Forsyth County

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division

In short

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division issues 20 permits we publish for Forsyth County, last verified 2026-09-30. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
Refrigeration Unit Permitonly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, from Forsyth County Code § 7-52(b)(5) Schedule V, with the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list printing the same amounts: 0 to 10 horsepower $25.00; 10.1 to 20 horsepower $63.00; over 20 horsepower $270.00; each refrigeration line $21.00.	one-time, per unit and per line installed or replaced	2026-09-30
Erosion Control, Watershed and Stormwater Permitsonly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints amounts for this permit as a single combined city-county list, headed for both jurisdictions with no separate Forsyth County column. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO § 3.1 A provides that such fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body — the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners — and that the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That mechanism establishes which body sets the fee and where the list is kept, so no amount from the combined list is published here as Forsyth County's own figure. Contact the Inspections Division on (336) 727-2624 for the amount charged at a Forsyth County address.	per permit for the erosion control and watershed permits; the stormwater control inspection recurs annually for as long as the control structure is in place	2026-09-30
Commercial Kitchen Exhaust and Type I/II Hood Permit	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, from Forsyth County Code § 7-52(b)(3) Schedule III, with the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list printing the same amounts: 0 to 2,000 CFM $86.00; 2,001 to 3,000 CFM $123.00; 3,001 to 5,000 CFM $154.00; over 5,000 CFM $500.00.	one-time, per hood or exhaust system installed or replaced	2026-09-30
Day Care / Adult Day Care / Family Group Home Facility Inspection	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	$150 per inspection, county-only, set by Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a) and printed at the same amount on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026	per inspection, carried out when a facility is established and on the inspection cycle the Inspections Division applies to it	2026-09-30
Non-residential Building Plan Review	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, from Forsyth County Code § 7-18(d) with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list of April 2026 printing the same amounts: under 4,000 square feet $100.00; 4,000 to 15,000 square feet $125.00; 15,001 to 40,000 square feet $325.00; 40,001 square feet and greater $800.00; condominium or apartment projects $500.00; parking lots $100.00.	one-time, per project, before the building permit is issued; a project that is redesigned and resubmitted is reviewed again	2026-09-30
Non-residential Building Permit (work valued over $50,000)	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, by value of the work, from Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a) with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list of April 2026 printing the same tiers: $50,000.01 to $100,000, $232.00 plus $3.00 for each $1,000 or fraction over $50,000; $100,000.01 to $500,000, $388.00 plus $2.60 for each $1,000 over $100,000; $500,000.01 and above, $1,425.00 plus $2.40 for each $1,000 over $500,000. Working without a permit costs the fee again: § 7-5 imposes a late fee equal in amount to the fees specified for the work, in addition to the fee.	one-time, per permit, for the permitted scope of work; a temporary certificate of occupancy and any extra inspection trips are separate charges	2026-09-30
Commercial Electrical Permit (service change, reconnect and HVAC units)	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, from Forsyth County Code § 7-101 Schedule II, with the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list printing the same amounts: commercial change of service $102.00; commercial reconnect current $84.00; each commercial heating or air conditioning unit $42.00; temporary current, individual meters $75.00; temporary current, gang meters $100.00 per gang.	one-time, per permitted electrical work; temporary current permits cover the construction period	2026-09-30
Swimming Pool Equipment Electrical Permitonly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	$138 one-time per pool, county-only, set by Forsyth County Code § 7-101 Schedule II and printed at the same amount on the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list	one-time, per pool, for the permitted electrical work on the pool equipment	2026-09-30
Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, from Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a), with the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list printing the same amounts: $50.00 for a temporary certificate of occupancy plus $35.00 for each unfinished trade.	per temporary certificate, for the limited period the Inspections Division allows before the work is completed and a final certificate issues	2026-09-30
Commercial Building Evaluationonly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	$250 per evaluation, county-only, set by Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a) and printed at the same amount on the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list	per evaluation, carried out on request before a building is taken into use	2026-09-30
Foundation-only Permit and Stand-alone Parking Lot Permitonly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, from Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a), with the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list printing the same amounts: foundation-only permit $225.00, charged in addition to the building permit; stand-alone parking lot permit $150.00.	one-time; a foundation-only permit covers the foundation work while the building permit for the superstructure follows	2026-09-30
Home Occupation Permitonly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints amounts for this permit as a single combined city-county list, headed for both jurisdictions with no separate Forsyth County column. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO § 3.1 A provides that such fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body — the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners — and that the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That mechanism establishes which body sets the fee and where the list is kept, so no amount from the combined list is published here as Forsyth County's own figure. Contact the Inspections Division on (336) 727-2624 for the amount charged at a Forsyth County address.	per permit, for the home occupation as approved; a change in the occupation or the premises calls for a new approval	2026-09-30
