Wind and Solar Leasing in Rowan County, North Carolina

A 2019 moratorium, not a generic "counties sometimes resist solar" story

In 2019, a developer proposed a roughly 400-acre solar farm in western Rowan County, and the proposal drew intense organized opposition from nearby residents. Rather than process it under whatever rules existed at the time, the Rowan County Board of Commissioners responded by placing a moratorium on new solar-farm applications countywide -- pausing all new utility-scale solar siting decisions while the county worked out a dedicated ordinance rather than handling large solar proposals case-by-case under general zoning language. The original 400-acre proposal was ultimately withdrawn by its developer rather than approved.

That moratorium ended once commissioners adopted specific solar-siting regulations -- meaning Rowan County's current rules exist specifically because of, and in direct response to, real community opposition to an actual project, not as a generic template borrowed from elsewhere. If you're evaluating a solar lease here, understand you're dealing with a county government that has already shown it will pause the entire application process rather than approve a project it isn't ready to regulate.

The rules have already been tested against a real, large project -- and the project lost

The clearest evidence of how seriously Rowan County enforces its own solar ordinance: in 2021, Birdseye Renewable Energy (a Dominion Energy subsidiary) sought a rezoning for a 560-acre solar farm near Old Beatty Ford Road and U.S. 52 in the Gold Hill community, about 15 miles southeast of Salisbury -- and, sitting roughly seven-tenths of a mile from an existing 700-acre solar installation already in the area. Nearby residents organized against it, citing concerns about clear-cutting forested land and building over streams, and neighbors of the adjacent Gold Hill Airpark specifically raised safety concerns about panel glare and the loss of a usable emergency landing area. The county's Planning Board voted 5-2 to recommend denial, and in November 2021 the Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to deny the rezoning outright -- county leadership stated directly that the proposal did not meet several of the specific recommendations in the county's own, recently revised solar ordinance.

The practical lesson for a landowner considering a lease: Rowan County will deny a large-scale project that doesn't fit its ordinance's siting expectations even when a developer has already secured a landowner's agreement to lease. A signed lease offer is not, by itself, evidence that a project will actually be approved here -- confirm with Rowan County Planning & Development, before you sign anything, whether the acreage, adjoining uses (including any nearby airpark, stream, or forested buffer), and site layout your developer is proposing plausibly fit within what the county has shown it will approve.

The current ordinance's actual numbers

As of a July 2025 Rowan County Planning Board report on a proposed zoning text amendment (ZTA 02-25), the county's solar-energy-farm regulations set specific setback distances: solar equipment areas must sit at least 50 feet from adjoining property lines and road rights-of-way, and all solar equipment other than the collector panels themselves must sit at least 100 feet from an existing residence, church, or school on an adjoining property. This session's research could not confirm whether ZTA 02-25's proposed changes had been formally adopted as of this page's review date -- treat these figures as the ordinance's baseline as documented in that mid-2025 report, and confirm the current, in-force version directly with the county before relying on them for a specific site plan.

Beyond the numeric setbacks, remember that these figures are a floor, not a guarantee of approval -- as the Gold Hill denial shows, the county's Planning Board and Board of Commissioners have both shown a willingness to reject a rezoning that technically could meet setback numbers but that neighbors and the county judge unsuitable for the specific site (proximity to an existing solar installation, an airpark, forested land, or streams). If you're the landowner rather than the developer, ask your prospective lessee directly how they plan to address community opposition and site-specific concerns beyond simply meeting the ordinance's minimum distances.

What to check before signing a solar or wind lease on Rowan County land

1. Confirm your parcel's current zoning district and whether a solar or wind energy use requires a rezoning or conditional/special use permit under the county's present ordinance -- do this with Rowan County Planning & Development directly, not just through your prospective lessee's representations.
2. Ask specifically whether any other utility-scale solar installation already exists nearby -- the Gold Hill denial turned partly on a second large project sitting less than a mile from the first, and the county has shown it weighs cumulative local impact, not just a single project in isolation.
3. If your land borders a small airstrip or airpark, a stream, or significant forested acreage, expect those factors to draw the same kind of scrutiny and organized neighbor opposition the Gold Hill project did -- budget for a longer, more contested approval process than a simple by-right use.
4. Get the current, in-force setback and site-plan requirements directly from Rowan County Planning & Development rather than relying on this page's 2025 snapshot, especially given the pending zoning text amendment noted above.
5. Have your lease reviewed by an attorney for what happens to your income and obligations if the county denies the rezoning after you've signed -- a lease payment structure contingent on permitting timelines is common, and you want to understand your position if approval doesn't come through.