Frequently Asked Questions

Please refer to the Craven County Regional Airport Height Control Ordinance and the Marine Corps Air Station Zoning Ordinance for further information. Although there is currently no county-wide zoning ordinances for Craven County, you may live within the jurisdictional boundaries of a municipality that does have a zoning ordinance.

Please refer to the Permit Applications page for a brief overview of each application. The applications can be downloaded and printed in the convenience of your home.

Land development permits can be applied for and received from the County Planning and Inspections Department located at 2828 Neuse Boulevard in New Bern.

NC General Statutes require a permit to be obtained if a building, structure, or service system is erected, constructed, enlarged, installed, altered, repaired, moved, removed, converted, or demolished. If you build without obtaining the necessary permits, you will be asked to stop work and obtain the necessary permits. If you continue, a written stop work order will be issued.

To receive a building permit you must complete and submit a general information form, building inspection application (specific to your project), a septic/sewer permit, 3 copies of drawings, and a plot plan. Please note the inspector may contact you requiring additional information upon plan review/

The amount of time it takes to process a permit is dependent upon the nature of the permit for which you are applying.

The Planning Department can determine if your property is within a flood zone. Please have a street address or parcel ID Number available for reference. This information is also available from the North Carolina Flood Risk Information System (FRIS). If you need help with the site, Planning may be able to provide some assistance 252-636-6618.

If your home is located within a flood zone; you may need an elevation certificate or surveyed plot plan with information, along with a flood development permit.

A completed application, a septic permit, and an elevation certificate (if your home is located within a flood zone) are necessary before a mobile home permit can be issued.

According to NC State Statute 130 - A 333 - 345 the sewer or septic source must be verified before a development permit may be issued.

Only one final inspection is required on a single-wide mobile home. We will make inspections on marriage walls of double and triple-wide units.

Zones are determined by the NC Department of Insurance and are dependent on how close the property is to the ocean. Zone I is for interior counties and Zone III is for coastal counties. Craven County has been designated as Zone II.

The zone rating of a home is determined by how the home is constructed and anchored down. The zone rating of a home cannot be changed after construction, except by an engineer licensed in North Carolina.

Upon purchase of the permit, the permit holder must call the inspections department during business hours with the correct permit number to request an inspection. It is customary that the inspection will be performed within the next two days. Your inspection will be done as soon as possible, however we cannot promise an exact time. You may call the inspections office after 8:30 am on the date of your inspection to find out whether it will be am or pm. Inspectors will attempt to accommodate your schedule but due to the size of Craven County, this cannot be guaranteed.

Once your permit is issued, you have six months after the date of issuance to begin work on your permitted project. Once an inspection has been done, you have one year until your next inspection is required, or the permit will "expire" in our permitting system. This rule applies to all future inspections on this permit.

You do not have to be present during any inspection, unless you are an owner/builder. If due to the nature of the inspection, interior access is required accommodations should be made in anticipation of your inspection prior to the inspector's arrival at the inspection location. 

There will be a sticker left at the job site to inform you of to the status of your inspection.

• A green sticker means you can proceed with construction (be sure to read all notes).
• A red sticker means your inspection has failed.

The items listed on the sticker must be corrected and a re-inspection must be scheduled and passed before proceeding onto the next level of construction. If no notes are left on the sticker, please call the office between 4 pm and 5 pm to speak with the inspector concerning your failed inspection.

Your electrical supply company will be notified (by the inspector or office personnel) on the same day the inspection is passed. After they have been notified, the time in which power is placed at a site varies. We suggest you contact the electrical supply company prior to your inspection and make sure they have been given proper information and all applicable fees are paid to ensure service is connected in a timely manner. Their information (names and addresses) must match what we have in our system. They will also need a valid approval for an existing septic system or a valid operation permit from Environmental Health on a newly installed septic system.

You may contact the Inspections Department at 252-636-4987 during business hours on the day following your scheduled inspection and speak with a permit technician. If you have a technical question concerning a failed inspection, it is important that you speak with your inspector between the hours of 8 to 9 am or 4 to 5 pm.

Information on the NC State Building Code can be accessed at via the North Carolina Department of Insurance. Select “Office of State Fire Marshal” and then “Engineering and Codes Division”.