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Solar Permitting Intelligence

North Carolina

100 Counties 28 Low/Moderate Risk 16 High/Very High Risk 3 Active Moratoria
State policy: RPS 12% by 2021

Grade distribution

B 28C 56D 13F 3

Overview

North Carolina has 100 counties tracked in the SitePath solar permitting index. 28 (28%) are graded A or B, meaning they present low to moderate permitting risk for utility-scale solar projects. 56 counties sit in the C range — moderate risk with meaningful process uncertainty. 16 counties are rated D or F (16%) — 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 Mecklenburg County (grade B), Iredell County (grade B), New Hanover 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. 3 counties — Edgecombe County, 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)

County Grade Score Trajectory Moratorium
Mecklenburg CountyB33—
Iredell CountyB35↓
New Hanover CountyB35↑
Forsyth CountyB36↓
Wilkes CountyB37↓
Polk CountyB38—
Dare CountyB38—
Transylvania CountyB38—
Tyrrell CountyB38—
Alleghany CountyB38—
Ashe CountyB38—
Macon CountyB38—
Cherokee CountyB38—
Jackson CountyB38—
Avery CountyB39—
Clay CountyB39—
Mitchell CountyB39↑
Yancey CountyB39—
Orange CountyB40↓
Haywood CountyB40—
Madison CountyB40—
Guilford CountyB41—
Onslow CountyB41↓
McDowell CountyB41↓
Carteret CountyB41—
Pender CountyB41↑
Union CountyB41↓
Hyde CountyB42—
Lee CountyC42—
Buncombe CountyC42—
Gaston CountyC42↓
Brunswick CountyC42—
Pasquotank CountyC42↓
Person CountyC43↑
Duplin CountyC43—
Caldwell CountyC43—
Stanly CountyC43↓
Bladen CountyC44↓
Pamlico CountyC44↓
Lincoln CountyC44—
Alexander CountyC44↓
Burke CountyC44↓
Cabarrus CountyC45↓
Henderson CountyC45↓
Hoke CountyC47↓
Caswell CountyC47↓
Gates CountyC47↓
Chatham CountyC48↓
Moore CountyC48↓
Craven CountyC48↓
Sampson CountyC48↓
Randolph CountyC48↓
Rockingham CountyC48↓
Alamance CountyC48↓
Harnett CountyC49↓
Johnston CountyC49↓
Columbus CountyC49↓
Rowan CountyC49↓
Granville CountyC49↓
Chowan CountyC50↓
Richmond CountyC50↓
Camden CountyC50↓
Graham CountyC50—
Pitt CountyC50↓
Rutherford CountyC50↓
Jones CountyC50↓
Surry CountyC50↓
Bertie CountyC50↓
Franklin CountyC50↓
Yadkin CountyC50↓
Davie CountyC50↓
Robeson CountyC50↓
Wayne CountyC50↓
Durham CountyC50↓
Montgomery CountyC50↓
Cleveland CountyC50↓
Cumberland CountyC50↓
Wake CountyC51↓
Warren CountyC51↓
Beaufort CountyC51↓
Washington CountyC51↓
Scotland CountyC51↓
Perquimans CountyC51↓
Lenoir CountyC51↓
Wilson CountyD52↓
Martin CountyD52↓
Vance CountyD52↓
Nash CountyD53↓
Halifax CountyD53—
Catawba CountyD53↓
Stokes CountyD53↓
Hertford CountyD53↓
Northampton CountyD55↓
Watauga CountyD56↓
Swain CountyD57↓
Currituck CountyD62↓
Anson CountyD62↓
Edgecombe CountyF100↓Active
Davidson CountyF100↓Active
Greene 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.