Roofing in Cabarrus County, NC
Cabarrus County kept building through the 2010s: 21.2% of its owner-occupied homes date from that decade, close behind the 23.3% from the 2000s.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25036, Cabarrus County, checked .
Page updated .
Housing
How old the homes are in Cabarrus County
The county's median owner-occupied home was built around 1999, within a 90% interval of 1997 to 2001.
Homes from before 1980 are 28.1% of the county's owner-occupied total, while 48.1% date from 2000 or later.
Kannapolis has a much older mix: 45.6% of the city's owner-occupied homes went up before 1980, and 21.2% before 1950. The Census figures cover the whole city, its Rowan County part included.
Harrisburg sits at the other end: 73.2% of its owner-occupied homes were built in 2000 or later, and 9.6% before 1980.
Sources (4)
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25037, Cabarrus County, checked .
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25036, Cabarrus County, checked .
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25036, Kannapolis city, checked .
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25036, Harrisburg town, checked .
Permits
Permits for a reroof in Cabarrus County
Cabarrus County's Construction Standards Division says it "provides building inspections and permitting services for all areas within Cabarrus County."
Concord sends building review to the county. The city's permits page says construction applications are reviewed by the City of Concord for zoning and by Cabarrus County for building, "so there is no need to submit separately to both entities."
The City of Kannapolis says Cabarrus County handles building code inspections for Kannapolis, including the parts of the city that lie in Rowan County.
For renovation and repair work, the county's residential permit application ends with an itemized cost list in which "Roofing Material" is one line. The form says the breakdown must include all work being done to repair the home, whether the damage came from flood, fire or wind, and must count labor at a fair market rate, even for work people do themselves or as volunteers.
Construction Standards can be reached at 704-920-2128, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; it accepts no payments after 4 p.m.
North Carolina rule
Under G.S. 160D-1110(c), work on a single-family home that costs $40,000 or less and follows the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code needs no building permit, unless it falls into one of six listed categories. One category is "the addition of roofing, excluding replacement": that work needs a permit at any cost, while a roof replacement is not on the list. Work costing more than $40,000 falls outside the exemption. The statute speaks to building permits only, not to any other approval a property may need.
The $40,000 figure comes from Session Law 2023-108 (House Bill 488), which raised it from $20,000 for permit applications submitted on or after October 1, 2023.
The Office of State Fire Marshal reads the exemption as covering the replacement of roofing plus up to 15% of the total existing roof deck, on projects costing $40,000 or less. The paper states that its guidance is not legal advice.
Sources (3)
Sources (4)
- Cabarrus County Construction Standards (Building), checked .
- City of Concord, Planning & Development Services, Permits, checked .
- City of Kannapolis, Starting a Business, checked .
- Cabarrus County Building and Inspections Department, Residential Building Permit Application: Accessory, Renovation, Addition or Demolition, checked .
Storms
Recorded storm damage in Cabarrus County
NOAA's narrative of the December 2002 ice storm says damage from the ice began in the mid-to-late afternoon of December 4, and that the freezing rain grew heavier after midnight. The record for the Cabarrus County zone lists $12 million in property damage.
The EF2 tornado of March 3, 2012 entered Cabarrus County from Mecklenburg County south of Harrisburg and passed through several residential areas before lifting. NOAA's record says it damaged homes along the way and destroyed some that slid off their foundations.
An EF2 tornado on February 6, 2020 tracked east for about six miles, snapping and uprooting trees. The National Weather Service survey found several homes damaged along the way, with the strongest damage just east of Dutch Buffalo Creek.
Ice Storm
, $12M in recorded property damage. NOAA event 5326495
Tornado, EF2
, near HARRISBURG, $1.5M in recorded property damage. NOAA event 371938
Tornado, EF2
, near MT GILEAD, $500K in recorded property damage. NOAA event 871942
High Wind, 60 kt
, $500K in recorded property damage. NOAA event 29408
Thunderstorm Wind, 55 kt
, near WEST CONCORD, $100K in recorded property damage. NOAA event 590418
Sources (3)
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5326495, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 371938, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 871942, checked .
Hail
Recorded hail in Cabarrus County
Baseball-size hail, 2.75 inches across, is on record in Cabarrus County on two days almost nine years apart: at Concord on May 11, 2008, and near Rocky River on March 21, 2017. The 2017 storms also dropped 2.50-inch hail near Harrisburg that same evening.
NOAA's summary of the May 11, 2008 supercell notes "quite a bit of hail damage, particularly in the city of Concord," though no damage estimates were available.
In all, NOAA's record since 2000 holds 11 county reports of hail at 1.75 inches or more, spread over six days.
The latest of them came on March 27, 2021, when the public reported quarter- to golf-ball-size hail in western Cabarrus County, from near Coddle Creek reservoir to the west side of Concord.
