Does Pender County, North Carolina have a solar moratorium?

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

What is Pender County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Pender County, North Carolina has a SitePath solar permitting grade of B — risk score 38/100 (Moderate 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 Pender 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.

SitePath › County map › North Carolina › Pender County

North Carolina

Pender County

FIPS 37141

Pender County, North Carolina: solar permitting grade B (score 38/100, Moderate Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.

Score 38/100

Moderate Risk

Public summary

Grade	B · Moderate Risk · Score 38/100
Population	65,910
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

Pender County presents moderate permitting risk; conditions are generally workable for utility-scale solar with standard due-diligence preparation. 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

2024-05-20Solar
The Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a motion to go into closed session for discussion and potential action on the Coastal Pines Solar Farm VS… · agenda
2024-03-11Solar
The Board of County Commissioners voted to deny Coastal Pines Solar Farm's application for a 150 MW solar farm in Pender County. · agenda
2024-02-20Solar
The Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a solar farm proposal for Coastal Pines Solar Farm · agenda

See full meetings + dockets + opposition tracking →

Cities, towns & townships

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

Atkinson town
Burgaw town
Surf City townpartly in this county
Topsail Beach town
Wallace townpartly in this county
Watha town
St. Helena village

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

Nearby counties

New Hanover County · ≈23 miB35—
Onslow County · ≈28 miB38—
Duplin County · ≈29 miC50—
Bladen County · ≈37 miB41—
Brunswick County · ≈38 miB34—
Sampson County · ≈43 miC47—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Pender County ranks #22 of 100 ranked North Carolina counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in North Carolina: Iredell County (A · 28), Tyrrell County (B · 31), Cherokee 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 Pender 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 →