North Carolina C-PACE

Background and milestones

EDPNC's program guidelines are dated January 2025. New Hanover County announced its participation on February 20, 2025, describing a February 17 county action and itself as the first participating county. The announcement uses both participation and resolution-of-intent language; the current administrator list is stronger evidence of present participation than that historical announcement alone. The exact single statewide launch day was not established in the reviewed sources. NC02NC03

Who is responsible now?

Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Commerce. Statewide administrator: EDPNC. Its current public program page identifies Kristin Bunn, C-PACE Program Administrator, and Larry Price, Director of Finance. EDPNC reviews applications and coordinates the assessment process; private capital providers supply financing. County/city participation still matters even though administration is centralized. NC04NC05

Where it is available

EDPNC's list dated October 6, 2026 identifies 21 participating counties/municipalities: Alexander, Brunswick, Buncombe, Chatham, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Greene, Halifax, Johnston, Lenoir (spelled “Lenior” in the source), Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Orange, Richmond, Rowan, Wilson, City of Raleigh, and Town of Mills River. A listed municipality does not establish countywide eligibility; for example, the list names Raleigh, not all of Wake County. Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction before underwriting. NC06

Local adoption follows a resolution of intent, public hearing, and final participation resolution. A city also needs county concurrence. NC04NC05

Eligible property and improvements

The statute covers privately owned commercial, industrial and agricultural property, nonprofit/charitable/religious property, and multifamily with five or more units. Qualifying permanent improvements include energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation/safe drinking water, and resilience. Financing can address construction or renovation, subject to technical certification. It is capped at 35% of the property's reasonable expected stabilized value with improvements installed, and the term cannot exceed the measures' weighted-average useful life. Specific leasehold provisions need project-level review. NC05

Assessment, lender consent and process

Owners obtain a capital-provider proposal, assemble technical and ownership documentation, and submit through EDPNC. Before entering into the assessment agreement, the property owner must submit to EDPNC a written statement executed by each holder of a mortgage, deed of trust or other lien securing indebtedness on the property. The statement must consent to the C-PACE assessment and confirm that it does not constitute an event of default under the holder's mortgage, deed-of-trust or other secured-debt documents. After approval, the local government executes the assessment documents and assignment; documents are recorded in county land records. NC02NC05

The assessment is not a tax. Its lien ranks behind government taxes/liens but ahead of other liens, runs with the property, and is non-accelerating for amounts not yet due. The capital provider—not the county tax collector—is responsible for billing, collection and enforcement. Sale does not itself erase unpaid future assessments. Delinquency can lead to foreclosure; borrowers should review lien, prepayment and sale terms with counsel and their mortgage lender. NC02NC05

Documented projects

What a property owner should do next

Check the address against EDPNC's current participation list; seek an eligibility review before assuming an entire development budget qualifies; obtain each secured debt-lien holder's executed consent and nondefault statement for submission to EDPNC before the assessment agreement; commission the required engineering analysis; compare financing, fees and prepayment provisions rather than assuming advertised savings or rates. No project-specific interest rate or energy savings is promised here.

Evidence gaps: exact statewide launch day; an independently verified completion update for the Raleigh garage; a comprehensive state transaction register. These examples demonstrate activity, not the complete market.

Local applicability and permit verification

EDPNC's central administration does not eliminate local participation or construction rules. Confirm the parcel lies in a participating jurisdiction, especially where only a municipality is listed. Have the program approve each energy, water or resilience measure against its technical-certification requirements. Separately verify local building, floodplain, coastal, fire and utility approvals; the assessment law is not a permit waiver. This review did not establish address-specific code editions, wind/flood design criteria or permits, so those remain project-level gaps rather than inferred statewide rules. NC02, NC05, NC06

Additional verification limits

Items requiring further confirmation: Exact launch date; Raleigh completion; complete deal register. Raleigh listing not Wake County; local code/flood/coastal permits independent.

Continue your project research

Compare the national C-PACE financing structure; Organize state and local project requirements; Prepare a commercial-building improvement scope. This page provides guidance only; it does not accept an application or submit information to a provider.