Durham Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

Durham uses a City-County Building and Safety Department for building, trade, plan-review, inspection, and code-enforcement services across the City of Durham and Durham County. The department administers the North Carolina State Building Code and the zoning ordinances of both jurisdictions, so this is a combined regional authority rather than a city-only building department.

Durham permit applications and plan review

Durham’s official applications page says building and city fire permit applicants use the Dplans online portal for plan submissions. Trade permit applications, fee payments, inspection requests, permit tracking, and inspection results are handled through the Land Development Office, or LDO, portal. No work should begin until the permit is issued; applicants can search by permit number or job address to confirm issued status.

For a new project, identify the parcel, zoning district, proposed use, construction scope, and applicable site or land-development review before preparing the building submittal. Durham Planning and Development administers the Unified Development Ordinance and coordinates development-review processes that may create holds or separate approvals.

Durham inspections, CO, and code compliance

The LDO system lets contractors schedule building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical inspections, check plan or permit status, pay fees, and access inspection information. Durham’s Building and Safety guidance also lists building-inspection requirements and explains that commercial and residential plan reviews use the digital submission workflow.

Durham may issue a Certificate of Compliance or partial occupancy approval when the applicable inspection and code requirements are satisfied. The final approval depends on the permit type, required inspections, zoning and site conditions, and any city or county agency holds. Confirm the specific occupancy path with City-County Building and Safety before using a space.

Durham zoning and jurisdiction research

Durham Planning and Development is the lead planning agency for the City and County. The city and county share the LDO tracking system, which maintains applications, permits, inspections, and code violations. Use the official parcel search to search by building permit number, parcel ID, address, or owner name, and confirm that the record corresponds to the correct city or county jurisdiction.

Official Durham contact information

City-County Building and Safety lists 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, North Carolina 27701, and phone (919) 560-4144. The Durham City-County Inspections page also identifies the same lobby for online-service assistance. Use LDO for permit research and inspections and Dplans for building or city-fire plan submissions.