roofing as an exception that still needs a permit, excluding only replacement of like grade fire resistance material, so a covering change or roof-over generally requires a permit while a like-for-like reroof may not. Because the like-grade exemption is narrow and easy to misread, confirm your exact reroof scope with the Code Information and Resource Center at 980-314-2633 before assuming no permit is needed, since a false no-permit assumption is the risky direction.