COMMERCIAL BUILDING PLAN REVIEW PROCESS
All commercial projects are required to submit construction documents to the Commercial Plan Review
Office. The Commercial Plan Review Office will then distribute these documents to the appropriate
departments for review and approval. At the time of submittal a COMMERCIAL PLAN REVIEW
APPLICATION and a COMPLETE set of construction documents are required to be submitted.
HOW TO SUBMIT DRAWINGS
Davidson County accepts construction documents by way of digital (PDF Version) and hard copy
submittals.
One (1) hardcopy set of complete drawings will be submitted to the Office of Plan Review CC:
Commercial Plans Examiner to 912 Greensboro St. Lexington, NC 27292 or mail to P.O. Box
1067 Lexington, NC 27293
OR
One (1) set of complete drawings will be digitally submitted to:
cpplansreview@davidsoncountync.gov
HOW THE PROCESS ADVANCES
Once all documents have been received, the contact person will be notified via email that all documents
have been received and a start date will be given. Incomplete and / or partial submittals will not be
accepted or into our system until all documents have been received.
The Office of Plan Review will distribute the drawing to all respective departments in Davidson County
for review that include but not limited to: Planning and Zoning, Fire Marshal s Office, Environmental
Health, Inspections, Flood Plain and Watershed Coordinator, Sewer Provider, Town of Denton (if project
is within Town of Denton Limits)
The average review process takes up to, but not limited to, three (3) weeks for all approvals from time
the submittal is received. If addendums, revisions, or corrections are required to be made at the request of
any department, the process time will start over once corrected construction drawings are resubmitted to
the Plan Review Office or the department who made the request. Once all approvals have been given, an
email will be sent to the contact person/submitter with a permit number, fees due, and process for
purchasing permits.
Complete Plan Submittal Requirements
Plans submitted for review must comply with the applicable 2018 North Carolina Codes
adopted by the North Carolina State Building Code Council.
1. COMMERCIAL PLAN REVIEW APPLICATION – PDF version online at
https://www.co.davidson.nc.us/228/Commercial-Buildings and/or hard copy in back of
Commercial Plan Review Packet
2. SITE PLAN – Show proposed location, all buildings, size, distance apart, distance to all property
lines and adjoining buildings, an accessible route, and parking, etc.
3. FLOOR PLAN – Include all egress components, accessibility systems, life safety components, and
any other information pertaining to the layout and design of the structure.
4. FLOOD PLAIN INFORMATION – (If applicable must be designed by a NC Design Professional
in accordance with Appendix G of the 2018 NCSBC)
5. FOOTING, SLAB, FOUNDATION, & ELEVATION DETAILS – Includes all dimensions,
reinforcements, materials being used, etc.
6. STRUCTURAL DETAILS – For footings, foundations, floors, walls, ceilings, roofs, all design
loads, soil bearing capacity, and steel drawings.
7. COMPACTION TEST – Information on all backfill lots or otherwise as required by code.
8. PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, AND ELECTRICAL DRAWINGS – Including details, layouts,
equipment schedules, load calculations, etc.
9. APPENDIX B – Building Code Summary must be complete and in the same format as the 2018
NC Administrative Code and Policies for all Commercial Project.
10. FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS- (Including the Underground Private Fire service main,
Automatic Suppression Systems, Fire Alarm Systems, Standpipe systems and Fire Pumps and
related equipment) shall include the submission of legible and to scale drawings detailing location
of installed equipment, cut sheets for all equipment to be installed, hydraulic calculations, water
flow tests witnessed by the water purveyor, battery calculations & voltage drops, conductor sizes,
& the installation contractors credentials for installing said equipment. Documents shall be stamped
by a registered design professional when required, and all work shall be in accordance with current
NFPA standards. (Fire Protection Systems are system specific submittals and will not be required
to be submitted along with the original architectural and structural submittal. When submitted the
documents shall follow the guidelines set forth above, and within the current North Carolina Fire
Prevention Code).
11. FIRE MARSHAL CONSTRUCTION PERMITS- A construction permit is required by the Fire
Marshal to install or remove systems or arrangements pertaining to the following: Battery Systems,
Compressed Gases, Cryogenic fluids, Flammable Combustible liquids, Hazardous Materials,
Industrial Ovens, Spraying or Dipping operations, & Temporary Membrane Structures & Tents.
Legible, scale drawings, cut sheets, manufacture installation instructions and recommendations,
and any other supporting pertinent documentation shall be required for submittal. Documents shall
be stamped by a registered design professional when required and all work shall be in accordance
with current NFPA standards.