Zoning, DMV and ABC Compliance Letteronly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints amounts for this permit as a single combined city-county list, headed for both jurisdictions with no separate Forsyth County column. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO § 3.1 A provides that such fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body — the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners — and that the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That mechanism establishes which body sets the fee and where the list is kept, so no amount from the combined list is published here as Forsyth County's own figure. Contact the Inspections Division on (336) 727-2624 for the amount charged at a Forsyth County address.	per letter, issued for the application it supports; a further application calls for a further letter	2026-09-30
Sign Permitonly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints amounts for this permit as a single combined city-county list, headed for both jurisdictions with no separate Forsyth County column. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO § 3.1 A provides that such fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body — the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners — and that the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That mechanism establishes which body sets the fee and where the list is kept, so no amount from the combined list is published here as Forsyth County's own figure. Contact the Inspections Division on (336) 727-2624 for the amount charged at a Forsyth County address.	one-time, per sign permitted; a later change of panel or face is a further permit	2026-09-30
Floodplain Structure Permit and Floodplain Letteronly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints amounts for this permit as a single combined city-county list, headed for both jurisdictions with no separate Forsyth County column. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO § 3.1 A provides that such fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body — the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners — and that the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That mechanism establishes which body sets the fee and where the list is kept, so no amount from the combined list is published here as Forsyth County's own figure. Contact the Inspections Division on (336) 727-2624 for the amount charged at a Forsyth County address.	one-time, per project for the floodplain permit and per letter for the floodplain determination	2026-09-30
Fire Plan Review by the Joint Inspections Divisiononly if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints amounts for this permit as a single combined city-county list, headed for both jurisdictions with no separate Forsyth County column. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO § 3.1 A provides that such fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body — the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners — and that the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That mechanism establishes which body sets the fee and where the list is kept, so no amount from the combined list is published here as Forsyth County's own figure. Contact the Inspections Division on (336) 727-2624 for the amount charged at a Forsyth County address.	one-time per submittal; a revised design resubmitted for review is reviewed again	2026-09-30
Non-residential Mechanical Permit (heating, cooling, ductwork and gas)	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, from Forsyth County Code § 7-52(b), with the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list printing the same amounts. Schedule I, non-residential heat-producing equipment: 0 to 150,000 Btu per hour or 0 to 45 kW $25.00; above that $108.00 per unit. Heat pumps and air conditioning by nominal compressor rating: 0 to 25 tons $25.00; over 25 tons $108.00; duct only $21.00. Schedule IV, mechanical gas outlets and gas house connections, $8.00 each.	one-time, per unit, duct system or gas outlet installed or replaced	2026-09-30
Non-residential Plumbing Permit (itemised fixtures, sewers and medical gas)	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	County-only, from Forsyth County Code § 7-38(a)(2), with the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list printing the same amounts on these lines: each plumbed fixture, appliance, interceptor or sewer ejector $10.00; building sewer or drains $16.00 per 200 feet; medical gas $10.00 per station outlet.	one-time, per fixture, run or outlet installed or replaced	2026-09-30
Zoning Permit and Commercial Zoning Review	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints amounts for this permit as a single combined city-county list, headed for both jurisdictions with no separate Forsyth County column. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO § 3.1 A provides that such fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body — the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners — and that the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That mechanism establishes which body sets the fee and where the list is kept, so no amount from the combined list is published here as Forsyth County's own figure. Contact the Inspections Division on (336) 727-2624 for the amount charged at a Forsyth County address.	per permit; a change in the use, the tenant or the site plan calls for a further zoning approval	2026-09-30
Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (variance, special use permit, appeal)only if it applies to you	Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division	The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints amounts for this permit as a single combined city-county list, headed for both jurisdictions with no separate Forsyth County column. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO § 3.1 A provides that such fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body — the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners — and that the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That mechanism establishes which body sets the fee and where the list is kept, so no amount from the combined list is published here as Forsyth County's own figure. Contact the Inspections Division on (336) 727-2624 for the amount charged at a Forsyth County address.	per application; a special use permit renewal is a further application on its own line, and an approval runs with the use as the Board's decision provides	2026-09-30

