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North Carolina: every permit portal for solar, wind, and storage
The quick find: which office handles each approval a utility-scale project touches in North Carolina, with the agency's own page. Counties and cities add their own land-use approvals; the state table is the part that is the same across the state.
State and grid
| Approval | Where to go |
|---|---|
| State siting or certificateWhether the state itself approves where a generating facility goes, or leaves it to counties and cities. | CPCN for generating facilities over 2 MW (G.S. 62-110.1): Rule R8-63 for merchant plants, R8-64 for QFs and CPRE facilitiesNorth Carolina Utilities CommissionThe linked form is the R8-64 application (qualifying facilities and CPRE); merchant plants file under Rule R8-63. Local zoning also applies. |
| Grid interconnectionThe queue the project enters to connect: the regional grid operator, or the utility and public utility commission outside an RTO. | Duke Energy State-Jurisdictional Interconnection ProjectsDuke Energy (Carolinas / Progress)This Duke page covers NC state-jurisdictional generator projects (20 MW and under); a utility-scale project connecting to Duke transmission files a FERC large generator request through Duke's OASIS (no RTO in the Carolinas). |
| Construction stormwater permitNPDES coverage for land disturbance of one acre or more, before earthwork starts. | NPDES Construction Stormwater Program (NCG010000)North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEMLR)NCG01 construction stormwater general permit coverage tied to an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan. |
| Historic preservation reviewSection 106 consultation through the State Historic Preservation Office when a federal permit, federal funding or federal land is involved; many states add their own review on state land. | Section 106 and GS 121-12(a) Environmental ReviewNorth Carolina State Historic Preservation OfficeEnvironmental Review Branch handles Section 106 and state G.S. 121-12(a) project reviews. |
| Wildlife and habitat reviewThe state wildlife agency's project screening or natural-heritage data request; federal species go through USFWS IPaC. | NCNHP Request InformationNorth Carolina Natural Heritage Program (DNCR)Data request and project review for rare species and natural areas via the Natural Heritage Data Explorer. |
| State road access and utility permitsA driveway onto a state highway, and a gen-tie or cable in state right of way. | NCDOT Driveway Permit FAQNorth Carolina Department of TransportationDriveway (street and driveway access) permits for connections to state-maintained roads, submitted through the NCDOT online permit system. |
| Floodplain (state NFIP coordinator)Local floodplain development permits are county or city; the state coordinator lists who administers them. | North Carolina Floodplain Mapping ProgramNorth Carolina Emergency Management, Floodplain Mapping ProgramNCEM administers the state's NFIP coordination and flood risk mapping; local governments issue floodplain development permits. |
| Water rights and wellsConstruction water, dust control and O&M wells: the state engineer, water board or environmental agency. | Water Use Reporting and Withdrawal RegistrationNorth Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water ResourcesRegistration and reporting for withdrawals of 100,000 gpd or more; capacity use area permits apply in the Central Coastal Plain. |
| Property-tax incentive programState abatement or exemption programs for renewable generation, where one exists. | North Carolina Department of Revenue, Local Government Division exact page not confirmedLook for: Solar Energy Electric Systems memorandum (Feb 15, 2011; 80% exclusion under G.S. 105-275(45)) · the exact page did not answer our check, so this goes to the agency's siteConfirmed live; PDF memo on ncdor.gov (agency's own site). The old HTML landing page is gone; this is the memo itself. |
Federal portals (the same in every state)
| Approval | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Clean Water Act Section 404 / Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 | U.S. Army Corps of EngineersRegulatory Request System: applications, pre-application meetings and jurisdictional determinations; the district office is by watershed. |
| Endangered species and critical habitat | U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceIPaC: official species list and the Section 7 consultation path for the project footprint. |
| Tall structures (wind turbines, met towers) | Federal Aviation AdministrationForm 7460-1 notice through OE/AAA before construction above the 14 CFR 77.9 heights. |
| Construction stormwater where EPA is the permitting authority | U.S. EPAEPA's Construction General Permit (NeT eNOI) in New Mexico, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, D.C., Indian country and the territories. |
| Projects on federal land | Bureau of Land ManagementRight-of-way applications and NEPA documents for BLM-managed land. |
| Transmission and wholesale market rules | Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionOrder No. 2023 cluster-study reforms, followed by every FERC-jurisdictional transmission provider, RTO or utility; ERCOT has its own process. |
County and city pages for North Carolina
From the nationwide permit finder; counties and cities issue most land-use approvals, so start with the jurisdiction that covers the parcel.
- North Carolina — Construction stormwater permitting (State): North Carolina environmental authority. Start with this agency for the linked water program. Check construction stormwater, wastewater and water-quality approvals separately; this link does not cover every environmental permit.
- North Carolina — Utilities Commission applications and forms (State): North Carolina energy / siting authority. Confirm technology, project size, location and the current state-versus-local approval pathway with this authority.
- North Carolina — local government contacts (City & local): State government / local-government association. Locate the relevant government using this directory; some directories list only cities or only counties. Confirm municipal boundaries and any separate fire, drainage, water or other district authority.
Other states
How this list is made. Each link was found on the agency's own site and is re-checked by a script that loads it and records the date; a link that stops answering is shown without a link rather than dropped. Programs change with each legislative session: confirm fees, forms and thresholds on the agency page before filing. General information, not legal advice. How we check our data · Report an error.