Does Catawba County, North Carolina have a solar moratorium?

No. As of 2026-05-02, Catawba County, North Carolina has no active solar moratorium on record. Score has been stable over the last 12 months.

What is Catawba County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Catawba County, North Carolina has a SitePath solar permitting grade of C — risk score 49/100 (Elevated Risk). Grades are based on primary-source county ordinances, board votes, and permitting activity, reviewed as of 2026-05-02.

What are the solar permitting rules in Catawba County, North Carolina?

Ordinance status: Active, restrictive solar ordinance. Score has been stable over the last 12 months. See the full primary-source record — ordinance links, setbacks, board actions, and project history — on this page.

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North Carolina

Catawba County

FIPS 37035

Catawba County, North Carolina: solar permitting grade C (score 49/100, Elevated Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.

Score 49/100

Elevated Risk

Public summary

Grade	C · Elevated Risk · Score 49/100
Population	161,000
Solar ordinance	Active, restrictive solar ordinance
Active moratorium	None on record
Regulatory trajectory	Stable (no material ordinance movement)
12-month score movement	Stable
Last verified	2026-05-02

Developer outlook

Catawba County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement. Market saturation is elevated in this area — expect competition for prime land parcels and interconnection capacity.

Local intel

On file: energy-related meetings · named opposition groups

Solar
The Catawba County Planning Commission voted to approve a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm. · agenda
Data Center
The growth of households in the Balls Creek study area is discussed, showing a significant increase compared to population growth. · agenda
Solar
Conditional rezoning application submitted for the Blackburn Solar Project · agenda

See full meetings + dockets + opposition tracking →

Cities, towns & townships

Local governments in Catawba County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.

Claremont city
Conover city
Hickory citypartly in this county
Newton city
Brookford town
Catawba town
Long View townpartly in this county
Maiden town

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.

Nearby counties

Lincoln County · ≈12 miB36—
Alexander County · ≈18 miC43—
Iredell County · ≈21 miA27—
Gaston County · ≈26 miC47—
Caldwell County · ≈27 miB38—
Burke County · ≈28 miC43—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Catawba County ranks #74 of 100 ranked North Carolina counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in North Carolina: Iredell County (A · 27), Tyrrell County (B · 30), Macon County (B · 31). See all North Carolina county grades →

Want the full record?

Setback distances, board vote histories, source documents, and ordinance amendments are available in the full county profile. The map is free; a walkthrough shows you the underlying record.

Open the full Catawba County profile → Request a demo

About this score

Every U.S. county is scored 0–100 on solar permitting risk (lower is friendlier to development). The grade is a weighted composite of compliance stringency, market saturation, regulatory trajectory, and data uncertainty. Every figure traces back to a primary government document. Read the full methodology →