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Refrigeration Unit Permit

Walk-in coolers and freezers, refrigerated display cases and any other commercial refrigeration installed in Forsyth County are permitted by compressor horsepower under Schedule V of Forsyth County Code § 7-52(b)(5): $25.00 up to 10 horsepower, $63.00 from 10.1 to 20 horsepower and $270.00 above 20 horsepower, with each refrigeration line a further $21.00. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list of April 2026 prints the same amounts, which is why they are published here. The per-line charge is the part that adds up on a real fit-out, because a kitchen or a grocery aisle with several remote cases pays it repeatedly rather than once. The record reaches beyond restaurants: a retail store with refrigerated cases, a coffee shop with a walk-in, and a veterinary practice with refrigerated storage all meet it. It is charged in addition to the building permit, the non-residential plan review, any kitchen exhaust hood permit and any heat-producing equipment or heat pump permit on the same job, each listed separately. The county ordinance and the joint list state different minimum mechanical permit amounts, so no minimum is published here. The Inspections Division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King, and a business inside one of those three deals with that municipality's own department. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Erosion Control, Watershed and Stormwater Permits

Ground-disturbing commercial development in Forsyth County carries three requirements that are easy to leave out of a budget, and the way each is priced matters more than any single figure. The erosion control permit is charged on a minimum of one acre with a further rate for each additional acre up to a stated maximum, so a new restaurant pad, retail building, childcare centre or veterinary hospital with parking scales with the disturbed area rather than paying a flat charge. The watershed permit is priced by density, with separate low-density and high-density rates that turn on how much of the site is impervious, and a high-density site is the one that then needs an engineered stormwater control structure. That structure brings the third requirement, and it is the only recurring one in this group: a stormwater control annual inspection, payable for as long as the device is in place, so a business that inherits a pond, filter or underground detention system with its site inherits an annual cost too. All three sit on the joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list under the mechanism UDO § 3.1 A sets, which requires fees to be established and modified by the Elected Body — the Board of County Commissioners for Forsyth County — and requires the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division to be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. Because that list prices Winston-Salem and Forsyth County in one column, this page records the requirements and their structure and asks the reader to get the acreage rates and the annual inspection charge from the division for the specific site. Work in a mapped floodplain adds the separate floodplain requirement listed elsewhere on this page, and a site not served by a public sewer meets the on-site wastewater record, whose figures come from the county's own FY 26-27 schedule. The division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King.

Commercial Kitchen Exhaust and Type I/II Hood Permit

Any restaurant or coffee shop installing a commercial cooking hood in Forsyth County pays a mechanical permit priced by the capacity of the exhaust: $86.00 up to 2,000 CFM, $123.00 from 2,001 to 3,000 CFM, $154.00 from 3,001 to 5,000 CFM and $500.00 above 5,000 CFM, from Schedule III of Forsyth County Code § 7-52(b)(3), with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list of April 2026 printing the same figures. The jump at the top of the scale is steep and worth planning around: a high-capacity hood over a wood-fired oven or a heavy fry line costs more than three times the mid-tier permit. This is one of the ordinance rows the joint list matches exactly, which is why it is published; the county ordinance and that list state different minimum mechanical permit amounts, and no minimum is published here as a result. The hood permit is charged in addition to the building permit, the non-residential plan review and any refrigeration or heat-producing equipment permits on the same project, all listed separately. Fire-side work on the same hood — the extinguishing system and its plans — is reviewed separately, by the joint department's own fire plan review for premises it covers and by the Forsyth County Fire Department outside Winston-Salem and Kernersville; both are recorded separately here. The Inspections Division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Day Care / Adult Day Care / Family Group Home Facility Inspection

This is one of the few Inspections Division charges that is written into Forsyth County's own ordinance rather than only appearing on the joint department's list, which is why it can be published without qualification: Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a) reads 'Inspection of day care/adult day care/family group home facility …..$150.00', and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints the same $150.00. A childcare business in Forsyth County therefore meets two separate county-level inspections with two different agencies and two different purposes: this building-side facility inspection by the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division at $150.00, and the sanitation plan review and routine sanitation inspection by Forsyth County Environmental Health under 15A NCAC 18A .2800, listed separately. The Inspections Division describes itself as a City-County agency responsible for reviewing and inspecting building and zoning related activities throughout Forsyth County with the exception of the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King, so a centre inside those three municipalities deals with that municipality's own inspections department instead. The division acts as the county's inspection department under Forsyth County Code §§ 7-1, 7-9 and 7-15 and an agreement approved by both the Winston-Salem City Council and the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners. Neither this charge nor the Environmental Health one is the operating license, which comes from the NC DHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Non-residential Building Plan Review

