Wayne County

Wayne County, NC Permits for Metal Carports and Garages

In Wayne County outside Goldsboro and Mount Olive, a metal garage or storage building needs a building permit from the Wayne County Inspections Department, and the county fee schedule lists garages and storage buildings by name. Before that, Wayne County Planning issues a Land Use/Zoning Permit, also called a development permit, which costs $30 for an accessory building or structure. A Wayne County carport permit follows the same two steps unless the carport is small enough for the state exemption. North Carolina law can exempt an accessory building with no side over 12 feet from the building permit, but the Planning step can still apply.

Permit office: Wayne County Inspections Department
Address: 134 N John Street, Goldsboro, NC 27530
Phone: 919-731-1169
Official county page

When a permit is required

Development permit first: The county's permit requirements say you get a Land Use/Zoning Permit (development permit) from Wayne County Planning before the building permit. The Planning fee schedule lists $30 for an accessory building or structure.
Metal garages and storage buildings: The Inspections Department's building permit fee table covers storage and miscellaneous buildings, garages and porches, starting at $90 for projects up to $15,000 in construction cost.
Carports: Carports are not listed separately on the fee schedule. Call Inspections to confirm how a carport is permitted, and plan on the development permit either way.
Small buildings, 12 feet or less: N.C. G.S. 160D-1110 can exempt an accessory building with no dimension over 12 feet from a building permit. Ask Planning whether you still need the development permit.
Electrical work: Wiring a detached garage, shop, barn or storage building is a separate electrical permit, listed at $70 on the county fee schedule.

Zoning and setbacks

Wayne County Planning issues the development permit, which the Planning fee schedule says is required before a change of use of a structure or land. The Development Permit Application asks for the owner, property address, tax map number and proposed use, and can be emailed or mailed in. If your land is inside a town's limits or its one-mile extraterritorial area, the permit requirements page says to get the land use permit from that town's planning or zoning office instead. Accessory setbacks are in the county's land use ordinances on Municode, linked from the Planning Department page, so ask Planning for the numbers that apply to your zoning before you set the pad.

What to bring

The completed Development Permit Application with your tax map number and proposed use
A site plan showing the building and distances to property lines
Building drawings from the manufacturer (residential projects need one set of plans)
Your Land Use/Zoning Permit number when you apply for the building permit

Farm buildings

A building used only for a bona fide farm may be exempt from a building permit in county jurisdiction under N.C. G.S. 160D-903. Under that statute, a farm sales tax exemption certificate, a present-use value tax listing, a Schedule F or a forest management plan counts as proof of farm use. Wayne County does not post a farm exemption form online, so ask the Inspections Department what it needs to see. Power to farm buildings is still permitted: the county fee schedule lists electrical permits for pork and poultry houses, bulk barns and greenhouses.

Good to know

The Inspections Department is at 134 N John Street in Goldsboro and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with inspectors in the office from 8 to 9 a.m. You can create a permit or check its status through the county's Inspections Online Portal, and inspection requests called in before 5:00 pm are scheduled for the next day. Starting work before the permit is issued costs 1.5 times the permit fee, and reinspections are $60. Planning offices are on the 3rd floor of the same building at 919-731-1650. The county also keeps a flood information page to check before you choose a site.

Common questions

Do I need a permit for a carport in Wayne County?
Plan on a $30 development permit from Wayne County Planning, and ask the Inspections Department about the building permit, since carports aren't listed separately on the fee schedule. A carport with no side over 12 feet can be exempt from the building permit under state law.

Do I need a permit for a metal garage or shed in Wayne County?
Yes for a garage. The fee schedule lists garages and storage buildings under building permits, starting at $90 for projects up to $15,000, after you get the development permit from Planning. A shed with no side over 12 feet can be exempt from the building permit.

Does Wayne County issue permits inside Goldsboro?
No. The Inspections Department serves the county except the City of Goldsboro, the Town of Mount Olive and their one-mile extraterritorial areas, which handle their own permits.

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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