Permitting Authorities / Buncombe County - Permits & Inspections
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Unincorporated Buncombe County, NC?
Adopted code
Buncombe County - Permits & Inspections
No, Unincorporated Buncombe County, NC does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (Buncombe County - Permits & Inspections). North Carolina law reads: "(c) No permit issued under Article 9 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less and performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code in any single-family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following: (1) The addition, repair, or replacement of load-bearing structures. ... (4) The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code. (5) The addition of roofing, excluding replacement." (G.S. 160D-1110(c)). The North Carolina Residential Code adds: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." The exemption reaches single-family residences only; duplexes and multi-family buildings are outside it. G.S. 143-138(b5) says the same and opens: "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e)". Buncombe County's codified Sec. 10-86(b) still prints the former $5,000 figure: "no building permit shall be required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing $5,000.00 or less in any single-family residence or farm building unless the work involves the addition, repair or replacement of load-bearing structure; ... the use of material not permitted by the state uniform residential building code; or the addition, excluding replacement of the like grade of fire resistance, of roofing." The Department's own FAQ, answering "When is a permit required?", reproduces the state $40,000 exemption, including "The addition (excluding replacement) of roofing." Where a permit is needed, the County's fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists "Residential Re-roofing" at $80.00, and its Residential Renovation permit application carries a "Re-Roof Only: Yes No" box. The fee schedule prices "Working without Permit" at "Double permit fees", and Code Sec. 10-99 adds a late fee equal to the permit fee for work done without a permit. Permits are obtained by the property owner or the owner's agent from the Permits and Inspections Department at 35 Woodfin St., Asheville (828-250-5360), Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm, with no applications or fees processed after 4 pm; the Department's guide for existing residential projects says an affidavit of workers' compensation coverage "is required for all projects". Inspections are requested online through the Development and Permits Portal. The fee schedule also lists a $10.00 Homeowner Recovery Fund fee under G.S. 87-1 among residential charges. North Carolina deleted the model code's drip-edge rule: "R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge. Deleted. Not required unless required by the roof covering manufacturer installation instructions.".
Roof code checklist: Unincorporated Buncombe County, NC
Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.
Jurisdiction
Buncombe County, North Carolina (unincorporated)
Address
35 Woodfin St., Asheville, NC 28801
Contact
- url: https://www.buncombenc.gov/424/Permits-Inspections
- phone: 828-250-5360
Roofing permit required
Not required
Registration details
- state_level: North Carolina licenses general contractors for work "where the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more" (G.S. 87-1(a)), and the General Contractors Licensing Board issues a specialty classification, S(Roofing), which "covers the installation, demolition, and repair of roofs and decks on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional structures" (21 NCAC 12A .0202). G.S. 87-1(b)(2) excludes an owner who builds or alters a building on the owner's own land that is "intended solely for occupancy by that person and his family" and who complies with G.S. 87-14. Whether a given reroof reaches the $40,000 line depends on its price, so this record does not state that a roofer must or need not hold a state licence.
- county_level: Buncombe County Code Sec. 10-73 provides that every person carrying on the business of building contractor within the county "shall be a licensed North Carolina Contractor and can register at the office of the department of permits and inspections, giving his name, place of business and license number." That step records the state licence and sets no separate county licence, bond or examination. The Department states: "Projects with a value of $40,000.00 or more require a licensed North Carolina General Contractor," and a homeowner may act as their own contractor "provided the home is not for sale, rent or lease," filing the County's Owner Exemption Affidavit.
Permit process note
North Carolina law reads: "(c) No permit issued under Article 9 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less and performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code in any single-family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following: (1) The addition, repair, or replacement of load-bearing structures. ... (4) The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code. (5) The addition of roofing, excluding replacement." (G.S. 160D-1110(c)). The North Carolina Residential Code adds: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." The exemption reaches single-family residences only; duplexes and multi-family buildings are outside it. G.S. 143-138(b5) says the same and opens: "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e)". Buncombe County's codified Sec. 10-86(b) still prints the former $5,000 figure: "no building permit shall be required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing $5,000.00 or less in any single-family residence or farm building unless the work involves the addition, repair or replacement of load-bearing structure; ... the use of material not permitted by the state uniform residential building code; or the addition, excluding replacement of the like grade of fire resistance, of roofing." The Department's own FAQ, answering "When is a permit required?", reproduces the state $40,000 exemption, including "The addition (excluding replacement) of roofing." Where a permit is needed, the County's fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists "Residential Re-roofing" at $80.00, and its Residential Renovation permit application carries a "Re-Roof Only: Yes No" box. The fee schedule prices "Working without Permit" at "Double permit fees", and Code Sec. 10-99 adds a late fee equal to the permit fee for work done without a permit. Permits are obtained by the property owner or the owner's agent from the Permits and Inspections Department at 35 Woodfin St., Asheville (828-250-5360), Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm, with no applications or fees processed after 4 pm; the Department's guide for existing residential projects says an affidavit of workers' compensation coverage "is required for all projects". Inspections are requested online through the Development and Permits Portal. The fee schedule also lists a $10.00 Homeowner Recovery Fund fee under G.S. 87-1 among residential charges. North Carolina deleted the model code's drip-edge rule: "R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge. Deleted. Not required unless required by the roof covering manufacturer installation instructions."
Inspection requirements
Buncombe County Code Sec. 10-70 requires permit holders to notify the Department at each stage of construction and states: "Failure to request inspections or proceeding without approval at each stage of construction shall be deemed a violation of this chapter." The Department's inspection procedures state that inspections are made "as prescribed by Section 107 of the N.C. Administrative Code & Policies," that "Work requiring a permit shall not begin until the permit card is posted in a conspicuous location on the premises," and that inspection requests must be scheduled online through the County's portal.
