SitePath › County map › North Carolina
Solar Permitting Intelligence

North Carolina

100 Counties 42 Low/Moderate Risk 22 High/Very High Risk 3 Active Moratoria
State policy: RPS 12% by 2021

Grade distribution

B 42C 36D 17F 5

Overview

North Carolina has 100 counties tracked in the SitePath solar permitting index. 42 (42%) are graded A or B, meaning they present low to moderate permitting risk for utility-scale solar projects. 36 counties sit in the C range — moderate risk with meaningful process uncertainty. 22 counties are rated D or F (22%) — high to very high risk, often due to active moratoria, restrictive setback ordinances, or strong local opposition.

The most favorable jurisdictions in North Carolina include Tyrrell County (grade B), Yancey County (grade B), Wilkes County (grade B). The most challenging include Davidson County (grade F), Greene County (grade F), Edgecombe County (grade F).

North Carolina's RPS framework (RPS 12% by 2021) has a mixed effect on local solar permitting: state incentives can accelerate projects, but county boards often act independently of state policy direction. 3 counties — Davidson County, Greene County, Edgecombe County — currently have active utility-scale solar moratoria. These represent hard barriers where project approvals are unlikely until the moratorium is lifted by county vote.

All counties — sorted by risk score (best first)

County Grade Score Trajectory Moratorium
Tyrrell CountyB32↑
Yancey CountyB32↑
Wilkes CountyB33—
Union CountyB34—
Iredell CountyB34↓
New Hanover CountyB35↑
Caldwell CountyB35↑
Pamlico CountyB36↑
Polk CountyB37—
Dare CountyB37—
Transylvania CountyB37—
Alleghany CountyB37—
Ashe CountyB37—
Jackson CountyB37—
Cherokee CountyB37↑
Carteret CountyB37↑
Macon CountyB37—
Avery CountyB38—
Mitchell CountyB38↑
Clay CountyB38—
Onslow CountyB38—
Pender CountyB39↑
Haywood CountyB39—
Madison CountyB39—
Rockingham CountyB39—
Granville CountyB39—
McDowell CountyB40↓
Chowan CountyB40—
Graham CountyB40↑
Pasquotank CountyB40↓
Surry CountyB40—
Guilford CountyB40—
Henderson CountyB40↓
Buncombe CountyB41—
Duplin CountyB41—
Hyde CountyB41—
Brunswick CountyB41—
Stanly CountyB41↓
Beaufort CountyB41—
Lenoir CountyB41—
Wilson CountyB41—
Bladen CountyB42—
Catawba CountyC42↓
Forsyth CountyC42↓
Scotland CountyC43—
Alexander CountyC43↓
Burke CountyC43↓
Lincoln CountyC44—
Cabarrus CountyC44↓
Harnett CountyC45↓
Moore CountyC45—
Robeson CountyC46—
Hoke CountyC46↓
Caswell CountyC46↓
Gaston CountyC47↓
Warren CountyC47↓
Craven CountyC47↓
Sampson CountyC47↓
Randolph CountyC48↓
Johnston CountyC48↓
Columbus CountyC48↓
Alamance CountyC48↓
Pitt CountyC49↓
Anson CountyC49—
Rutherford CountyC49↓
Camden CountyC49↓
Bertie CountyC49↓
Franklin CountyC49↓
Yadkin CountyC49↓
Wayne CountyC49↓
Montgomery CountyC49↓
Hertford CountyC50↓
Jones CountyC50↓
Halifax CountyC50↑
Gates CountyC50↓
Perquimans CountyC50↓
Martin CountyC51↓
Orange CountyC51↓
Nash CountyD52↓
Davie CountyD52↓
Mecklenburg CountyD52↓
Richmond CountyD54↓
Washington CountyD54↓
Watauga CountyD55↓
Northampton CountyD56↓
Chatham CountyD57↓
Durham CountyD57↓
Wake CountyD58↓
Swain CountyD58↓
Cumberland CountyD59↓
Stokes CountyD62↓
Currituck CountyD63↓
Rowan CountyD63↓
Lee CountyD64↓
Cleveland CountyD64↓
Person CountyF66↓
Vance CountyF66↓
Davidson CountyF100↓Active
Greene CountyF100↓Active
Edgecombe CountyF100↓Active

See the full interactive map

County grades, scores, and ordinance data are also available on the interactive county map with filtering by grade, state, and risk factor.

Open the county map →

About SitePath scoring

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 →

SitePath Intelligence is a research platform. Data verified as of 2026-05-02. Scores update on a quarterly review cycle.