Cleveland County, North Carolina solar ordinance
Solar: 100 ft from property lines, 500 ft from roads, 10 acres minimum lot. Every figure is quoted from the county's ordinance, read September 29, 2026.
Updated September 2026
Solar rules
5 figures read from the county's ordinance, each with the sentence it comes from.
| Rule and what the ordinance says | Requirement |
|---|---|
Property line setbackSetbacks shall be measured from the security fencing: (1) One hundred (100) feet from any nonparticipating property; | 100 ft |
Road setback(3) Five Hundred (500) feet from the right-of-way of any arterial street; | 500 ft |
Fence heightminimumThe fencing shall be a minimum of six (6) feet in height, chain link or other fencing sufficient to ensure no public access, and equipped with a gate and locking mechanism. | 6 ft |
Minimum lot sizeAny solar facility on properties less than ten (10) acres, and or any solar facility containing battery storage shall be prohibited: | 10 acres |
Decommissioning bondwhichever is greatera surety bond naming Cleveland County as beneficiary shall be posted for one-hundred and twenty-five (125) percent of the estimated net cost of decommissioning established within the approved decommissioning plan, or twenty-five (25) percent of the estimated decommissioning cost excluding salvage | 125% |
Source: Cleveland County ordinance (PDF), read September 29, 2026. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
North Carolina state law
State law can cap or override county rules. All North Carolina rules and counties.
State siting: North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources)
Wind of 1 MW or more needs a state DEQ permit on top of local zoning; solar is sited by counties and towns under their general zoning powers, with no state siting.
N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-215.115 to 143-215.126 (Article 21C). Source
Every North Carolina figure in one spreadsheet
177 figures from 35 counties, each with its quote, source, date read and any condition. 5 of those places are not on this site. Plus the 3 moratoria and bans on file and North Carolina state law.
How these figures were read
We found Cleveland County's own ordinance and had two AI models read it separately. A figure is shown only when both read the same number and the sentence it comes from was found in the document. Moratoria and bans are checked against the adopting document. Ordinances change and many figures apply only in some cases, so check the cited section with the county before relying on one.
Common questions
What are the solar setbacks in Cleveland County, NC?
The county's ordinance sets solar facilities back 100 ft from property lines and 500 ft from roads. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
What is the minimum lot size for a solar farm in Cleveland County, NC?
The ordinance sets a minimum lot size of 10 acres. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.