North Carolina solar permitting
Grade distribution
Overview
Every North Carolina county is scored on the SitePath solar permitting index. A sizeable minority are graded A or B, meaning they present low to moderate permitting risk for utility-scale solar projects. A sizeable minority sit in the C range — moderate risk with meaningful process uncertainty. A minority are rated D or F — 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 Iredell County (grade A), Tyrrell County (grade B), Cherokee County (grade B). The most challenging include Edgecombe County (grade F), Davidson County (grade F), Greene 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. Davidson County, Greene 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)
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.