Durham, NC
Durham building permit cost
A Durham building permit is priced from one of three bases, chosen by the schedule the Department places the project in.
A new one- or two-family dwelling falls in Schedule A and is priced from its gross area: eight brackets running from $146.00 up to 1,200 square feet to $810.00 at 5,001 square feet and above, with a $146.00 plan review fee beside every bracket. Multi-family buildings are priced per dwelling unit — $300.00 for the first, $150.00 for each additional one in the building — and accessory buildings are flat at $50.00 without a footing and $100.00 with one. Renovations, additions and nonresidential construction are priced from construction contract value: Schedule D in two bands ($125.00 under $10,001, $250.00 above it) and Schedule E in five bands that add a per-thousand increment — $7.80 over $5,000, $6.60 over $50,000, $4.32 over $100,000, $1.25 over $500,000 — with plan review published as a flat amount beside each one.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule A, new one- or two-family dwelling, by gross areaPermit fee | Project area — $146.00 up to $12; $325.00 from $12 to $18; $400.00 from $18 to $24; $456.00 from $24 to $30; $537.00 from $30 to $36; $650.00 from $36 to $42; $740.00 from $42 to $50; $810.00 above $50 | building schedule is new dwelling | — |
| Schedule B, multi-family, per dwelling unitPermit fee | $300.00 for the first dwelling unit, plus $150.00 for each additional dwelling unit | building schedule is multifamily | — |
| Schedule C, accessory building with no footingPermit fee | $50.00 flat fee | building schedule is accessory | — |
| Schedule C footing, $50.00 when a footing is requiredPermit fee | $50.00 flat fee | building schedule is accessory and footing is true | — |
| Schedule D footing, $50.00 when a footing is requiredPermit fee | $50.00 flat fee | building schedule is renovation addition and footing is true | — |
| Schedule D, renovation or addition, by construction contract valuePermit fee | Project valuation — $125.00 up to $10,000; $250.00 above $10,000 | building schedule is renovation addition | — |
| Schedule E, nonresidential $100,001 to $500,000, permit feePermit fee | $786.00 + $4.32 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation at least $100,001 and Project valuation up to $500,000 | — |
| Schedule E, nonresidential $50,001 to $100,000, permit feePermit fee | $456.00 + $6.60 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000, or fraction thereof | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation at least $50,001 and Project valuation up to $100,000 | — |
| Schedule E, nonresidential $5,001 to $50,000, permit feePermit fee | $104.00 + $7.80 per $1,000 of project valuation above $5,000, or fraction thereof | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation at least $5,001 and Project valuation up to $50,000 | — |
| Schedule E, nonresidential Over $500,000, permit feePermit fee | $2,513.00 + $1.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation at least $500,001 | — |
| Schedule E, nonresidential $0 to $5,000, permit feePermit fee | $104.00 flat fee | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation up to $5,000 | — |
| Change of occupancy permit, no other building permit requiredPermit fee | $50.00 flat fee | building item is change of occupancy | — |
| Residential deck, single and two-familyPermit fee | $100.00 flat fee | building item is deck | — |
| Demolition permit, over 5,000 sq ftPermit fee | $150.00 flat fee | building item is demolition and Project area over 5000 | — |
| Demolition permit, up to 5,000 sq ftPermit fee | $75.00 flat fee | building item is demolition and Project area up to 5000 | — |
| Demolition associated with a forthcoming permitPermit fee | $75.00 flat fee | building item is demolition with permit | — |
| Mobile home, unit installation and foundationPermit fee | $150.00 flat fee | building item is mobile home | — |
| Modular unit, unit installation and foundationPermit fee | $200.00 flat fee | building item is modular unit | — |
| Moving permit, including new foundationPermit fee | $125.00 flat fee | building item is moving | — |
| Residential reroofing, additionPermit fee | $75.00 flat fee | building item is reroofing | — |
| Commercial roofing or reroofing, over $20,000Permit fee | $150.00 flat fee | building item is roofing commercial and Project valuation over $20,000 | — |
| Commercial roofing or reroofing, $0 to $20,000Permit fee | $100.00 flat fee | building item is roofing commercial and Project valuation up to $20,000 | — |
| Schedule A plan review, $146.00 in every bracketPlan review | $146.00 flat fee | building schedule is new dwelling | — |
| Schedule B plan review, $450.00 for the first unit with no additional feePlan review | $450.00 flat fee | building schedule is multifamily | — |
| Schedule C plan review, $50.00Plan review | $50.00 flat fee | building schedule is accessory | — |
| Schedule D plan review, $125.00 in both value bandsPlan review | $125.00 flat fee | building schedule is renovation addition | — |
| Schedule E plan review, $100,001 to $500,000: $400.00Plan review | $400.00 flat fee | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation at least $100,001 and Project valuation up to $500,000 | — |
| Schedule E plan review, $50,001 to $100,000: $230.00Plan review | $230.00 flat fee | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation at least $50,001 and Project valuation up to $100,000 | — |
| Schedule E plan review, $5,001 to $50,000: $104.00Plan review | $104.00 flat fee | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation at least $5,001 and Project valuation up to $50,000 | — |
| Schedule E plan review, Over $500,000: $1300.00Plan review | $1,300.00 flat fee | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation at least $500,001 | — |
| Schedule E plan review, $0 to $5,000: $104.00Plan review | $104.00 flat fee | building schedule is nonresidential and Project valuation up to $5,000 | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A new single-family house in Durham with a gross area of 2,000 square feet — the figure Schedule A prices from, rather than a valuation of the work.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project area | 2,000 sq ft |
| Building schedule | new_dwelling |
Example total
$546.00
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 2Rules considered 31