Plan review is priced by floor area rather than by construction value, and these are the tiers Forsyth County Code § 7-18(d) sets: $100.00 under 4,000 square feet, $125.00 from 4,000 to 15,000, $325.00 from 15,001 to 40,000 and $800.00 at 40,001 square feet and above, with condominium and apartment projects at $500.00 and parking lots at $100.00. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list dated April 2026 prints the same amounts for these rows, which is why they are published here. That agreement is not universal, and it is the reason this page is selective about Chapter 7: the county ordinance and the joint list state different amounts for several other plan review rows, and those rows are left out rather than published from one document or the other. Most businesses in these ten industries sit in the first or second tier — a restaurant fit-out, a salon, a veterinary clinic or a small retail unit is usually under 4,000 or under 15,000 square feet — while a fitness club, a grocery-scale retail store or a large childcare centre can reach the higher tiers. Plan review is charged in addition to the building permit and to each trade permit, and to the zoning review the same division carries out. The Inspections Division reviews and inspects throughout Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King, and it enforces the adopted Unified Development Ordinances of Clemmons, Forsyth County, Lewisville, Walkertown and Winston-Salem, so which UDO applies depends on the address even though the fee does not. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Non-residential Building Permit (work valued over $50,000)

Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a) and the joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list print the same three tiers for non-residential work valued above $50,000, and this record publishes only those: $232.00 plus $3.00 per $1,000 over $50,000 up to $100,000; $388.00 plus $2.60 per $1,000 over $100,000 up to $500,000; and $1,425.00 plus $2.40 per $1,000 over $500,000. The two documents state different amounts for work valued at $50,000 or less, so no amount for that band is published here, and neither is any minimum permit fee. Working without a permit is expensive in the ordinance's own terms: § 7-5 adds a late fee equal in amount to the fees specified for the work, on top of the fee itself. The county's inspection department is the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division, and the ordinance is what puts it there — § 7-1 defines 'building inspector' as the Inspection Division of the Planning and Development Services Department of the City of Winston-Salem or such other agency of that city as performs inspection services for the county under an agreement, and § 7-15(a) designates the City's building inspectors as county building inspectors to perform inspection services, collect inspection fees and enforce the building regulations, effective on approval by both the City Council and the Board of Commissioners. Its reach is everywhere in Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. A licensed trade contractor has an alternative to paying at each visit: § 7-8 lets a licensed plumbing, mechanical or electrical contractor post a performance bond of not less than $2,500 in lieu of paying inspection fees daily. General contractor licensure is a separate state matter — G.S. 87-1(a) makes anyone undertaking construction where the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more a general contractor licensed by the state Licensing Board. Plan review, zoning review and each trade permit are charged in addition to this one.

Commercial Electrical Permit (service change, reconnect and HVAC units)

These are the commercial electrical lines where Forsyth County Code § 7-101 Schedule II and the joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list state the same amount, and they are the ones a business fitting out a unit actually meets: $102.00 for a commercial change of service, $84.00 to reconnect current, $42.00 for each commercial heating or air conditioning unit, and temporary construction power at $75.00 for individual meters or $100.00 per gang for gang meters. A change of service is the common trigger when a retail unit, salon, restaurant or veterinary clinic takes on a space whose existing panel cannot carry the new equipment load, and the per-unit HVAC charge is additional to the mechanical permit for the same equipment listed separately. Several other electrical rows are left out on purpose: the county ordinance and the joint list state different amounts for bonding-only work, for manufactured and modular home electrical, for freestanding sign electrical, and for the minimum electrical permit fee, so no figure for any of those appears here. Forsyth County Code § 7-100 is what designates the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County department as the county's electrical inspection agency, in the same terms as §§ 7-15, 7-37 and 7-50 do for building, plumbing and mechanical. The division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. A licensed electrical contractor may post the § 7-8 performance bond of not less than $2,500 in lieu of paying inspection fees daily. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Swimming Pool Equipment Electrical Permit

