Solar farms are considered public utility facilities. Solar farm: an installation or area of land in which a large number of solar panels are set up in order to generate electricity.”

Burke County, NC, regulates solar farms as public utility facilities, defined as installations consisting of large numbers of solar panels used to generate electricity. The ordinance includes screening provisions for installations in residential districts. In such areas, solar farms must be enclosed by a 7-foot fence and include a buffer strip at least 15 feet wide, consisting of dense evergreen trees planted at a minimum height of 5 feet.