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Schedule A, new one- or two-family dwelling, by gross areaPermit feeBuilding Permit Fee Schedule, Schedule A: "New Residential Dwellings (One and Two Family, Including Townhouse Unit Ownership)" — eight brackets from "Up to 1200 sq. ft. (gross area) $146.00" to "5001 sq. ft. and over $810.00". The bracket a house falls in is decided by its gross area, not by its valuation, which is the first thing a reader coming from a valuation-priced city has to know.Show the working
| $400.00 for project area from $18 to $24 | $400.00 |
Schedule A plan review, $146.00 in every bracketPlan reviewSchedule A plan review, $146.00 in every bracket. Durham's building schedule publishes plan review as a second column beside every fee row and states "The Plan Review Fee must be paid at time of plan submittal with credit card, check or cash", so it is charged with the permit it belongs to. The amounts already include the technology surcharge.Show the working
| $146.00 flat fee | $146.00 |
| Total | $546.00 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Schedule B, multi-family, per dwelling unit — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule C, accessory building with no footing — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule C footing, $50.00 when a footing is required — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule D footing, $50.00 when a footing is required — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule D, renovation or addition, by construction contract value — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E, nonresidential $100,001 to $500,000, permit fee — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E, nonresidential $50,001 to $100,000, permit fee — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E, nonresidential $5,001 to $50,000, permit fee — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E, nonresidential Over $500,000, permit fee — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E, nonresidential $0 to $5,000, permit fee — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Change of occupancy permit, no other building permit required — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential deck, single and two-family — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Demolition permit, over 5,000 sq ft — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Demolition permit, up to 5,000 sq ft — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Demolition associated with a forthcoming permit — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Mobile home, unit installation and foundation — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Modular unit, unit installation and foundation — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Moving permit, including new foundation — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Residential reroofing, addition — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial roofing or reroofing, over $20,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial roofing or reroofing, $0 to $20,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule B plan review, $450.00 for the first unit with no additional fee — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule C plan review, $50.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule D plan review, $125.00 in both value bands — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E plan review, $100,001 to $500,000: $400.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E plan review, $50,001 to $100,000: $230.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E plan review, $5,001 to $50,000: $104.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E plan review, Over $500,000: $1300.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Schedule E plan review, $0 to $5,000: $104.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Schedule A prices 1,801 to 2,400 square feet at $400.00, and the plan review column beside it is $146.00 in every bracket of that schedule — $546.00 together, paid as two amounts at two moments: the plan review fee at submittal, the permit fee with it. Nothing else is added, because the schedule's amounts already include the technology surcharge.
Three variations show the other schedules. A four-unit multi-family building pays $300.00 for the first unit and $150.00 for each of the three more — $750.00 — plus the $450.00 plan review that schedule publishes for the first unit, for $1,200.00. An accessory building with a footing is $50.00 plus the $50.00 footing line plus $50.00 of plan review, $150.00. A $400,000 nonresidential project is in Schedule E's fourth band: $786.00 plus 300 increments of $4.32 over $100,000, which is $2,082.00 of permit, and $400.00 of plan review — $2,482.00.
One caution belongs with the number. The schedule dates itself `(Effective 7/1/18)` and was still the schedule the City published when this page was written; it is charged as printed on the day you calculate.
What is different in Durham
Two things about the number surprise people who have priced a permit elsewhere. The first is that plan review is a second column, not an option: the schedule states "The Plan Review Fee must be paid at time of plan submittal", so a 2,000-square-foot house at $400.00 of permit also carries $146.00 of plan review and the figure on this page is $546.00. The second is that the nonresidential bands do not join. At $50,000 of contract value Schedule E charges $104.00 plus 45 increments of $7.80, which is $455.00; the band above it opens at $50,001 printing $456.00. A dollar of step the schedule does not explain, carried as printed. The middle seam closes exactly — $456.00 plus 50 increments of $6.60 is $786.00, which is what the next band prints — and at $500,000 the band below yields $2,514.00 against $2,513.00 plus one $1.25 increment above, a step of 25 cents. Each band is charged over the range the schedule states for it, and both boundaries are asserted in this site's tests.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This estimate is one building schedule's permit fee plus its plan review column. It excludes:
- The technology surcharge as a separate amount, because all four Durham schedules state that their figures include it.
- The other schedules. Choosing Schedule A prices Schedule A: multi-family, accessory, renovation and nonresidential work each print their own rows, and the calculator asks which one applies rather than guessing from the amount.
