Toilet Repair in North Carolina

Weighted across 2,253,076 occupied homes. Separately, 51% of the state’s 2,483,760 housing units — a wider universe, because it includes vacant ones — were built before 1990, which is before the Energy Policy Act of 1992 set a 1.6 gallon flush maximum.

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B25003 (tenure) and B25034 (year structure built), 2023 release. Flush volumes: US EPA WaterSense, tank-type toilet supporting statement.

A state average hides the thing that matters. Of the 189 towns we route in here, 12 are mostly pre-1990 housing and 51 are mostly post-1990 housing; on tenure, 69 are strongly owner-occupied and 7 are renter-heavy.

The two are close to independent of each other, so an old town is not reliably an owning town or a renting one. That is why every town page below carries its own pair of figures rather than inheriting these.

The fault list does not vary by state. A running tank is the flapper or the fill valve, and EPA publishes a ten-minute test that tells them apart. Water at the base is four different faults, one of which is condensation and not a leak at all. A fixture that rocks is the one that causes the seal failure you will meet later.

What varies by town is who fixes it. In a rented home the toilet is normally the landlord’s repair, and in the towns above that is a large share of households.

Checking a credential in North Carolina

North Carolina licenses are issued by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors, which publishes a public search you can use before work begins.

• Advance 89% owner-occupied · 46% pre-1990
• Albemarle 67% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Alexis 91% owner-occupied · 66% pre-1990
• Ansonville 70% owner-occupied · 60% pre-1990
• Asheboro 65% owner-occupied · 61% pre-1990
• Badin 71% owner-occupied · 98% pre-1990
• Bahama 90% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Belews Creek 94% owner-occupied · 24% pre-1990
• Belmont 68% owner-occupied · 47% pre-1990
• Benson 77% owner-occupied · 47% pre-1990
• Bessemer City 69% owner-occupied · 68% pre-1990
• Black Creek 65% owner-occupied · 53% pre-1990
• Blanch 60% owner-occupied · 65% pre-1990
• Blowing Rock 71% owner-occupied · 52% pre-1990
• Boomer 87% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• Bostic 87% owner-occupied · 48% pre-1990
• Browns Summit 72% owner-occupied · 36% pre-1990
• Burlington 61% owner-occupied · 62% pre-1990
• Carrboro 28% owner-occupied · 73% pre-1990
• Casar 86% owner-occupied · 56% pre-1990
• Catawba 86% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Cedar Grove 80% owner-occupied · 60% pre-1990
• Chapel Hill 65% owner-occupied · 44% pre-1990
• Charlotte 53% owner-occupied · 42% pre-1990
• Cherryville 74% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• China Grove 79% owner-occupied · 62% pre-1990
• Claremont 76% owner-occupied · 52% pre-1990
• Clayton 80% owner-occupied · 17% pre-1990
• Clemmons 81% owner-occupied · 41% pre-1990
• Cleveland 84% owner-occupied · 45% pre-1990
• Climax 87% owner-occupied · 48% pre-1990
• Colfax 78% owner-occupied · 29% pre-1990
• Concord 68% owner-occupied · 40% pre-1990
• Connelly Springs 77% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Conover 74% owner-occupied · 53% pre-1990
• Cooleemee 72% owner-occupied · 94% pre-1990
• Cornelius 72% owner-occupied · 21% pre-1990
• Cramerton 76% owner-occupied · 46% pre-1990
• Crouse 87% owner-occupied · 49% pre-1990
• Dallas 73% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Davidson 83% owner-occupied · 21% pre-1990