A gym, club or apartment community building a pool or spa in Forsyth County pays a separate $138.00 electrical permit for the pool equipment, a line in Schedule II of Forsyth County Code § 7-101 that the joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list prints at the same amount. Pool electrical work is permitted on its own because bonding, grounding and the pump and heater circuits are inspected as a distinct scope from the building's general wiring, so this charge sits on top of any commercial change of service or general electrical permit for the same project, both listed separately. A fitness studio building a pool therefore meets at least four county charges: the Environmental Health plan review at $269.00, this electrical permit at $138.00, the building permit and plan review, and then the annual operation permit each year once the pool is in use — and the operation permit amount published on this page is the seasonal one, with no year-round figure published, as that record explains. A fitness studio without a pool or spa has no pool electrical permit to pull. The Inspections Division reviews and inspects throughout Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King, so a pool inside one of those three is permitted by that municipality instead. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Temporary Certificate of Occupancy

A business that wants to open before every trade has finished can ask the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division for a temporary certificate of occupancy, priced by Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a) at $50.00 plus $35.00 for each unfinished trade, with the April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list printing the same amounts. The per-trade structure is the practical point: a restaurant opening with plumbing, mechanical and electrical all still open costs $50.00 plus three times $35.00, so the cost rises with how much is left to do rather than being a flat administrative charge. This is a common step for a retail store or restaurant trying to hit a lease date or a holiday trading period, and it is worth pricing against the cost of waiting for the final certificate. The temporary certificate does not replace the completed inspections; the outstanding trades still have to pass. Other Chapter 7 charges around inspection timing are left out of this page because the county ordinance and the joint list state them differently: extra inspection trips beyond the included re-inspection, after-hours inspections, and the administrative charge and time limit for a permit refund all differ between the two documents, so no figure for any of them is published. The Inspections Division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Commercial Building Evaluation

A commercial building evaluation is the $250.00 charge in Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a), printed at the same amount on the joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list, for the Inspections Division to assess an existing commercial building rather than to permit new work in it. It is the step that most often matters to a business taking on an older building whose last use was different from the intended one — a warehouse unit becoming a fitness studio, a shop becoming a restaurant, a former office becoming a veterinary clinic — because it establishes what the building currently complies with before the tenant commits to a fit-out budget or a lease. It is a separate charge from plan review, from the building permit and from the zoning review the same division carries out, all listed separately, and from the sanitation and fire inspections other county agencies perform. Because it is written into the county's own ordinance and matched on the joint list, it is published here without qualification, unlike the several Chapter 7 rows where the two documents disagree. The Inspections Division reviews and inspects building and zoning activity throughout Forsyth County with the exception of the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King, and it enforces the adopted Unified Development Ordinances of Clemmons, Forsyth County, Lewisville, Walkertown and Winston-Salem. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Foundation-only Permit and Stand-alone Parking Lot Permit

Two site-stage permits in Forsyth County Code § 7-18(a) are matched exactly on the joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list and so are published here: a foundation-only permit at $225.00, charged in addition to the building permit rather than instead of it, and a stand-alone parking lot permit at $150.00. The foundation-only permit is the one a developer or contractor uses to start footings and foundations while the rest of the plans are still in review, and the ordinance is explicit that it does not reduce the building permit fee that follows. The stand-alone parking lot permit is the one that catches businesses that are not building at all: resurfacing, restriping or extending a customer car park as a project in its own right needs its own permit at $150.00, which a restaurant, retail store, veterinary clinic or fitness studio improving its site without touching the building will meet. Non-residential plan review prices parking lots at $100.00 on the same schedule, a separate charge listed with the plan review record. Ground-disturbing work on the same site may also trigger the county's erosion control, watershed and stormwater charges, recorded separately. The Inspections Division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Home Occupation Permit

The City of Winston-Salem's Business License page states plainly that home-based businesses located in Forsyth County require an occupation permit through City/County Inspections, so the duty reaches a home-based business at a Forsyth County address and is obtained from the joint department rather than from any city office. This is the step a great many small businesses in the county actually meet first — a baker or caterer working from a home kitchen, a mobile grooming or repair business run from a residence, a personal trainer, a home-based salon chair, a one-person contractor with a home office — and it is easy to miss because it is a zoning approval rather than anything called a business license. The fee-setting mechanism is the county's own Unified Development Ordinance: § 3.1 A provides that fees shall be charged for technical services necessitated by petitions and requests for permits, that those fees shall be established and modified by the Elected Body, and that lists of the fees applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division shall be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. The UDO defines the Elected Body as the legislative body of the adopting jurisdiction, which for Forsyth County is the Board of County Commissioners. The April 2026 list the division keeps under that provision covers Winston-Salem and Forsyth County together with no separate county column, and the same provision governs the Planning Board's list in identical terms, so the amounts on it are treated the same way throughout this page: the duty and the mechanism are recorded and no figure is published as the county's own. Ask the division for the amount charged at the specific address before applying. A home occupation that prepares food for sale separately meets the Environmental Health food records on this page, whose figures come from the county's own FY 26-27 fee schedule. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Zoning, DMV and ABC Compliance Letter

The joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list carries a charge for 'Zoning, DMV and ABC letters', and it is the practical zoning paperwork behind two very different applications. An applicant for a retail ABC permit needs written confirmation that the premises complies with zoning and with the applicable building and fire codes; the NC ABC Commission's own page requires proof of mandatory compliance with all applicable building and fire codes using the Inspection/Zoning Compliance Form as well as a signed and notarised Local Government Opinion Form. A motor vehicle dealer or an auto-repair business applying to the NC Division of Motor Vehicles needs the equivalent zoning confirmation for its site. This letter is a distinct document from the Local Government Opinion that the governing body's designated official signs, which is listed separately, and distinct again from the Forsyth County Fire Department's $50.00 ABC inspection for premises outside Winston-Salem and Kernersville, also recorded separately — an alcohol applicant in the unincorporated county can meet all three, and only the fire inspection amount comes from a document of the county's own. The fee mechanism for this letter is UDO § 3.1 A, which requires fees to be established and modified by the Elected Body, the Board of County Commissioners for Forsyth County, and requires the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division to be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. The April 2026 list is that document, it prices Winston-Salem and Forsyth County in one column, and this page therefore records the requirement without publishing a figure for it. The Inspections Division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Sign Permit

Signage is one of the first costs a new retail, food or service business meets in Forsyth County and it is permitted per sign. The joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list separates an on-premises ground sign from an off-premises one, prices a wall, roof, projecting or special event sign with a lower rate for each additional sign on the same application, prices a panel change-out on the same first-and-additional basis, and carries a sign plan review line of its own. The structure rewards doing the whole shopfront on one application rather than returning for each element, and the panel change-out line is the cheap route for a tenant taking over an existing sign cabinet in a shopping centre — a common situation for a salon, a coffee shop or a quick-service restaurant. Freestanding sign electrical work is a separate matter and is not priced on this page either: the county ordinance and the joint list state different amounts for the freestanding sign electrical permit, so no figure for it appears here. The fee mechanism is UDO § 3.1 A, which requires fees to be established and modified by the Elected Body, the Board of County Commissioners for Forsyth County, and requires the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division to be kept on file and available to the public in the respective offices. The April 2026 list is that document, it prices Winston-Salem and Forsyth County in one column, and this page therefore records the permit and its structure without publishing an amount as the county's own. Sign regulations themselves differ between the county's UDO text and each town's, so a business should confirm what is permitted at its address as well as what the permit costs. The division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King.

Floodplain Structure Permit and Floodplain Letter

Building or altering a structure in a mapped floodplain in Forsyth County carries a charge added to the building permit, and a floodplain letter — the written determination a lender, insurer or prospective tenant usually asks for — is a separate and markedly cheaper line, both on the joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list. The letter is the more common of the two and is worth obtaining before committing to a site: a business looking at a unit near a creek in the county can establish for a small charge whether the floodplain permit, the elevation requirements and the flood insurance that follow will apply at all. The floodplain permit charge is additional to the ordinary building permit rather than instead of it, and additional to plan review and the zoning review the same division carries out, each listed separately. Ground-disturbing work near a watercourse commonly also triggers the county's erosion control, watershed and stormwater requirements, recorded separately. The fee mechanism is UDO § 3.1 A, which requires fees to be established and modified by the Elected Body — the Board of County Commissioners for Forsyth County — and requires the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division to be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. The April 2026 document is that list, it prices Winston-Salem and Forsyth County together, and this page records the requirement without publishing an amount as the county's own. The division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. Contact: Suite 328, 100 East First Street, Winston-Salem, (336) 727-2624.

