New Hanover County building & ADU permits
Recent permit activity, updated continuously.
New Hanover County, on the southeastern North Carolina coast, handles building permits for the City of Wilmington and the beach towns as well as the unincorporated county. Its records carry the site ZIP, the project valuation and the general contractor, and new applications appear in the public feed within days.
Igni is tracking 200 residential and building permits in New Hanover County, NC — including 6 classified accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) filings. The most active ZIP is 28412. The most recent filing Igni tracked was Sep 24, 2026. All records come from New Hanover County GIS (ArcGIS), an official government open-data feed, and are refreshed continuously.
200
Permits tracked
6
ADU permits
8
Distinct ZIP codes
Sep 24, 2026
Newest permit
Recent permits
A sample of the freshest permits in this jurisdiction — ZIP and city only (no street addresses).
| ZIP | Permit type | ADU type | Valuation | Applied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28411 | Residential | Detached ADU | $212,860 | Sep 12, 2026 |
| 28409 | Residential | — | $20,000 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28428 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28412 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28412 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28412 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28409 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28405 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28411 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28411 | Residential | — | $236,000 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28409 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28428 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28429 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28405 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28428 | Residential | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28428 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28411 | Residential | — | $279,254 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28428 | Residential | — | $8,500 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28405 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
| 28403 | Commercial | — | $0 | Sep 14, 2026 |
Top ZIP codes by recent activity
ADU types in the recent set
Permit activity in New Hanover County
Igni counted 4,039 permits issued in New Hanover County over the last 12 months (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026) — down 11.8% on the 4,581 in the 12 months before. The forecast expects about 2,022 over the next 6 months.
Forecast: trailing mean, typical error ±12% in backtests one to six months ahead. How we forecast
| Permit type | Last 12 months | Year over year | Forecast, next 6 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| All permits | 4,039 | Down 11.8% | ≈ 2,022 |
| Residential building | 3,270 | Down 15.1% | ≈ 1,638 |
| Commercial building | 688 | Down 5.9% | ≈ 316 |
| Trade (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) | 81 | — | ≈ 97 |
| ADU | 107 | Down 13.0% | ≈ 54 |
Monthly figures
| Month | Permits | 10th–90th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | 391 | — |
| Oct 2023 | 384 | — |
| Nov 2023 | 323 | — |
| Dec 2023 | 241 | — |
| Jan 2024 | 343 | — |
| Feb 2024 | 319 | — |
| Mar 2024 | 356 | — |
| Apr 2024 | 370 | — |
| May 2024 | 407 | — |
| Jun 2024 | 331 | — |
| Jul 2024 | 331 | — |
| Aug 2024 | 331 | — |
| Sep 2024 | 306 | — |
| Oct 2024 | 438 | — |
| Nov 2024 | 319 | — |
| Dec 2024 | 374 | — |
| Jan 2025 | 363 | — |
| Feb 2025 | 416 | — |
| Mar 2025 | 452 | — |
| Apr 2025 | 378 | — |
| May 2025 | 406 | — |
| Jun 2025 | 428 | — |
| Jul 2025 | 388 | — |
| Aug 2025 | 313 | — |
| Sep 2025 | 332 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 348 | — |
| Nov 2025 | 250 | — |
| Dec 2025 | 293 | — |
| Jan 2026 | 304 | — |
| Feb 2026 | 295 | — |
| Mar 2026 | 376 | — |
| Apr 2026 | 371 | — |
| May 2026 | 361 | — |
| Jun 2026 | 354 | — |
| Jul 2026 | 369 | — |
| Aug 2026 | 386 | — |
| Sep 2026 (forecast) | ≈ 337 | 238–384 |
| Oct 2026 (forecast) | ≈ 337 | 236–380 |
| Nov 2026 (forecast) | ≈ 337 | 257–379 |
| Dec 2026 (forecast) | ≈ 337 | 258–379 |
| Jan 2027 (forecast) | ≈ 337 | 259–376 |
| Feb 2027 (forecast) | ≈ 337 | 259–375 |
Counts are permits issued per calendar month as New Hanover County publishes them to its open-data feed — not a complete census; a change in what the city publishes moves them too. The current month is left out, and the most recent months are provisional. A forecast is a statistical estimate with a range, not a prediction for any project. Informational only.
How long do permits take in New Hanover County?
Based on 11,548 New Hanover County permits applied for between Sep 2023 and Jun 2026, the typical (median) permit was issued 14 days after application, and the middle half of permits took 7–34 days. One in ten took longer than 86 days.
| Permit type | Median | Typical range | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| All permits | 14 days | 7–34 days | 11,548 |
| Residential building | 13 days | 6–29 days | 9,445 |
| Commercial building | 28 days | 13–84 days | 2,039 |
| Trade (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) | 5 days | 4–8 days | 64 |
| ADU | 24 days | 8–52 days | 300 |
Typical, not guaranteed: individual permits vary with project scope, application completeness and plan-review workload. Days are calendar days from application to issuance; applications still pending are counted as not-yet-issued rather than dropped. Informational only, not legal advice. How we calculate approval times.
Housing law — North Carolina
Accessory dwelling units in North Carolina are regulated locally; there is no statewide ADU mandate, so rules vary by city and county.
North Carolina has no statewide upzoning law; residential density is set by local zoning, with Charlotte and Raleigh pursuing their own reforms.
Data source
Sourced from New Hanover County GIS (ArcGIS). Public records (NC Public Records Act).
Nearby cities — North Carolina
Learn more about ADUs & building permits
Background reading on accessory dwelling units, building permits, and how Igni turns New Hanover County permit records into leads.
New Hanover County permit data — FAQ
Where does Igni get New Hanover County permit data?
How fresh is New Hanover County permit data?
How long does it take to get a building permit in New Hanover County?
Is construction activity growing in New Hanover County?
Does New Hanover County allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs)?
Get permit leads — New Hanover County
Fresh, filterable residential and ADU permit leads from New Hanover County — delivered before your competitors even know.
Informational only, not legal advice. Headline counts reflect all permits Igni has tracked for this jurisdiction; the table shows recent activity. Housing law changes — verify current statutes before relying on this.