Permits: which office answers for your address

Buncombe County, the City of Asheville and the towns do not all use the same office.

Buncombe County Permits and Inspections

The department is at 35 Woodfin Street, Asheville, NC 28801, Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm. The county says permit applications and fees are not processed after 4 pm. The office moved to Woodfin Street in April 2025 from 30 Valley Street, so older pages may show the old address. Permits are applied for and inspections scheduled through the county's online Development and Permits portal.

The county office handles unincorporated areas and, by contract, the towns of Biltmore Forest, Weaverville and Woodfin.

Where it differs

• Inside Asheville city limits and its extraterritorial area, zoning is handled by the City of Asheville. Call the city before you assume the county is the right office.
• Arden and Fairview are unincorporated, so Buncombe County applies.
• Black Mountain is a town. We did not find a published statement of which office inspects there, so ask town hall first.

What to ask the office

1. Does replacing piers, footings or a wall need a permit at my address?
2. What frost depth do you expect for footings here? The figure is set locally and we could not confirm a Buncombe number, so we do not print one.
3. Does the property sit in a flood zone or a landslide hazard area?
4. Who must apply, the owner or the contractor?

Permits expire six months after issue if no work has started. Back to the towns.

Where these facts came from (read 4 November 2026)

1. Buncombe County government pages on Permits and Inspections (buncombenc.gov, pages 424, 437 and 438).
2. County directory note on Asheville extraterritorial jurisdiction.