Carteret County, NC Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Section 13.5-4 makes it 'unlawful after the effective date of this chapter for any person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity to operate, maintain, or establish in any unincorporated area of Carteret County a solar energy facility which the site plan has not been approved by the Carteret County Planning Commission,' and expanding an existing facility's footprint by more than 20 percent or changing panel type triggers the same review. Section 13.5-9 spells out the application: the owner must submit 15 copies of a site plan showing property lines, improved-area locations and distances, a landscaping plan for the required buffer, underground power line routing, access roads, and any wetlands or flood-hazard areas, with appeals of a Planning Commission decision going to the Board of Commissioners.

Section 13.5-6 sets the physical standards: a 15-foot maximum height, a 125-foot setback from all property lines, a 50-foot easement for access roads, and a 25-foot vegetative buffer combining evergreens, shrubs and a six-foot opaque fence or wall. Facilities within 1,500 feet of MCALF Bogue, MCOLF Atlantic or Bombing Target 11 are barred outright given Cherry Point's flight operations, and § 13.5-11 layers on aviation notice requirements to the MCAS Cherry Point Base Commander or the FAA at least 30 to 60 days before the Planning Commission meeting. Section 13.5-10 requires an abandonment and decommissioning plan, plus a performance guarantee equal to 1.25 times the certified decommissioning cost.