Fire Plan Review by the Joint Inspections Division

There are two separate fire plan review regimes in Forsyth County and confusing them will misstate the cost. This record is the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division's own review, which its April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list prices with separate lines for fire alarm plans, extinguishing systems, fire sprinkler plans and other drawings, a cheaper performance test on small systems, a higher charge for a flammable liquid tank, and construction drawing review banded by building cost. The Forsyth County Fire Department runs its own plan review at $120.00 per set for premises outside the town limits of Kernersville and the City of Winston-Salem, listed separately, and that figure is published because it appears on a Forsyth County page rather than on the joint list — the two regimes charge differently and which applies depends on the address. A restaurant installing a kitchen extinguishing system, a retail store or fitness studio sprinklering a fit-out, a childcare centre adding an alarm system and an auto-repair shop installing a flammable liquid tank all meet review here, in addition to the mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits for the same work. The banded construction drawing line means a large new building pays materially more for fire review than a small tenant fit-out, so the band matters as much as the rate. The fee mechanism is UDO § 3.1 A, which requires fees to be established and modified by the Elected Body, the Board of County Commissioners for Forsyth County, and requires the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division to be kept on file and available to the public in the respective offices; because the April 2026 list prices Winston-Salem and Forsyth County together, no amount from it is published here as the county's own.

Non-residential Mechanical Permit (heating, cooling, ductwork and gas)

Heating, cooling and gas-fired equipment in a non-residential building in Forsyth County is permitted per unit rather than per project. Schedule I of Forsyth County Code § 7-52(b) charges $25.00 for heat-producing equipment up to 150,000 Btu per hour or 45 kW and $108.00 above that, and the same two amounts apply to heat pumps and air conditioning by nominal compressor rating at the 25-ton threshold, with duct-only work at $21.00. Mechanical gas outlets and gas house connections are $8.00 each under Schedule IV. The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES list of April 2026 prints these same amounts, which is the test this page applies before publishing any Chapter 7 figure. Two cautions follow from that test. First, the plumbing side of the code prices gas outlets and gas house connections differently from the mechanical side, and the county ordinance and the joint list state different amounts for the plumbing line, so the $8.00 above is the mechanical Schedule IV figure and nothing on this page publishes a plumbing gas outlet amount. Second, the two documents state different minimum mechanical permit amounts, so no minimum is published here. A restaurant, salon, veterinary clinic or fitness studio fitting out a unit typically pays this permit alongside the building permit, the non-residential plan review, the electrical permit and, where applicable, the hood and refrigeration permits listed separately. The Inspections Division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King.

Non-residential Plumbing Permit (itemised fixtures, sewers and medical gas)

Forsyth County prices non-residential plumbing per item rather than per project, and these three lines are the ones where the county ordinance at § 7-38(a)(2) and the joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list state the same amount: $10.00 for each plumbed fixture, appliance, interceptor or sewer ejector, $16.00 per 200 feet of building sewer or drains, and $10.00 per medical gas station outlet. The fixture count is what drives the cost, so a restaurant with a three-compartment sink, hand sinks, a grease interceptor, a mop sink and customer toilets pays many times over, and a salon with wash basins at each station does the same; the grease interceptor a food business needs is charged on the interceptor line. The medical gas line is the one that matters to a veterinary practice fitting out surgery and recovery rooms. Other plumbing rows are deliberately absent: the county ordinance and the joint list state different amounts for building water lines, for plumbing gas outlets and gas house connections, and for the minimum plumbing permit fee, so no figure for those appears on this page. Forsyth County Code § 7-37 designates the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County department as the county's plumbing inspection agency, and § 7-8 lets a licensed plumbing contractor post a performance bond of not less than $2,500 in lieu of paying inspection fees daily. The division covers all of Forsyth County except the town and city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King. A site not served by a public sewer also meets the county's on-site wastewater record.

Zoning Permit and Commercial Zoning Review

Forsyth County zones its territory through the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Unified Development Ordinance, and the joint Inspections Division enforces it: the division's own page states that its staff completes plan review, issues permits and enforces zoning regulations consistent with the adopted zoning codes of Clemmons, Forsyth County, Lewisville, Walkertown and Winston-Salem, which means the county's UDO text applies at some addresses and a town's at others even though one department administers them all. The UDO marks the difference in its own text, italicising provisions that apply in Winston-Salem only and underlining those that apply in Forsyth County only. The April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list distinguishes the zoning step three ways, and the distinction is worth knowing even without the amounts: a zoning permit where both a zoning plan review and a zoning inspection are required, a cheaper administrative-only permit with no inspection, and a commercial zoning review and inspection added to the building permit. The administrative-only route is the one a simple change of tenant in an already-conforming unit may take, while a fit-out or a change of use meets the fuller review. The fee mechanism is UDO § 3.1 A, which requires fees to be established and modified by the Elected Body — for Forsyth County, the Board of County Commissioners — and requires the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division to be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. Because that provision speaks to both lists in the same terms, and the April 2026 document sets one column of figures for Winston-Salem and Forsyth County together, this page treats the inspection-side amounts exactly as it treats the planning-side tier table and publishes neither as a county figure; ask the division for the amount at the specific address. A use that needs a variance or a special use permit goes to the Forsyth County Zoning Board of Adjustment, listed separately. Where a dead link in Forsyth County Code Chapter 23 points at a UDO site that no longer resolves, the live portal is udoclearcode.org.

