Wake County
Wake County, North Carolina: solar permitting grade D (score 58/100, High Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | D · High Risk · Score 58/100 |
| Population | 1,129,410 |
| Solar ordinance | No specific solar ordinance recorded |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Improving (ordinance direction easing) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Wake County is a high-risk jurisdiction for utility-scale solar — documented ordinance hurdles are significant and approval history is mixed or unfavorable. Market saturation is elevated in this area — expect competition for prime land parcels and interconnection capacity.
Local intel
On file: named opposition groups
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Wake County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Durham citypartly in this county
- Raleigh citypartly in this county
- Angier townpartly in this county
- Apex town
- Cary townpartly in this county
- Clayton townpartly in this county
- Fuquay-Varina townpartly in this county
- Garner town
- Holly Springs town
- Knightdale town
- Morrisville townpartly in this county
- Rolesville town
- Wake Forest townpartly in this county
- Wendell town
- Zebulon townpartly in this county
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Durham County · ≈21 miD57—
- Johnston County · ≈25 miC48—
- Franklin County · ≈29 miC49—
- Harnett County · ≈32 miC43—
- Orange County · ≈32 miD57—
- Chatham County · ≈34 miD63—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Wake County ranks #91 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.
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 →
Related reading
SitePath Intelligence is a research platform. Data verified as of 2026-05-02. Scores update on a quarterly review cycle.