McDowell County

McDowell County, NC Permits for Metal Carports and Garages

Plan on a permit for a metal garage or carport in McDowell County, where Building Inspections handles permits outside the City of Marion, which runs its own building inspections. The county's page says a permit is required for garages, shops and storage buildings 12 feet or greater in any dimension, and every new structure, barns and sheds included, needs a floodplain permit. Old Fort and Marion also handle their own zoning.

Permit office: McDowell County Building Inspections
Phone: 828-203-6282
Official county page

When a permit is required

A building permit is required for garages, shops and storage buildings that are 12 feet or greater in any dimension, per the county's Building Inspections page.
A floodplain permit is required for all new structures, including barns and storage sheds, and for any land-disturbing activity.
If your land is in a zoned area of the county, a compliance (zoning) permit is required before you build.
Inside Marion city limits, the City of Marion Building Inspections handles the permit (828-652-3551).

Zoning and setbacks

McDowell County zoning only covers land shown on the county's Official Zoning Map (Sec. 501), so part of the county is unzoned. In zoned areas, development needs a compliance permit (Sec. 701). Backyard workshops are limited to 1,000 square feet in several districts and to 600 square feet in R-A3, and they must sit in the rear yard. Setbacks are measured from the edge of the road. The county also runs a Watershed Ordinance and the Lake James Protection Ordinance, which can add rules near the lake. Call Planning at 828-659-0858 to check your parcel. Septic and well questions go to Environmental Health at 828-652-2921, ext. 300.

What to bring

Your parcel number (the portal will not take a street address; look it up on McDowell County GIS)
A complete permit application through the county online portal (incomplete ones are rejected)
Owner exemption form if you are acting as your own contractor, or the workers' comp form for contractors
Floodplain permit information for the new structure
Affidavit of On-site Wastewater Existing System, if the job uses an existing septic system

Farm buildings

Under N.C. G.S. 160D-903, bona fide farm buildings are exempt from county building permits. McDowell County's Zoning Ordinance, Sec. 702(2), also exempts a bona fide farm from the compliance permit. The Building Inspections page does not post a farm exemption form, so call 828-203-6282 to ask what proof they need. Electrical work still needs a permit, and the floodplain permit rule on the county page covers barns too.

Good to know

Everything runs through the county online portal: sign up, apply, pay and request inspections there. You must search by parcel number, which you can find on McDowell County GIS; type it in and pick your parcel from the dropdown instead of pressing Enter. Inspections can be requested for a morning (8 AM to noon) or afternoon (noon to 4 PM) visit. Questions can go to buildinginspections@mcdowellnc.gov.

Common questions

Do I need a permit for a carport in McDowell County?
Plan on it. The county's page names garages, shops and storage buildings at 12 feet or greater, not carports, so call 828-203-6282 about your McDowell County carport permit. A floodplain permit applies to all new structures.

Do I need a permit for a metal garage or shed in McDowell County?
Yes at 12 feet or greater in any dimension. Smaller barns and sheds still need the floodplain permit, and land in a zoned area needs a compliance permit before you build.

Sources

Rules and fees change. Call the office to confirm before you order.

See the full North Carolina permit guide for statewide rules, farm exemptions and wind and snow ratings.

Looking at buildings? See our metal carports, metal garages and metal buildings.

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