A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to increase the building permit exemption threshold for single family residenceS and farm buildings.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 143‑138(b5) reads as rewritten:
"(b5)	Exclusion for Certain Minor Activities in Residential and Farm Structures. – No permit shall be required under the Code or any local variance thereof approved under subsection (e) for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration performed in accordance with the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code and costing twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) or less in any single family residence or farm building unless the work involves any of the following:
(1)	The addition, repair, or replacement of load bearing structures. However, no permit is required for replacements of windows, doors, exterior siding, or the pickets, railings, stair treads, and decking of porches and exterior decks that otherwise meet the requirements of this subsection.
(2)	The addition or change in the design of plumbing. However, no permit is required for replacements otherwise meeting the requirements of this subsection that do not change size or capacity.
(3)	The addition, replacement or change in the design of heating, air conditioning, or electrical wiring, appliances, or equipment.
(4)	The use of materials not permitted by the North Carolina Residential Code for One‑ and Two‑Family Dwellings.
(5)	The addition (excluding replacement) of roofing."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2021, and applies to any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration on single family residences or farm buildings occurring on or after that date.