There are two types of street closures, temporary and permanent.
Temporary street closures can be approved administratively through the issuance of a right-of-way (ROW) permit.
Permanent street closure requires action of the Planning Commission and City Council. All applications for permanent street closure are reviewed for consistency city policies including those in the Create Wilmington Comprehensive Plan.
A pre-application meeting is required prior to submission of an application for street closure. Pre-application meetings will not be scheduled or held on the application submission deadline date. The purpose of the pre-application meeting is to provide an overview of the application process and general guidance on the proposed street closure and development concept, if applicable. Pre-application meetings may be scheduled by emailing the Development Review team or calling +1-910-254-0900.
Public comment on pending applications is accepted in advance of both the Planning Commission and City Council public hearings through online portals. Members of the public may also contact the Development Review team with any questions they may have on pending applications.
The Planning Commission will hold a legislative hearing on the proposed street closure at a regularly scheduled meeting. Prior to the hearing, planning staff will publish a case summary that provides an overview of the request and the recommended action. The case summary will be available on the Planning Commission page as part of the agenda packet for the meeting.
After the Planning Commission makes a recommendation on the requested street closure, staff will initiate the street closure process through the City Council. The first step in this process is Council consideration of a Resolution of Intent to Close a public right-of-way. If the resolution is approved, a public hearing will be scheduled as directed in the resolution, and the public hearing will be advertised once a week for four successive weeks prior to the scheduled hearing.
If the City Council does not approve the Resolution of Intent to Close, the process ends, and the right-of-way will remain public.
If the Planning Commission recommends approval of the street closure application and the Council approves a Resolution of Intent to Close, a legislative hearing will be scheduled before the City Council.
All applications must be submitted electronically via the city’s Development & Permitting Services site. See the Permit Portal Guide or contact Plan Review staff if you need assistance.
Please contact the Plan Review team to make arrangements for files that exceed email limits.
Professional seals (engineers, land surveyors, architects, etc) on digital plans must be redacted from digital copies submitted to the city for review. Please be sure to mark, strike through, or otherwise conceal any professional seal located on your digital (re)submittals (e.g., PDF).
Regardless of whether the application is approved or denied by the City Council, the responsibility for all fees associated with the hearing process, including advertising fees for the City Council public hearing, lies with the applicant(s) or their designated representative. Signing the petition for street closure indicates the applicant (or their designated representative) accepts this financial responsibility.
*A mailed notice fee of $1.00/notice shall apply to all applications received on or after July 1, 2026. This fee will be determined during the review process and a separate invoice issued. The supplemental fee must be paid prior to a hearing on the application.
If you plan to pay in advance, planning staff must first notify the collections department to enable acceptance of payments.
Payment by Phone
Payment in Person
Payment by Mail
Street closure applications are accepted on a monthly basis according to the Planning Commission schedule(PDF, 142KB).
Applications received after the established deadline will be included with the following month's review cycle submissions.
How to Apply Online Apply or Search Online
The City of Wilmington is aware that fraudulent invoices have been sent to applicants requesting money via wire transfer. The emails often contain pertinent information pulled from the application (such as address, parcel number, and case number), but include a fake invoice with fabricated application fees.
Here are a few ways to spot a fraudulent invoice:
If ever in doubt, don't hesitate to call the City's Planning Department at +1-910-254-0900 to confirm if the email or invoice you have received is authentic. Or if you have any questions about online permitting, please email staff at planreview@wilmingtonnc.gov.