Look up a contractor
Every building permit is public record, and that includes who did the work. Search a company to see how much they've built across the Triangle, where they work, and whether their NC license is current.
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What the permit record shows
Every town and county in the Triangle publishes the permits it issues, including the contractor named on each one. Put together, that is a record of who actually does the work here, built from filings rather than from anything a company says about itself.
- Permit volume is scale, not quality
- A company with 400 permits builds a lot. That tells you they are established and that the jurisdictions know them. It does not tell you whether the last homeowner was happy, which is what reviews and the grade are for.
- A low count can mean several things
- A newer company, a small one, a specialist working under someone else's permit, or work that does not require one. Repairs, most fencing, and cosmetic jobs often need no permit at all, so an excellent contractor in those trades may barely appear here.
- Where they work is often the useful part
- Jurisdictions show where a company has actually pulled permits. Someone with a hundred in Wake and none in Durham is telling you where their crews really operate, whatever their service-area page claims.
- The license is a separate check
- Permits and licenses are different systems. A contractor can appear in permit records with a license that has since lapsed, so confirm the license separately before signing anything.
Contractor names are merged across spelling variants and jurisdictions, so one company shows once. Counts are permits the jurisdiction attributed to that name. This is a public-record lookup rather than a rating, so always confirm a license is current with the NC Licensing Board before you hire.