2.75 in hail
, near ROCKY RIVER. NOAA event 686286
2.75 in hail
, near CONCORD. NOAA event 102712
2.50 in hail
, near HARRISBURG. NOAA event 686284
1.75 in hail
, near ROBERTA MILLS. NOAA event 951699
1.75 in hail
, near JACKSON PARK. NOAA event 317553
NOAA record through June 2026.
Sources (3)
- NOAA Storm Events Database, bulk data files, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 102712, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 951699, checked .
Towns
Town by town in Cabarrus County
Concord
On June 22, 2015, emergency managers reported dozens of trees and some power lines blown down across Concord, and NOAA's record has trees or large limbs falling on homes on several of the city's streets.
Kannapolis
Storms on April 13, 2020 brought down multiple trees on the Cabarrus County side of Kannapolis, and NOAA's record notes some homes damaged by the falling trees.
Kannapolis spans Cabarrus County and Rowan County.
Harrisburg
An EF1 tornado on May 23, 2022 crossed into Cabarrus County near Harrisburg after forming in Mecklenburg County's Reedy Creek community. The National Weather Service survey found mostly snapped limbs and uprooted trees, along with minor structural damage and a flipped vehicle.
Mount Pleasant
The May 11, 2008 storm that brought 2.75-inch hail to Concord tracked east to Mount Pleasant, where NOAA's record has 1.75-inch hail covering the ground.
Locust
Much of Locust is new: 44.0% of the city's owner-occupied homes were built in 2010 or later. That Census figure covers the whole city, on both the Stanly County and Cabarrus County sides of the line.
Locust spans Cabarrus County and Stanly County.
Sources (6)
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 590418, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 887621, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1029945, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 102735, checked .
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25036, Locust city, checked .
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census place-by-county file for North Carolina, checked .
Common problems
Common roof problems on homes like these
InterNACHI's chart of estimated life spans puts 3-tab asphalt shingles at roughly 20 years and architectural shingles at roughly 30. InterNACHI offers these as general guidelines, not a forecast for a particular roof.
That timeline matters for the 21.2% of the county's owner-occupied homes built from 2010 to 2019. If a house from that decade still has its original 3-tab roof, the roof is 7 to 16 years old in 2026 and reaches InterNACHI's 20-year estimate sometime from 2030 to 2039.
NOAA's narratives tie large hail in Cabarrus County to damage on buildings. Its account of March 21, 2017 describes stones up to the size of baseballs "causing damage to vehicles and structures in the Harrisburg area," and its account of May 11, 2008 reports hail damage in Concord.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Roofing questions in Cabarrus County
Does Concord have its own building inspections office?
No. Building permits and inspections in Concord come from Cabarrus County's Construction Standards Division, which serves all areas of the county. According to the city's permits page, a construction application gets zoning review from the city and building review from the county without separate submissions. Construction Standards' phone number is 704-920-2128.
If my house is on the Rowan County side of Kannapolis, which county handles building inspections?
Cabarrus County, as long as the house is inside Kannapolis city limits. The City of Kannapolis says building code inspections for the city are handled by Cabarrus County, including the Rowan County portions of Kannapolis. The county's Construction Standards Division can be reached at 704-920-2128.
Has baseball-size hail fallen in Cabarrus County?
Yes. NOAA's Storm Events Database records hail 2.75 inches across, the size of a baseball, at Concord on May 11, 2008 and near Rocky River on March 21, 2017. The same 2017 storms brought 2.50-inch hail near Harrisburg.
What did the March 2012 tornado damage near Harrisburg?
NOAA records an EF2 tornado on March 3, 2012 that came into Cabarrus County from Mecklenburg County south of Harrisburg. In several residential areas it damaged homes, and it destroyed some that slid off their foundations. Its path in the county ran about 1.3 miles before it lifted, and NOAA lists $1.5 million in property damage.
Are Kannapolis homes older than the rest of Cabarrus County's?
On the whole, yes. Census estimates put 45.6% of Kannapolis's owner-occupied homes before 1980, against 28.1% across Cabarrus County as a whole, and the city's figures include its Rowan County part. Kannapolis grew up around its textile mill: the city's history page says J.W. Cannon bought the land in 1906 and that Cannon Mills built homes for its employees.
What does Cabarrus County's renovation permit application ask about roofing?
The county's residential permit application for accessory, renovation, addition or demolition work closes with an itemized construction cost list, and "Roofing Material" is one of its lines. The form asks that the breakdown cover all work being done to repair the home, whatever caused the damage, and include labor at a fair market rate even when the applicant or volunteers do the work.
Sources (11)
- Cabarrus County Construction Standards (Building), checked .
- City of Concord, Planning & Development Services, Permits, checked .
- City of Kannapolis, Starting a Business, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 102712, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 686286, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 686284, checked .
- NOAA Storm Events Database, event 371938, checked .
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25036, Kannapolis city, checked .
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024, table B25036, Cabarrus County, checked .
- City of Kannapolis, History, checked .
- Cabarrus County Building and Inspections Department, Residential Building Permit Application: Accessory, Renovation, Addition or Demolition, checked .
Nearby
Neighboring counties
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