• Deep Gap 75% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Deep Run 74% owner-occupied · 53% pre-1990
• Denver 84% owner-occupied · 26% pre-1990
• Dudley 65% owner-occupied · 56% pre-1990
• Durham 55% owner-occupied · 47% pre-1990
• Eden 60% owner-occupied · 78% pre-1990
• Efland 91% owner-occupied · 34% pre-1990
• Ellenboro 85% owner-occupied · 57% pre-1990
• Elm City 81% owner-occupied · 57% pre-1990
• Elon 80% owner-occupied · 44% pre-1990
• Fayetteville 53% owner-occupied · 57% pre-1990
• Ferguson 70% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Fleetwood 91% owner-occupied · 51% pre-1990
• Forest City 64% owner-occupied · 76% pre-1990
• Four Oaks 71% owner-occupied · 47% pre-1990
• Franklinville 80% owner-occupied · 63% pre-1990
• Fremont 57% owner-occupied · 72% pre-1990
• Gastonia 59% owner-occupied · 66% pre-1990
• Gibsonville 81% owner-occupied · 57% pre-1990
• Gold Hill 87% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• Goldsboro 56% owner-occupied · 62% pre-1990
• Graham 66% owner-occupied · 53% pre-1990
• Granite Falls 77% owner-occupied · 53% pre-1990
• Greensboro 54% owner-occupied · 60% pre-1990
• Grover 69% owner-occupied · 52% pre-1990
• Hamptonville 81% owner-occupied · 63% pre-1990
• Harmony 82% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Harrisburg 93% owner-occupied · 17% pre-1990
• Haw River 83% owner-occupied · 43% pre-1990
• Hickory 67% owner-occupied · 65% pre-1990
• Hiddenite 80% owner-occupied · 56% pre-1990
• High Point 61% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Hildebran 64% owner-occupied · 72% pre-1990
• Hillsborough 77% owner-occupied · 44% pre-1990
• Hope Mills 73% owner-occupied · 33% pre-1990
• Hudson 75% owner-occupied · 67% pre-1990
• Huntersville 72% owner-occupied · 15% pre-1990
• Indian Trail 81% owner-occupied · 17% pre-1990
• Iron Station 87% owner-occupied · 36% pre-1990
• Jamestown 74% owner-occupied · 36% pre-1990
• Julian 88% owner-occupied · 62% pre-1990
• Kannapolis 68% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Kenly 71% owner-occupied · 52% pre-1990
• Kernersville 72% owner-occupied · 49% pre-1990
• King 72% owner-occupied · 60% pre-1990
• Kings Mountain 74% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• Kinston 56% owner-occupied · 74% pre-1990
• La Grange 71% owner-occupied · 53% pre-1990
• Landis 80% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Lawndale 73% owner-occupied · 60% pre-1990
• Leasburg 93% owner-occupied · 28% pre-1990
• Lenoir 72% owner-occupied · 72% pre-1990
• Lewisville 87% owner-occupied · 49% pre-1990
• Lexington 71% owner-occupied · 63% pre-1990
• Liberty 65% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Lilesville 69% owner-occupied · 72% pre-1990
• Lincolnton 70% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Linden 77% owner-occupied · 40% pre-1990
• Linwood 81% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Locust 82% owner-occupied · 41% pre-1990
• Lowell 75% owner-occupied · 72% pre-1990
• Lucama 70% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Madison 80% owner-occupied · 50% pre-1990
• Maiden 83% owner-occupied · 45% pre-1990
• Marshville 79% owner-occupied · 66% pre-1990
• Matthews 78% owner-occupied · 33% pre-1990
• Mayodan 62% owner-occupied · 79% pre-1990
• McAdenville 95% owner-occupied · 28% pre-1990
• McLeansville 86% owner-occupied · 42% pre-1990
• Mebane 69% owner-occupied · 35% pre-1990
• Micro 53% owner-occupied · 69% pre-1990
• Midland 83% owner-occupied · 36% pre-1990
• Milton 90% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Mocksville 80% owner-occupied · 52% pre-1990
