Buying a metal building in Salisbury, NC
Salisbury’s own site says almost all development must get a city zoning permit before a county building permit. For a metal building, that is two stops in a fixed order.
Who you deal with
Official record
City of Salisbury Land and Development Services (zoning permit)
132 N. Main St., Salisbury, NC 28144
(704) 638-5208
1stop@salisburync.gov
Official page
Then Rowan County Building Inspections, 402 N. Main St., Suite 207; (704) 216-8619. Walk-ins at the city office are Wednesdays, 9 am to 5 pm.
Checked against the town’s and county’s own sites on November 1, 2026. Confirm before relying on a phone number.
Two offices on the same street
The city’s Land and Development Services sits at 132 North Main and handles the zoning permit; the county’s Building Inspections office is a few blocks up at 402 North Main and handles the building permit. The city takes walk-ins on Wednesdays and runs a self-service portal the rest of the week.
The county form asks the licensing question
Rowan County’s building permit application has a certification where the applicant confirms they hold a North Carolina contractor’s license, and a separate box for an unlicensed contractor on a contract under $40,000. A metal building with a slab will not fit under that box. So either a licensed contractor signs as contractor of record, or you apply as the owner. Read the Rowan County guide on this site for what that second choice means.
What to settle before the deposit
Zoning approval for an accessory building of the size you want, in writing from the city. The name and license number of whoever will sign the county application. A written plan-delivery date from the seller, because the city and county both want drawings and my contract allowed twenty weeks for them.
Before you sign with any metal building company in Salisbury
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 Rowan County has the full picture for your area.
Sources: City of Salisbury permits · Rowan County building permit application (PDF). General information, not legal advice.