Solar Energy in North Carolina (2026)
35 rules on the books across North Carolina, 29 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Panel Permits
Permits required for installing rooftop or ground-mounted solar panels, including electrical inspections and interconnection approvals.
North Carolina: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsNorth Carolina requires building and electrical permits for solar panel installations under the State Building Code…
Read full rule →Alamance County
Significant RestrictionsAlamance County requires an SES Permit from the Planning Department before any solar energy system construction begins…
Read full rule →Cleveland County
Significant RestrictionsCleveland County does not regulate small rooftop solar installations separately; its only solar-specific zoning law…
Read full rule →Pitt County
Significant RestrictionsPitt County requires ground-mounted solar energy facilities to win Conditional Zoning District approval in the RA, RR…
Read full rule →Wayne County
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Wayne County, no one may operate, maintain, or establish a solar energy facility until the Wayne…
Read full rule →Asheville
Some RestrictionsAsheville treats a home solar array as an accessory structure that must clear the standard zoning setbacks, not as a…
Read full rule →Brunswick County
Some RestrictionsBrunswick County, North Carolina allows roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar collectors as an accessory use in any…
Read full rule →Catawba County
Some RestrictionsGround-mounted solar panels on a residential lot in unincorporated Catawba County cannot go in the front yard and are…
Read full rule →Charlotte
Some RestrictionsCharlotte's Unified Development Ordinance requires a zoning use permit for ground-mounted solar arrays as accessory…
Read full rule →Concord
Some RestrictionsConcord allows accessory solar energy systems by right in every zoning district that permits structures, but every…
Read full rule →Craven County
Some RestrictionsNo one may start building a solar energy facility in unincorporated Craven County without first getting County approval…
Read full rule →Davidson County
Some RestrictionsDavidson County's Fire Marshal treats a solar or photovoltaic power system as a permit-required construction item under…
Read full rule →Durham
Some RestrictionsDurham allows solar energy systems as an accessory use in every zoning district, but installing one still requires a…
Read full rule →Fayetteville
Some RestrictionsFayetteville requires a permit and plan review for residential solar panels through Development Services. UDO Section…
Read full rule →Greensboro
Some RestrictionsInstalling solar photovoltaic equipment in Greensboro requires both an electrical permit from the electrical inspector…
Read full rule →Guilford County
Some RestrictionsRooftop and freestanding solar panels are an accessory use allowed in every unincorporated Guilford County zoning…
Read full rule →Harnett County
Some RestrictionsInstalling residential solar panels in Harnett County is treated as electrical work: § 151.006 adopts the National…
Read full rule →High Point
Some RestrictionsHigh Point's Development Ordinance treats ground-mounted "solar array" installations as a regulated utility use: the…
Read full rule →Johnston County
Some RestrictionsJohnston County Code § 14-118 lets homeowners and farms in the AR, Resort Residential, Mobile Home Park, and Planned…
Read full rule →Nash County
Some RestrictionsAccessory solar panel arrays are allowed in every zoning district in unincorporated Nash County under the Unified…
Read full rule →Onslow County
Some RestrictionsOnslow County permits ground-mounted solar electricity systems by right in the Rural Agricultural, Light Industrial…
Read full rule →Rowan County
Some RestrictionsResidential solar panels in unincorporated Rowan County are treated as an accessory use under County Code Sec…
Read full rule →Union County
Some RestrictionsSolar panels are an accessory use in unincorporated Union County, reviewed through the standard building and electrical…
Read full rule →Wake County
Some RestrictionsGround- and roof-mounted solar energy systems in unincorporated Wake County need permits, with FAA notice and a…
Read full rule →Iredell County
Light RestrictionsHomeowners who bolt solar panels to a roof or building in Iredell County skip the Land Development Code's zoning review…
Read full rule →Raleigh
Few RestrictionsRaleigh's UDO treats a solar energy system as an accessory use permitted in every zoning district, without a separate…
Read full rule →Winston-Salem
Few RestrictionsWinston-Salem requires building and electrical permits for rooftop solar installations. Residential systems typically…
Read full rule →HOA Restrictions
State and local laws that limit what HOAs can restrict when it comes to solar panel installation, placement, and appearance.
North Carolina: statewide
StatewideSignificant RestrictionsNorth Carolina voids any deed restriction, covenant, or HOA agreement that bans, or effectively bans, solar collectors…
Read full rule →Charlotte
Some RestrictionsNorth Carolina General Statute 22B-20 prohibits HOAs from completely banning solar energy systems. HOAs in Charlotte…
Read full rule →Raleigh
Some RestrictionsNorth Carolina General Statute §22B-20 protects homeowners' rights to install solar collectors and prohibits HOA…
Read full rule →Fayetteville
Few RestrictionsN.C.G.S. § 22B-20 voids covenants that prohibit rooftop solar collectors on residential property. Subsection (d)…
Read full rule →Huntersville
Few RestrictionsHuntersville HOAs cannot ban solar panels on the rooftop or in the rear/side yard thanks to NCGS 22B-20, which voids…
Read full rule →Matthews
Few RestrictionsNCGS 22B-20 prohibits HOAs from banning solar collectors on detached single-family homes. HOAs may impose reasonable…
Read full rule →Orange County
Few RestrictionsNorth Carolina law N.C.G.S. §22B-20 voids HOA covenants that prohibit rooftop solar. In Orange County's neighborhoods…
Read full rule →Winston-Salem
Few RestrictionsNCGS 22B-20 prohibits HOAs from banning solar panels on single-family homes in Winston-Salem. HOAs may impose…
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