2018 NC Administrative Code and Policies 204.3.5 Design professional seal required. Where the General Statutes require, no permit shall be issued unless the construction
documents (drawings and specifications), bear the North Carolina seal of a registered design professional. Construction
documents shall include the name and address of the business entity (individual, corporation or partnership) with whom the
registered design professional is affiliated. Questions concerning this section should be directed to the North Carolina Board of
Architecture or the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Land Surveyors.
Exceptions: For permitting purposes, the seal of a registered design professional is not required when the building, structure or
project involved is in one of the categories listed below, unless otherwise required pursuant to the provisions of the General
Statutes or the technical codes:
1. A family residence, up to eight units attached with grade-level exit, which is not a part of or physically connected
with any other buildings or residential units;
2. A building upon any farm that is for the use of any farmer, unless the building is of such nature and intended for such
use as to substantially involve the health or safety of the public;
3. An institutional or commercial building if it does not have a total cost of construction exceeding $90,000;
4. An institutional or commercial building if the total building area does not exceed 2,500 square feet (2.32 m2) in
gross floor area;
5. Alteration, remodeling or renovation of an existing building that is exempt under this section, or alteration,
remodeling or renovation of an existing building or building site that does not alter or affect the structural system of the
building; change the building’s access or exit pattern; or change the live or dead load on the building’s structural
system. This subdivision shall not limit or change any other exemptions to this chapter or to the practice of engineering
under Chapter 89C of the General Statutes. (SEE 21 NCAC 02 .0211)
6. The preparation and use of details and shop drawings, assembly or erection drawings, or graphic descriptions utilized
to detail or illustrate a portion of the work required to construct the project in accordance with the plans and
specifications prepared or to be prepared under the requirements or exemptions of this chapter.
7. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent any individual from making plans or data for buildings for
himself or herself. This exemption does not apply to plans for places of religious worship.
21 NCAC 02 .0211
(5) Alteration, Remodeling and Renovation Exemption, as set forth in G.S. 83A-13(c)(5):
(A) In order to qualify for the existing building exemption in G.S. 83A-13(c)(5), a certificate of occupancy for the
building must have been issued. The value of the building, as used in G.S. 83A-13(c)(5), is the undepreciated tax value
of an existing building as accepted by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or where not applicable, a value computed on
the same basis as undepreciated tax value, or the property tax value, whichever value is higher, shall be used to
determine existing building value.
(B) The seal of an architect, or professional engineer, as appropriate, is required if the alteration, remodeling or
renovation alters or affects the structural system of a non-exempt building. Structural system, as used in G.S. 83A-
13(c)(5), means the essential elements that form the support system of the building and, includes, but is not limited to,
the fire protection and fire suppression systems of the building. Alter, as used in G.S. 83A-13(c)(5), means changes in
the structural system of the building. Affect, as used in G.S. 83A-13(c)(5), means an imposition of live loads, dead
loads or seismic mass which was not contemplated in the original design of the structural system
If the building, structure, or work being performed meets any of the requirements above, ALL construction
documents are required to be prepared by a North Carolina Licensed Design Professional. These construction
documents must bear the seal of the North Carolina Licensed Design Professional and bear a date and signature
within the last 6 months at time of submittal and be designed for the specific location and address on the 2018
Appendix B submitted.
If plans are not required to be designed by a North Carolina Design Professional the following
requirements apply as required by the 2018 North Carolina Administrative Code and Policies:
106.2.1 Requirements: Drawings and specifications, as required by the inspection department, shall be drawn to scale with
sufficient clarity and detail to indicate the nature and character of the work and shall accompany the application for a permit. All
information, drawings, specifications and accompanying data shall bear the name, address and signature of the person responsible
for the design.
106.2.2 Additional data. The inspection department may require details, computations, stress diagrams or documentation sealed
by a registered design professional and other data necessary to describe the construction or installation of a system.
2018 Administrative Code
NEW CONSTRUCTION AND ADDITIONS
Section 403 – High Rise1 All buildings
Section 402 – Covered Malls Buildings 1
All buildings
City/County Owned All buildings 20,000 sq. ft. or greater as
required by G.S. § 58-31-40
Group E1 Over 2 stories or over 20,000 sq. ft./story
Group H1 Occupant load over 100
Group I1 Over 3 stories or over 10,000 sq. ft./story
Group R1 Over 4 stories or over 100 units/building
For SI 1 square foot = .0929m2
1. Plans and specifications are not required by the Engineering Division on
buildings, except city/county owned, that are located in a city or county
inspection jurisdiction approved to perform plans review
2. Except temporary bleachers
to the footprint of a new building or building addition
The occupant loads refers to a new building or
building addition area only
load for a church is based on the occupant load
of the Occupant Group A-3 main meeting area.
