How to find solar leads in Charlotte from building permits — free
Charlotte & Mecklenburg County filed 866 solar permits in the last 12 months — about 17 a week, 26 in the last 30 days. Every one is a public record naming the address, the work and, usually, who's doing it. Here's how solar installers find them for free, which ones are worth a call, and when it's worth paying not to.
The busiest ZIP code was 28269, with 8% of them, and the most active name on them was Renu Energy Solutions, with 294.
- Last 12 months
- 866
- A week, on average
- 17
- Last 30 days
- 26
- Busiest month
- 133
- March 2026
Step 1: Search Mecklenburg County's Accela Citizen Access (free)
The permit office's own records, straight from the source. Search for: electrical (solar is filed as electrical work).
- Open the Building tab and choose Search Applications.
- Leave the permit number blank and set a date range — a week at a time keeps the list short.
- Each result opens to the permit's own page, with the work, the status and the people on it.
Who's on a permit: A permit's page names the applicant and usually the licensed contractor, often with a phone number and email.
Step 2: Keep the permits worth a call
Does the work need a permit in North Carolina? Yes. Every install adds electrical equipment, so it needs at least an electrical permit. So these are the solar permits on file, and what each is worth.
Who's installing where
A solar permit means the sale already happened, so it's market intelligence more than a lead: which installers win which ZIP codes, and how many systems go up a month.
New homes
Builders offering solar or solar-ready wiring choose an installer per community. The new-home permits show which builders are building where.
Commercial roofs
Commercial building and re-roof permits mark large flat roofs — the best sites for commercial solar.
Step 3: Start where the work is
The ZIP codes in Charlotte & Mecklenburg County with the most solar permits in the last 12 months.
Step 4: Know who's pulling them
The installers on this list are your competition; the builders filing new-home permits are partners worth a call. Ranked by permits in the last 12 months.
| Contractor | Last 12 months | Last 90 days |
|---|---|---|
| Renu Energy Solutions | 294 | 41 |
| 8MSolar | 180 | 39 |
| Top Tier Solar Solutions | 173 | 5 |
| Southern Energy Management, Inc | 34 | 6 |
| Tayco Electric & Solar Inc. | 26 | 3 |
| NC Solar Now, Inc. | 16 | 6 |
| Sun Service Specialists LLC | 14 | 0 |
| Complete Solar, Inc. | 13 | 0 |
| Luminasun Smart Home, LLC | 7 | 4 |
| Renewable Energy Design Group | 5 | 0 |
| Yes Solar Solutions | 4 | 0 |
| Lidas Builders LLC | 4 | 0 |
Step 5: Reach out at the right time
Call builders when a community's first permits are filed, before they've picked an installer for it.
The free way, and the fast way
The permits are free either way. What costs time is finding them, one office and one search at a time.
| The office's portal | TarSignal Free | TarSignal Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | One permit office's site at a time | 23 North Carolina offices, one search | 23 offices, one search |
| How recent | Same day, if you search every day | Permits over 30 days old | Up to today |
| Who's doing the work | Depends on the office; phone numbers rarely | Contractor and contact, on permits over 30 days old | Contractor and contact on every permit |
| New permits sent to you | No | Weekly, one ZIP code | Daily, every area |
| Export | Rarely | No | CSV |
| Cost | Free | Free | $199/month |
Solar Leads in Charlotte: common questions
- How do I find solar leads in Charlotte for free?
- From the building permits. Mecklenburg County's Accela Citizen Access is free to search: Open the Building tab and choose Search Applications. TarSignal's free search has the same permits from 23 North Carolina offices in one place, with the contractor where the record names one, for permits more than 30 days old.
- How many solar permits are filed in Charlotte?
- 866 in the last 12 months, about 17 a week, and 26 in the last 30 days. The busiest ZIP codes were 28269, 28278 and 28215.
- Are building permits public record in North Carolina?
- Yes. Permits are public records under the North Carolina Public Records Act (G.S. Chapter 132), so anyone can look them up, and the contractor named on a permit is part of the record.
- Does solar work need a permit in Charlotte?
- Yes. Every install adds electrical equipment, so it needs at least an electrical permit. That's state law (G.S. 160D-1110), so it's the same at any permit office in the state.
Related
The numbers behind this guide, with recent permits: Solar permits in Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. Every permit in the area: building permits in Charlotte & Mecklenburg County.
Solar Leads in other places
See this week's solar leads
Permit Search has every solar permit filed in Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, with the contractor where the record names one. Free for permits over 30 days old; Pro has them the day they're filed.
Source: TarSignal, from North Carolina public building permit records, data through October 23, 2026. Refreshed nightly. Counts include every permit type a jurisdiction files — trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) as well as building permits — so one project can appear more than once. Values are what the applicant declared, where the jurisdiction records one. We keep improving how we collect each office's permits, so a count that steps up suddenly usually means more complete records, not more construction.