• Monroe 74% owner-occupied · 44% pre-1990
• Mooresboro 73% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Mooresville 70% owner-occupied · 23% pre-1990
• Morganton 73% owner-occupied · 67% pre-1990
• Morven 68% owner-occupied · 71% pre-1990
• Mount Holly 72% owner-occupied · 50% pre-1990
• Mount Olive 76% owner-occupied · 67% pre-1990
• Mount Pleasant 87% owner-occupied · 61% pre-1990
• Mount Ulla 87% owner-occupied · 33% pre-1990
• Nebo 84% owner-occupied · 44% pre-1990
• New London 81% owner-occupied · 52% pre-1990
• Newton 75% owner-occupied · 66% pre-1990
• Norwood 70% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Oak Ridge 94% owner-occupied · 29% pre-1990
• Oakboro 87% owner-occupied · 56% pre-1990
• Olin 76% owner-occupied · 42% pre-1990
• Peachland 68% owner-occupied · 65% pre-1990
• Pfafftown 92% owner-occupied · 56% pre-1990
• Pikeville 77% owner-occupied · 35% pre-1990
• Pine Level 81% owner-occupied · 60% pre-1990
• Pineville 64% owner-occupied · 29% pre-1990
• Pittsboro 79% owner-occupied · 36% pre-1990
• Pleasant Garden 85% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Polkton 67% owner-occupied · 54% pre-1990
• Princeton 68% owner-occupied · 46% pre-1990
• Prospect Hill 100% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Purlear 80% owner-occupied · 50% pre-1990
• Randleman 76% owner-occupied · 50% pre-1990
• Reidsville 75% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• Richfield 83% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Rockwell 69% owner-occupied · 49% pre-1990
• Rural Hall 79% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Rutherfordton 79% owner-occupied · 51% pre-1990
• Salisbury 67% owner-occupied · 61% pre-1990
• Selma 70% owner-occupied · 55% pre-1990
• Seven Springs 70% owner-occupied · 51% pre-1990
• Shelby 68% owner-occupied · 69% pre-1990
• Sherrills Ford 89% owner-occupied · 38% pre-1990
• Sims 89% owner-occupied · 36% pre-1990
• Smithfield 67% owner-occupied · 56% pre-1990
• Snow Camp 82% owner-occupied · 41% pre-1990
• Sophia 86% owner-occupied · 66% pre-1990
• Spencer 62% owner-occupied · 80% pre-1990
• Spindale 48% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• Staley 59% owner-occupied · 74% pre-1990
• Stanfield 82% owner-occupied · 52% pre-1990
• Stanley 83% owner-occupied · 51% pre-1990
• Stantonsburg 70% owner-occupied · 69% pre-1990
• Statesville 70% owner-occupied · 54% pre-1990
• Stedman 78% owner-occupied · 40% pre-1990
• Stokesdale 83% owner-occupied · 33% pre-1990
• Stony Point 92% owner-occupied · 42% pre-1990
• Summerfield 91% owner-occupied · 30% pre-1990
• Taylorsville 81% owner-occupied · 57% pre-1990
• Terrell 82% owner-occupied · 35% pre-1990
• Thomasville 68% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Tobaccoville 84% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Trinity 87% owner-occupied · 62% pre-1990
• Troutman 85% owner-occupied · 40% pre-1990
• Union Grove 76% owner-occupied · 51% pre-1990
• Union Mills 97% owner-occupied · 48% pre-1990
• Valdese 81% owner-occupied · 77% pre-1990
• Vale 84% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Wade 79% owner-occupied · 49% pre-1990
• Wadesboro 62% owner-occupied · 82% pre-1990
• Walkertown 77% owner-occupied · 54% pre-1990
• Walnut Cove 78% owner-occupied · 61% pre-1990
• Waxhaw 89% owner-occupied · 15% pre-1990
• Whitsett 68% owner-occupied · 13% pre-1990
• Wilson 53% owner-occupied · 58% pre-1990
• Wingate 73% owner-occupied · 59% pre-1990
• Winston Salem 57% owner-occupied · 64% pre-1990
• Woodleaf 96% owner-occupied · 38% pre-1990
• Yanceyville 63% owner-occupied · 72% pre-1990