Buying a metal building in Morganton, NC
Morganton inspects its own buildings. Burke County inspects everyone else’s. The line between them runs through neighborhoods with Morganton addresses on both sides.
Who you deal with
Official record
City of Morganton Building Inspections Division
305 E. Union St., Morganton, NC 28655
permits@morgantonnc.gov
Official page
City limits and the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. Outside that, Burke County Building Inspections, (828) 764-9020.
Checked against the town’s and county’s own sites on November 1, 2026. Confirm before relying on a phone number.
Two inspections offices, one zip code
The city’s Building Inspections Division reviews and enforces the state building code inside Morganton and its ETJ, and its staff review plans with applicants before construction. Burke County’s office handles the rest of the county, including Valdese, Drexel, Glen Alpine, Hildebran and the Burke side of Hickory. The 28655 zip code covers lots in both.
Plan review before you pour
The city says its inspections staff work with citizens to review plans during the pre-construction phase. Use that. Take the engineered foundation sheet from your building package to the division before the concrete crew is scheduled and ask what they will measure at the footing inspection. On my project the plans said 14 inches and the crew dug 12; a conversation like that beforehand would have cost nothing.
Who signs the application
Ask the division what it expects to see from an applicant on a project at the value of a metal building and slab, which on mine was $98,750, and whether it expects a licensed general contractor on the application. Then ask the seller the same question. If the answers do not match, you have found the problem before you have paid for it.
Before you sign with any metal building company in Morganton
I am a customer, not a contractor. My $98,750 L&G Building & Concrete project, a county over, is a cracked slab and half a frame as of the last update. The county guide for Burke County has the full picture for your area.
Sources: City of Morganton Building Inspections Division · Burke County Building Inspections. General information, not legal advice.