How to find teardowns in Charlotte and Raleigh
Last verified: July 2026
Where Charlotte and Raleigh demolition permits live
- Mecklenburg County (Charlotte). Demolition permits countywide, including Charlotte, are published through the county permitting system. The record includes applications that have been filed but not yet issued.
- Wake County. The county inspections feed covers the jurisdictions the county permits: unincorporated Wake plus towns like Wake Forest, Zebulon, Wendell, Knightdale, Holly Springs, and the Garner area. The City of Raleigh and the Town of Cary issue their own permits and are not in the county feed, so a Raleigh-proper knockdown must be checked against the city's own permit portal.
The land-share screen
County tax cards assess land and building separately. When the land is most of the total, the record itself says the structure adds little: a house assessed at $40,000 on land assessed at $360,000 is 10% building, 90% land. A common screen is land at 50% or more of total assessed value. Both Mecklenburg and Wake publish these values on every parcel, so the screen runs on public data alone. Year built, out-of-state owner mailing address, and years since last sale are also on the record and can narrow the list further.
Key facts
- A demolition permit is required before a residential knockdown in both Mecklenburg and Wake counties, and permits are public record.
- Mecklenburg publishes demolition applications before they are issued.
- The Wake County feed covers the county's inspection jurisdictions; Raleigh and Cary self-permit and publish separately.
- County tax cards assess land and building separately, so land share of total value is computable for every parcel.
The permit map, already built
NC CRE Map plots Mecklenburg and Wake demolition permits from the last 12 months on the residential parcel map and marks applied-but-not-issued separately. Tap any demolition and one click lists the lots within a half mile where land is 50% or more of assessed value. In dense residential that radius holds around a thousand homes unfiltered; the land screen cuts it to a working list. Each lot shows its owner of record free, an owning LLC unmasks to the people on file with the NC Secretary of State, and a skip-trace reveal returns the owner's phone and email. New accounts start free, no card required.
Try it free — open the demo-permit mapFrequently asked questions
How do I find houses being torn down in Charlotte?
Search demolition permits in the Mecklenburg County permitting system, which covers Charlotte, or view them plotted on a map in NC CRE Map. Permits from the last 12 months mark where builders are actively tearing down.
Are demolition permits public record in North Carolina?
Yes. Demolition permits are issued by county or municipal permitting offices and are public record, searchable through each jurisdiction's permit portal.
What is a teardown property?
A property whose land is worth most of its total value, so the economic move is to demolish the structure and rebuild. A common screen is land at 50% or more of total assessed value on the tax card.
Does a demolition permit mean the house will definitely be torn down?
Not always. An application can be filed and not issued, and an issued permit can lapse. The permit record shows the status.
How do I find teardown lots that are not listed for sale?
Everything needed is public record: recent demolition permits mark active blocks, the tax card's land and building values identify high-land-share lots nearby, and the owner of record is on the same card. Reaching the owner takes a skip trace when the record only shows a mailing address or an LLC.