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Mobile Home Setup Permits in North Carolina: How to Find Your County's Office

Updated 2026-10-28. Last verified against the sources below: October 28, 2026. General information, not legal advice; rules and fees change, so it may be out of date. The issuing office's current rules control.

Once the home arrives, the local building inspections office where it's being placed issues the setup (building) permit and inspects. State law requires permits before a building is moved to another site, along with plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits^160D-1110. Your licensed set-up contractor usually pulls the permit, but the paperwork names you, and missing pieces delay power.

Find the right office

1. Inside city or town limits? Call the town's planning or zoning office first; some towns do their own inspections, others use the county's.
2. Outside town limits: the county's building inspections (sometimes "Building Services" or "Community Development") office.
3. Search the county or town site for "manufactured home permit".

What counties usually ask for

• Zoning approval for the lot first.
• Bill of sale (new home) or title copy, and the home's size, make and year.
• The set-up contractor's NC license number, plus the electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors.
• The tax moving permit, if the home came from another location.
• Septic or well permits from environmental health if not on public utilities.

What it costs

Fees are set locally. As one published example, Catawba County charges $150 for a single-wide and $200 for a multi-section home, trades included^example. Call your office for its current fee.

Setup standards

Homes are set up to the manufacturer's installation manual or the State of NC Regulations for Manufactured Homes^code, by a licensed set-up contractor^143-143.11. Inspection checklist.

Sources

1. N.C. Gen. Stat. 160D-1110, building permits (required before moving a building to another site). https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_160D/GS_160D-1110.pdf
2. Catawba County FY2026/27 Fee Schedule (example of a published setup permit fee). https://www.catawbacountync.gov/site/assets/files/10636/fee_schedule.pdf
3. NC OSFM, State of NC Regulations for Manufactured Homes, 2019 ed. (rev. 3-2023). https://www.ncosfm.gov/manufactured-homes/state-nc-regs-mfg-homes-2nd-printing-2019-ed-revised-3-2023pdf
4. N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-143.11, license required; licenses expire June 30 each year. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_143/GS_143-143.11.pdf

Sources checked October 28, 2026. Rules change; confirm with the office named before you move.