Raleigh, NC Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

" That means a solar installation does not require its own conditional-use approval or rezoning, it rides along with whatever principal use (a house, a store, a warehouse) is already permitted on the lot. Siting flexibility comes from two other Chapter 1 sections. 4, "Setback Encroachments," solar panels or wind turbines "may extend into a required rear or side setback, provided that such extension is at least 3 feet from the vertical plane of any lot line," the identical clearance the UDO gives HVAC equipment and rainwater harvesting systems, but that allowance does not reach the front or side-street setback.

7, "Height Encroachments," solar panels and wind turbines are grouped with chimneys, flagpoles and parapet walls as accessory structures that may exceed the applicable zoning district's maximum building height by up to 12 feet, except within an Airport Overlay District (-AOD). 3 does not attach a site-plan or miscellaneous-zoning-permit trigger specifically to solar systems, an installation that stays within the standard accessory-structure setback and height allowances is not shown in the UDO as needing UDO-level zoning approval beyond whatever building/electrical permit the NC Building Code separately requires for the physical construction.