Do you have questions about the commercial code?

Call the Commercial Technical Assistance Center, 704-336-3829, extension 4.

OR

Send us your questions and get the answers you need by e-mail.

David Greene, Craig Sloop, Pat Holshouser, and Jeff Rudisill are the Plans Examiners for CTAC.  Druied Roberson is the NC Rehabilitation Code Building Plans Examiner for CTAC.  Commercial customers can visit CTAC in the County's Building Development Center at 700 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC. Or send an email to: CTAC.

Frequently Asked Questions

CTAC is aimed at anyone involved in a commercial project, including the owner, developer, engineer, architect or contractor. It is not intended to be a second opinion on a code interpretation already given by a plan reviewer or inspector. Questions can be answered before the permitting process begins. After you've entered into the preliminary code review or permit application process, the interpretations of your reviewer or inspector prevail.

For commercial  code interpretation questions, visit or call CTAC at 704-336-3829, extension 4.

To check the status of a CTAC project during review, contact the CTAC Coordinator

  Adreinna Jerald-Johnson    

Commercial Sub Permits (single trade permits) 

Stand-alone permits may be issued for minor work on a case-by-case basis. Commercial Sub-permits are handled through the Commercial Technical Assistance Center (CTAC).  Customers are required to come in person to our offices at 700 N Tryon Street, 1st Floor.  The appropriate sub-permit application must be completed and signed and accompanied by a completed and signed address verification form.  If the sub-permit is for work being performed on a project under construction, please bring a copy of the approved drawings in order to verify the work being permitted.  If the work being requested on the sub-permit application requires drawings, the customer will be notified and the customer will need to submit drawings for review, either through OnSchedule Review or CTAC review. 

Sub-permits can also be submitted through the TIP program.  Mecklenburg County requires contractors to have a permit for certain projects and now it is an easy online process. The contractor Trades Internet Permits (TIP) online process allows you to enter details of the work being performed for projects that do not require a Building permit, pay the permit fee and print the permits. 

Interior Demolition permits

Interior Demolition permits for commercial work are issued through the CTAC division.  Interior Demolition is the demolition of interior components that do not affect rated assemblies and/or load bearing walls.  Customers will need to complete a building permit application, obtain an address verification form and submit these items to CTAC. 

Total Demolition permits

Total Demolition permits for commercial structures are also issued through the CTAC division.  Customers need to assemble the information listed on the COMMERCIAL TOTAL DEMO SUBMITTAL SHEET.

Links:

Neshap Form On this link, scroll to Notifications and click the NESHAP Notification of Demolition and/or Renovation form.

Health Department On this link, click the Demo/Move Permits for information on demolition and to obtain forms.

CTAC Review

Small projects will be channeled through Commercial Technical Assistance Center (CTAC).

A Step-by-Step Process

Step 1

Submit project to the CTAC Coordinator.  You will need to submit the following:

2 sets of drawings, bound and stapled, with an Appendix B

1 completed Building Permit application(with contractor/sub-contractors/cost of construction)

1 address verification form

1 Plan Submittal for CTAC Plan Review  form

1 completed Self-Gatekeeping Checklist 

Step 2

Once project is accepted, the review is performed on a first-in, first-out basis.

Step 3

CTAC review is typically a 5-day review process and approved projects will be issued permits at the time of approval, subject to permit application completion.

Disapproved projects will be returned with comments summarizing the defects.

Project Types

The following project list indicates projects generally thought to be eligible for Commercial Walk-Through Review (CTAC Review). Note: Customers should confirm eligibility for CTAC review in advance. Those projects which CTAC cannot review will be referred to OnSchedule Plan Review. The CTAC reviewers will make the final decision/determination of specific project eligibility.

Beginning March 5, 2008, CTAC Review will review Business and Mercantile upfits and renovations up to 10,000 sf.  This is a change from the previous threshold of 7,500 sf.  No other changes have been made to the eligible project types.

• Handicap Ramps
• Deck Additions
• Interior Upfits, Business and Mercantile occupancy, 10,000 sf and less
• Business and Mercantile renovations of areas up to 10,000 sf
• Office/Warehouse with the office area up to 10,000 sf and no work being performed in the warehouse
• Small additions, up to 400 sf*
• Accessory buildings up to 400 sf*
• Bathroom additions and renovations up to 1000 sf*
• Minor fire/smoke repairs and minor structural fire repair*
• Special events and amusements (tents, haunted houses, NCAA events, golf events, NASCAR events, NBA events, NFL events)
• Interior pre-fabricated offices (modular petitioning)
• Canopies
• Co-locations on communication towers
• Grease interceptors
• Oil/water separators
• Adding new plumbing, electrical, and mechanical (less than 5,000 sf)
• Pedestrian bridges not connected to buildings
• Parking lots
• Faηade changes*
• Hood replacements
• Above ground tanks
• Pools (only if part of a pre-approved project by Zoning)
• Racking systems 12 feet to top of storage(High Piled Combustible must go through OnSchedule Review)
• Retaining walls that are not part of the construction of a building.  They must be stand alone retaining walls.

Any project that requires City Engineering approval or the Northern Small Towns(Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville) Zoning approval must have approval prior to submitting to CTAC.

*Projects within the following Zoning Districts are not eligible for the Walk-Through Process: Historic Landmark, Historic District, MUDD, UMDD, PED, TOD, & UR.

CTAC will not review projects that are:

• Change of occupancies/use
• Assembly occupancy
• Medical offices (ie: Dental offices, Plastic Surgery, I-2 occupancies, Doctor's offices, Chiropractor offices, etc.)
• Daycare
• Business occupancies with sit down food consumption
• Hazardous occupancies and equipment
• Factory/industrial occupancies
• Dry cleaners using hazardous materials
• Live-Work units