Zoning Board of Adjustment Application (variance, special use permit, appeal)

Where a business's intended use does not fit the zoning as of right, the Forsyth County Zoning Board of Adjustment is the body that hears it. The county's own page states that the Board is governed by the Forsyth County zoning ordinance known as the Unified Development Ordinance and by state statutes, and that its three main functions are consideration of applications for special use permits, consideration of applications for variances, and rendering decisions on appeals of interpretations of the UDO and appeals of the decisions of the Historic Resources Commission and the County Housing Administrator; its five regular and two alternate members are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners for three-year terms. The joint department's April 2026 INSPECTION FEES list carries separate Board of Adjustment lines for a variance, a special use permit, a special use permit renewal, an appeal and an Urban Agriculture special use permit, so which line applies depends on the relief sought. These are the applications a childcare centre, a veterinary clinic with outdoor runs, an auto-repair shop, a restaurant seeking a drive-through or a fitness studio in a restrictive district is most likely to meet. The fee mechanism is UDO § 3.1 A, which requires fees to be established and modified by the Elected Body — the Board of County Commissioners for Forsyth County — and requires the lists applicable to the Planning Board and the Inspections Division to be maintained on file and available to the public in the respective offices. That single provision governs the Board of Adjustment lines and the planning tier table alike, and the April 2026 documents price Winston-Salem and Forsyth County together, so this page publishes no figure from either as a county amount and sends the applicant to the division for the current charge.

Contact

Jurisdiction: Forsyth County
Phone: 336-727-2624
Website: www.cityofws.org/343/Inspections-Division

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

City of Winston-Salem Business License — lists Beer and Wine Sales among the business types requiring a city privilege license at Beer off Premise $5, Beer on Premise $15, Wine off Premise $10, Wine on Premise $15, and states that home-based businesses located in Forsyth County require an occupation permit through City/County InspectionsCity of Winston-Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
Forsyth County Code Chapter 7, Buildings and Building Regulations — Ord. No. 05-2019 adopted October 10, 2019 amending the chapter in its entirety, current in Supplement 68 (content updated December 15, 2025), containing the county's own fee tables at §§ 7-18, 7-38, 7-52 and 7-101 and the joint-department designations at §§ 7-1, 7-9, 7-15, 7-37, 7-50 and 7-100Forsyth County, North Carolina (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
Forsyth County Zoning Board of Adjustment — governed by the Forsyth County zoning ordinance known as the Unified Development Ordinance, hearing special use permit applications, variances and appeals of UDO interpretations and of decisions of the Historic Resources Commission and County Housing Administrator, with five regular and two alternate members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to three-year termsForsyth County Board of Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
G.S. 87-1(a) — a person undertaking work costing $40,000 or more is a general contractor licensed by the NC Licensing Board for General ContractorsNorth Carolina General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
NC ABC Commission Local Government Opinion — a signed and notarised Local Government Opinion Form and proof of mandatory compliance with all applicable building and fire codes using the Inspection/Zoning Compliance Form are required, and designated officials are expected to process these forms within 15 days of receiptNorth Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County INSPECTION FEES, dated April 2026 on every page — the joint department's published list of building, trade, zoning, Board of Adjustment, fire plan review, floodplain, watershed, erosion control and sign feesWinston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services, Inspections Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division — 'a City-County agency responsible for reviewing and inspecting building and zoning related activities throughout Forsyth County, with the exception of the town/city limits of High Point, Kernersville and King', enforcing the UDOs of Clemmons, Forsyth County, Lewisville, Walkertown and Winston-SalemCity of Winston-Salem · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Unified Development Ordinance ClearCode — adopted by the Winston-Salem City Council and Forsyth County Commissioners in December 2019, effective January 1, 2020, with text amendments through August 17, 2026; § 3.1 A requires fees to be established and modified by the Elected Body and the lists to be maintained on file and available to the public in the Planning Board and Inspections Division officesWinston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-30

Other offices serving Forsyth County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Business licenses in Forsyth County

Industry permit lists that include this agency

North Carolina jurisdictions

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