If the A-3 area is over 1,000 occupants then DOI
plan review is required unless exception 2 applies.
General Statute 58-31-40 indicates that such city/
county owned buildings must be greater than 20,000
square feet (1858 m2) of new or additional building
footprint to require DOI review. The 20,000 square
feet (1858 m2) applies to individual structures on the
site and not the sum of the structures.
If a North Carolina Department of Insurance review is required by the Engineering Division,
ALL approvals from NCDOI will be submitted to the Davidson County Office of Plan Review
once approval has been issued. A permit will not be issued prior to the approval from the NC
Department of Insurance Engineering Division.
DAVIDSON COUNTY
EMERGENCY SERVICES
To: Whom it may concern
From: Davidson County Fire Marshal's Office
Ref: Submission of plans for review by the Fire Marshal for commercial construction
The Fire Marshal's Office requires for all submissions that require a review by the Fire Marshal, to
include an Appendix B, site plan, & scale drawings for the completion of a Plan Check. Fees for a Plan
Check shall be in accordance with ordinances adopted by Davidson County.
The Fire Marshal shall be responsible for issuing Construction Permits. Fees for these permits
shall be in accordance with ordinances adopted by Davidson County. Construction Permits shall
include: Automatic suppression systems, Battery Systems, Compressed Gases, Cryogenic Fluids,
Fire alarm and detection systems & related equipment, Fire pumps & related equipment,
Flammable & Combustible Liquids, Hazardous materials, Industrial ovens, Private fire hydrants
& service lines, spraying or dipping operations, Standpipe Systems, and Temporary membrane
structures & tents.
The submission of documents for review and permit shall be accompanied by, but not be limited to: scale
shop drawings, manufacture installation recommendations or instructions, any pertinent calculations,
installation contractors credentials to install said equipment, equipment diagrams & specifications
provided by the manufacturer & shall be stamped by an registered design professional when required. The
Fire Marshal reserves the right to require any documentation needed to ensure code compliance.
It is the Fire Marshal's responsibility to review submitted documents for code compliance. All
submitted documents shall be legible and provide clear proof of compliance with Federal, State, &
Local Codes. A completed review shall not relieve the owners, designers, contractors, sub-contractors,
or their representatives from the individual or collective responsibility of complying with the
applicable provisions of the standard codes or other such requirements.
Danny Ward Chis Shonk
Danny Ward Chris Shonk
Ph# (336) 242-2270 Fax# (336) 249-7683 Email: plans.review@davidsoncountync.gov
On-Site Water Protection Section
This section enforces state laws for subsurface sewage treatment and disposal systems and drinking water well
construction.
For commercial facilities utilizing an existing septic tank system for sewage treatment and disposal with no change
in sewage flow or wastewater strength an application for a Building Authorization must be submitted and approved
prior to obtaining any building permits.
For commercial facilities proposing to use a septic tank system for sewage treatment and disposal an application for
an Improvement Permit and Construction Authorization must be submitted and approved prior to obtaining any
building permits.
This section enforces state laws pertaining to restaurants, lodging, school buildings, daycares, nursing homes, public
swimming pools, and tattoo sanitation.
Applications, instructions and a fee schedule can be obtained from our website:
https://www.co.davidson.nc.us/205/Environmental-Health
For facilities that will require a permit or inspection from the Division, please contact the Environmental Health
Division to discuss in detail the requirements.
Submit questions to:
915 Greensboro Street • Lexington, NC 27292 336 • 242 • 2300 • www.dchdnc.com
DAVIDSON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT Protecting, Caring, Serving Our County
Lillian Koontz, MPA, REHS HEALTH DIRECTOR
Rebecca Daley, RN, MHA
CHAIR, BOARD OF HEALTH
Planning and Zoning Department
913 Greensboro Street, Lexington, NC 27292 - Phone # (336) 242-2220 - Fax # (336) 242-2222
Requirements for Commercial Building Zoning Compliance Permit
A site plan that includes accurate distances from the proposed structure to all property lines
A site plan to include impervious surface for the entire property if located inside a water supply watershed.
Not applicable if outside of the watershed
A site plan to include total building built upon areas (Total square footage of all existing buildings as well as
the proposed building)
A parking plan for existing and proposed parking spaces
A loading plan if applicable (Loading and unloading spaces)
A description of what the proposed structure purpose (A floor plan will work for this if the areas inside the
proposed structure are labeled for use)
A copy of the applicable sewer permit or a letter from the applicable public sewer provider authorizing
connection to sewer.