- The footing difference unless the applicant says a footing is required: Schedule C and Schedule D each print "(add $50.00 if footing required)".
- Fire prevention permits (Schedule G), Enhanced Plan Review (Schedule H) and after-hours inspections (Schedule I), and the administrative rows — re-inspections, re-reviews, work begun without a permit at double fee, voiding a permit at 15% of its cost, partial occupancy, floodplain permits and the stocking permit.
- The mechanical permit, published as a fourth schedule and not priced on this site.
- Water and sewer connection charges, impact fees and stormwater fees, which sit in other documents — including the City Impact Fee Ordinance published beside these schedules on the City's Fee Schedules page.
What you need before applying
- The Department places the project in one of five building schedulesRequired
The schedule the fee comes from is a property of the project, not of the amount: Schedule A is a new one- or two-family dwelling, B a multi-family building, C an accessory building, D a renovation or addition, E nonresidential construction. The calculator asks for that choice directly rather than inferring it, because the same $50,000 of contract value prices as $125.00 under Schedule D and as $104.00 plus $7.80 per thousand under Schedule E.
- Plan review is a second column, paid at plan submittalRequired
The building schedule prints two amounts on every row — "Building Permit Fee" and "Plan Review Fee" — and states above the table: "The Plan Review Fee must be paid at time of plan submittal with credit card, check or cash." It is a separate payment, not an option, which is why every building figure on this page is the sum of the two columns.
- Nonresidential cost is the construction contract, unless a reason is identifiedRequired
Schedule E is headed: "Nonresidential Buildings - Cost will be based on construction contracts unless a reason is identified to base cost on other information." The figure the bands are taken against is therefore the contract the applicant signs, and the page says so rather than offering a valuation table the schedule does not publish.
Common questions
Is a Durham building permit based on the value of the work?
Only for some schedules. A new one- or two-family dwelling is priced from gross square footage in eight flat brackets, so a larger house steps to the next bracket instead of growing with its value. Renovations, additions and nonresidential construction are priced from construction contract value — Schedule E says so in its own heading: cost "will be based on construction contracts unless a reason is identified to base cost on other information". Multi-family is priced per dwelling unit and accessory buildings are flat.
Building Permit Fee Schedule, Schedules A to E
How much is plan review?
It is published as a second column on every row of the building schedule: $146.00 in all eight Schedule A brackets, $450.00 for a multi-family building, $50.00 for an accessory building, $125.00 for a renovation or addition, and $104.00, $104.00, $230.00, $400.00 and $1,300.00 across Schedule E's five bands. The schedule states it is paid at plan submittal, so it is charged with the permit it belongs to — on a 2,000-square-foot new house, $146.00 beside a $400.00 permit.
Building Permit Fee Schedule, plan review column
Why does the nonresidential fee jump a dollar at $50,001?
Because the bands are printed as alternatives and do not join. The $5,001–$50,000 band yields $104.00 plus 45 increments of $7.80 at $50,000 — $455.00 — and the band above opens at $50,001 printing $456.00. The middle seam does close: $456.00 plus 50 increments of $6.60 at $100,000 is exactly $786.00, the next band's printed base. This site charges each band over the range the schedule states for it rather than interpolating, so the step is the schedule's and not a modelling artefact.
Building Permit Fee Schedule, Schedule E
Does Durham charge a technology surcharge on top?
No separate line. All four schedules carry the header `(Effective 7/1/18--Includes Technology Surcharge)`, which says the published amounts already contain it. That is the opposite of Raleigh's schedule, where a 4% technology surcharge is printed as its own row and charged last against the fees — both are North Carolina, and adding one here would charge it twice.
Building Permit Fee Schedule, document header
Which schedule applies to my project?
The Department assigns it: Schedule A for a new one- or two-family or townhouse unit, B for apartments, condominiums, triplex and fourplex buildings, C for accessory buildings, D for residential renovations and additions, and E for nonresidential buildings. The calculator asks for that choice directly, because the amount alone cannot tell them apart — $50,000 of contract work is $125.00 of permit under Schedule D and $104.00 plus $7.80 per thousand under Schedule E.
Building Permit Fee Schedule, Schedules A to E
Who issues Durham's building permits?
The City-County Building & Safety Department, which states on its own page that it "provides permit, plan review, and inspection services for the City and County of Durham" under the North Carolina State Building Code and the zoning ordinances of both. One authority covers the incorporated city and the unincorporated county, so there is no second schedule to check against — unlike Wake County beside Raleigh.
City-County Building & Safety, durhamnc.gov/293
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
Durham City-County Building & Safety Department — Building Permit Fee Schedule
Read 2026-09-25, 1,127,925 bytes, sha256 beginning `84dc8a02035d810f`, linked from the City's Fee Schedules page. Five pages, Schedules A through I. Its own header states `(Effective 7/1/18--Includes Technology Surcharge)`, which is where both the effective date and the absence of a separate surcharge rule come from. Extracted with `pdftotext -raw` and re-read with `-layout`, because Schedule C and Schedule D print their plan review column out of line with the permit column and only the layout pass shows which amount belongs to which.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.