Adopted code
The 2018 North Carolina Residential Code, with the Building Code Council's approved amendments, is the edition in force; the 2024 edition has been adopted but has no effective date. Buncombe County adopts the state codes by a standing reference: Code of Ordinances Sec. 10-31 adopts "The current and subsequent editions of the state uniform residential building code ... as amended" as the county residential building code for one- and two-family residential buildings, Sec. 10-27 does the same for the state building code, and Sec. 10-34 makes later state amendments effective in the county when filed with the clerk to the board of commissioners. The Department states that it exists to protect residents "by administering and enforcing the North Carolina State Building Codes as adopted by the Building Code Council." Chapter 10 of the County code, Buildings and Building Regulations (Articles I through V), contains no technical roofing amendment to the state code; its only roof-covering rule is the rental-housing minimum standard described under the layer limit. North Carolina's amendments to the roofing chapter include the deletion of the drip-edge rule ("R905.2.8.5 Drip Edge. Deleted. Not required unless required by the roof covering manufacturer installation instructions.") and the R908.3 definition of roof replacement.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — Neither Buncombe County's building chapter (Code of Ordinances Chapter 10, which adopts the state codes by reference) nor North Carolina's approved amendments to the 2018 Residential Code amend the roof-covering impact provisions; no UL 2218 or Class 4 impact requirement appears in the County's adopted code or its amendments.
Repair permit threshold
North Carolina law reads: "(c) No permit issued under Article 9 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration costing forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or less and performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code in any single-family residence, farm building, or commercial building unless the work involves any of the following: (1) The addition, repair, or replacement of load-bearing structures. ... (4) The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina State Building Code. (5) The addition of roofing, excluding replacement." (G.S. 160D-1110(c)). The North Carolina Residential Code adds: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." The exemption reaches single-family residences only; duplexes and multi-family buildings are outside it. G.S. 143-138(b5) says the same and opens: "No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e)". Buncombe County's codified Sec. 10-86(b) still prints the former $5,000 figure: "no building permit shall be required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement or alteration costing $5,000.00 or less in any single-family residence or farm building unless the work involves the addition, repair or replacement of load-bearing structure; ... the use of material not permitted by the state uniform residential building code; or the addition, excluding replacement of the like grade of fire resistance, of roofing." The Department's own FAQ, answering "When is a permit required?", reproduces the state $40,000 exemption, including "The addition (excluding replacement) of roofing." An ordinary like-for-like reroof of a single-family house costing $40,000 or less, replacing no load-bearing structure and no more than 15% of the roof deck, is within the state exemption. Work above $40,000, work that replaces load-bearing structure or more than 15% of the deck, a change to a roofing material the code does not permit, and any reroof of a duplex or multi-family building need a permit. The County's fee schedule prices "Working without Permit" at "Double permit fees".
Roof layer limit / recover
North Carolina amends the reroofing section of its Residential Code: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." Buncombe County's building chapter adds no layer rule for buildings generally. Its Rental Housing Ordinance, which applies to rental dwellings in the unincorporated county, sets a minimum standard at Sec. 10-159(4)c.2: "No more than three layers of roofing materials (shingles, shakes, roofing) shall be permitted without certification by an architect or engineer registered in North Carolina that the roof will safely support all required live and dead loads pursuant to requirements of the North Carolina State Building Code." That standard is a test of whether a rental dwelling is fit for habitation, not a recover rule for new roofing work; confirm the recover limit for a specific job with the Department.
Deck & sheathing requirements
North Carolina's Residential Code, as amended, provides: "R908.3 Roof replacement. Roof replacement shall include the removal of existing layers of roof coverings down to the roof deck and replacement of up to 15% of the total existing roof deck. Replacement of up to 15% of the total roof deck shall not be considered structural work." Replacing more than 15% of the deck is therefore structural work and falls outside the state permit exemption for minor work. Buncombe County's building chapter (Chapter 10, Articles I through V) contains no roof-sheathing provision of its own. The Department's inspection procedures note, under the rough-in inspection for new construction: "Nailing pattern inspection for sheathing is required on houses built in designated high wind zones."
Sales & use tax
Buncombe County's combined sales and use tax rate is 7%, the 4.75% state rate plus 2.25% in local rates, per the North Carolina Department of Revenue's current rates table (read September 26, 2026). North Carolina taxes roofing work two different ways, and the rate applies to only one of them. On the Department of Revenue's taxability chart, "Complete replacement of roofing systems" and "Installation of complete roofing systems" are capital improvements: the contractor performs a real property contract, and "The real property contractor is the consumer of the item that the real property contractor purchases, installs, or applies for others to fulfill a real property contract," paying tax on materials rather than charging sales tax to the owner. "Repair, maintain, or partially replace all types of roofing systems" is marked "Taxable" as a repair, maintenance and installation service, charged to the customer at the combined 7% rate.
More roof permit pages in North Carolina
Related guides
The Buncombe County Permits and Inspections Department issues building permits and performs building inspections for the unincorporated areas of Buncombe County and, by contractual agreement, for the towns of Biltmore Forest, Weaverville and Woodfin. The City of Asheville runs its own inspections.
Hail reports near the center of Buncombe County, NC
- Reports, last 24 months
- 4
- Largest, last 24 months
- 1.75 in May 8, 2025
- Most recent
- Jun 24, 2025 0.75 in
- Reports, last 5 years
- 8
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database and daily storm reports (reports since the start of the current year are preliminary), within 10 miles of the center of Buncombe County, NC. Data through Sep 30, 2026. A report is an observation, not a damage record.
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