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

Section 14-118 of the Johnston County Code regulates solar energy systems as an accessory use to a home or farm operation, applying to the Agricultural-Residential district (§ 14-75), the Resort Residential district (§ 14-76), the Residential-Mobile Home Park district (§ 14-77), and Planned Developments under § 14-257(j) and (k). Subsection (b) draws a hard line: freestanding, commercial-scale solar energy generation facilities are not permitted in any of those districts at all, only accessory systems tied to an existing dwelling, residential accessory structure, or bona fide farming operation.

5 percent of the lot's total gross area, with a floor of 125 square feet and a ceiling of 500 square feet, and caps the mounting hardware at 12 feet tall; ground-mounted arrays must also meet the underlying district's setback, sit no closer to the road than the front of the house, and be screened from neighbors and the street. Roof-mounted systems under § 14-118(c)(2) can cover up to 1,000 square feet with mounting hardware no taller than four feet, engineered so the roof structure can carry the added load.

Wall-mounted panels under § 14-118(c)(3) top out at 120 square feet and may project no more than 24 inches from the wall. Farm installations follow a separate track: § 14-118(d) restricts collectors to the private use of a bona fide farming operation and requires ground-mounted systems to sit back 20 feet from interior property lines and 50 feet from the road right-of-way, screened from view.