Catawba County debuts ePermits portal for applications, inspections and online payments

Alex Hayden, business process manager in Catawba County's utilities and engineering department, walked attendees through the county's new permitting and inspection portal during a public demonstration. Hayden showed how users can access the portal at epermits.catawbacountync.gov, create accounts in a training environment, and use a public parcel search without signing in.

Hayden said the new system issues a persistent application reference number that "travels throughout the entire application process," and advised callers to use that reference number for status inquiries before a permit number is assigned. He demonstrated signing up, verifying an account by email, adding contractors and contacts, and starting an application for a residential single-family permit.

The portal links related subpermits to a parent permit so contractors can see electrical, plumbing and mechanical work tied to the same project. Hayden showed how to add multiple contractors to an application so subs and general contractors receive notifications, and he emphasized that trades typically should apply themselves while adding a general contractor as a contact if they want that contractor to see updates.

Hayden demonstrated document submittals — for example, uploading a workers' compensation form when construction value exceeds $40,000 — and said staff will manually review fee calculations to avoid overcharging while the system is new. He showed the payment workflow, including an "add all to cart" feature, checkout with credit card or electronic check, and the option to print or download payment receipts.

On inspections, Hayden emphasized that requests submitted through the portal are requests, not formal scheduled commitments: "There are certain obligations that we have to meet with different kinds of construction, so we do have to mainly review which requests come in for when and prioritize appropriately based on the standards that we have to meet." The portal's inspection-schedule page is public, shows inspector names and contact information, uses color coding to indicate pass/fail status, and updates throughout the day.

When permits are issued, users can download or print the permit. Hayden also showed that certificates of occupancy or compliance will be attached as application notes and available to download once inspections are completed.

Hayden advised users who are missing an access code or who cannot see legacy cases in the portal to email permitapps@Catawbacountync.gov or call the permit office; he also invited attendees with unique questions to meet after the demonstration. The county will continue to accept traditional permit applications by phone and email during the transition.