Verification if a project is in a flood zone or not
Other relevant information required includes but not limited to: Parcel number, Owners Name, Telephone
Number and 911 Address
These do not have to be individual site plans. All information can be displayed on one site plan.
All information must be clear and legible.
Zoning Compliance Permits Fee
Collocation $250.00
HOW TO FILE AN LIEN AGENT The mechanics' lien agent system was created to facilitate Chapter 44-A, Article 2, of the NC General Statutes. The
law affects all projects commenced on or after April 1, 2013.
Step 1 Sign up to use the LiensNC system or login with your existing user credentials.
Step 2
Step 3
Choose a Lien Agent from the drop-down menu. (All provide the same service)
Step 4
Provide the contact information for the owner of the project property, including:
Name
Address
Email
Phone
Note: This should be the owner's contact information. (NOT a contractor, agent, or authorized representative who
may be completing the Appointment on the owner's behalf.)
Step 5
Street Address
Other legal description (Such as PIN, Tax map/block/lot, etc.)
DEFINITION: Property (i.e. Real Property) refers to the real estate that is being improved. (This includes:
structures, lands, leaseholds, tenements, driveways, private roadways, accessory structures, pools, etc. and
any furnished materials, such as trees and shrubbery.)
Step 6
If you had/have a contract with any design professionals prior to appointing the Lien Agent for this project, select
'Yes' and provide their contact information. (Example: an architect that drew design plans) Otherwise, choose 'No' if
this section does not apply to your project.
Step 7
Choose the property type of the project. (Either 1-2 Family Dwelling or Other)
Step 8
Provide the date on which the furnishings began or plan to begin. (If known)
Step 9 (for 1-2 family dwellings only) Skip this step if the property type is Other. If you are a Custom Home Contractor authorized to designate a Lien Agent on behalf of the owner under a written
contract, answer Yes to this question and provide your contact information.
Step 10
List up to three recipients to receive email notifications whenever future project activity occurs. (i.e. Notice filing or
comments added)
Select the Continue button.
(Note: If any errors are encountered, they will display in red text and let you know how to resolve them.)
Step 12
It is very important that you carefully review the information you are about to submit before continuing, since this
will be the LAST OPPORTUNITY TO EDIT project information.
Step 13
Choose whether you want to Pay Now or Pay Later.
Pay Now - will advance you to the checkout.
Pay Later - will place the filing in your Cart and will not be valid until you submit payment.
Step 14
Credit Card, or
Provide billing and payment information and submit payment for processing.
Provide the customer billing information. (Hint: Customer address must match what the bank/credit card company
has on file)
Verify information is correct.
Select Submit to process payment. (Note: Do not refresh the page or use the back arrow. Refunds will not be given
due to user error.)
Select the final Continue option to advance to the user History area of your account. (History is where all of your
submitted filings will be listed.)
Step 16 On your History page, you should see a blue Entry Number for each of your submitted filings. (The most recent
filing should be located on top.)
Select the printer icon located below the Entry Number. Once you advance to the project details, select the Print
Appointment option located at the bottom of the page.
We suggest making two copies of the project details: one to post at the job site, and one for your records. (Note: This proof of Lien Agent is required to be continuously posted at the job site.)
Step 17
You will want to share the Appointment Entry Number with any potential lien claimants that become involved in the
project. This gives them an opportunity to file a related Notice to Lien Agent filing. The QR code located on the
project details printout is a convenient way for PLCs to file their Notice quickly.
Step 18
The LiensNC system will automatically send the Lien Agent and any notification subscribers an email to let them
know the Appointment was successfully filed.
ACCESSORY BUILDINGS, GARAGES, AND POOLS DO NOT REQUIRE A LIEN AGENT
Davidson County Central Permitting
Office Cell
Assistant Director Beau Chollett (336) 242-2239 (336) 240-0278
Office Cell
Permit Technicians: Erika Long (336) 242-2240
Jodie Hedrick (336) 242-2234
Stacie Strass (336) 242-2232
Office Cell
Curtis Allman (336) 242-2347 (336) 247-7066
Glenn Payne (336) 242-2231 (336) 908-8915
Ken Hepler (336) 242-2808 (336) 309-3702
Kirby Swing (336) 242-2938 (336) 906-5694
Plans Examiner / Inspector Chris Whaley (336) 242-2237 (336) 425-2978
Frequently Called Numbers
Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (336) 776-9800
City of Lexington Inspections (336) 248-3900
City of Thomasville Inspections (336) 475-4255