Obtaining a building permit from the Sanford/Lee County Building Inspections Division will soon require less legwork for applicants.
Starting January 21, 2025, applicants for building permits will no longer need to obtain planning or zoning approvals prior to submitting their application. Building Inspections staff will review each permit application’s scope of work and route it to the appropriate departments for approval.
Once all preliminary documents needed to start the process have been submitted, applicants can follow the permit’s progress online if they have registered for the division’s self-service portal. Alerts for missing information or additional needs will be sent via email and appear in the portal.
Any prior planning approvals will be honored. Applicants should upload the application and approval to the portal. All other planning and zoning requirements will remain in place.
Note: The new process does not include Lee County Environmental Health’s requirements. For permits that include health-related aspects such as wells and septic systems, applicants will need to meet Environmental Health’s requirements in addition to the Building Inspections Division’s requirements.
Updated building permit packets will be available at the Building Inspections office, located on the ground floor of the Buggy Company Building at 115 Chatham Street. Packets will also be available online.
For questions about the new process, contact the Building Inspections Division at 919-718-4654. Subscribe to receive news and updates from the division on the Alerts & Notifications section of the City of Sanford website.