# Data Centers in Wilkes County, NC: Rules, Power, Records | FOUND Wilkes County, North Carolina for data-center and land buyers: local actions, announced projects, county zoning, electric providers, and the land records offices. Canonical: https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/wilkes-county/ Last updated 2026.09.30 ## Wilkes County at a glance - County seat: Wilkesboro - Population, 2024 estimate: 66186 - Land area, square miles: 753.7 - Development tier, 2026: Tier 1 - Last reappraisal: 2025 - Next reappraisal: 2029 - Regional council: High Country Council of Governments ## Local government actions We found no recorded moratorium or ordinance action on data centers in this county. A town inside the county can act separately, and an empty search is not a clearance. ## Announced projects We have no announced data-center project on record for this county. ## Zoning and land-use rules in Wilkes County We could not confirm the extent of county zoning in Wilkes County from the public record. The planning office can state it. The ordinance applies within designated official zone areas, but its text does not establish whether they cover all unincorporated land. https://wilkescounty.net/DocumentCenter/View/129/Zoning-Ordinance-PDF?bidId= ### How the county ordinance treats a data center Our search of the county ordinance text found no data-center use by name. A planner decides which listed use applies to a project. The full county zoning ordinance was searched for data center, data processing, data storage, server farm, cryptocurrency, and crypto. https://wilkescounty.net/DocumentCenter/View/129/Zoning-Ordinance-PDF?bidId= ### Municipalities in Wilkes County Elkin, North Wilkesboro, Ronda, Wilkesboro ## Electric providers in Wilkes County North Carolina assigns electric service by territory, so the provider for a parcel depends on where the parcel sits. These providers have territory or customers in Wilkes County. - Blue Ridge Energy (cooperative) https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/our-members - EnergyUnited (cooperative) https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/our-members - Surry-Yadkin EMC (cooperative) https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/our-members - Duke Energy Carolinas (investor-owned) https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/zip/f8612024.zip A provider's presence does not show that it can serve a large load at a given point. Only the utility can state that. ## Where the land records are in Wilkes County - [Wilkes County parcel viewer](https://gis.wilkescounty.net/maps/): Parcel boundaries, parcel numbers, the owner of record, and mapped acreage. - [Wilkes County Register of Deeds](https://www.wilkescounty.net/268/Register-of-Deeds): Deeds, plats, easements, and deeds of trust. - [Wilkes County online land records search](https://www.wilkesncrod.org/): Recorded documents, searched by name or by book and page. - [Wilkes County Tax Administration](https://www.wilkescounty.net/226/Tax-Administration): Assessed value, tax bills, and present-use status. - [Wilkes County Planning](https://www.wilkescounty.net/258/Planning): Zoning maps, the ordinance, and permit history. ## Reappraisal and development tier Wilkes County last reappraised real property effective 2025. The next reappraisal is scheduled for 2029. The North Carolina Department of Commerce ranks Wilkes County as Tier 1 for 2026. Tier 1 marks the most economically distressed counties and Tier 3 the least. The tier sets eligibility for several state incentive programs. ## How to read this County and town are different governments. A county can have no pause while a town inside it has one, and the reverse. Before you rely on any row, confirm which government regulates the parcel, then read the ordinance in the linked source for its scope and end date. ### Does Wilkes County have a data center moratorium? We found no recorded moratorium action on data centers in Wilkes County as of 2026.09.30. That is not a clearance, because a town inside the county can act separately. ### What data centers are planned in Wilkes County? We have no announced data-center project on record for Wilkes County as of 2026.09.30. ### Does Wilkes County have zoning? We could not confirm the extent of county zoning in Wilkes County from the public record. The planning office can state it. The ordinance applies within designated official zone areas, but its text does not establish whether they cover all unincorporated land. ### Who provides electricity in Wilkes County? Providers with territory or customers in Wilkes County: Blue Ridge Energy; EnergyUnited; Surry-Yadkin EMC; Duke Energy Carolinas. The provider for a parcel depends on where the parcel sits. ### Where do I find parcel records for Wilkes County? The Wilkes County parcel viewer shows parcel boundaries and the owner of record. The Wilkes County Register of Deeds holds deeds, plats, and easements. ## Neighboring counties - [Alexander County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/alexander-county/index.md) - [Alleghany County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/alleghany-county/index.md) - [Ashe County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/ashe-county/index.md) - [Caldwell County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/caldwell-county/index.md) - [Iredell County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/iredell-county/index.md) - [Surry County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/surry-county/index.md) - [Watauga County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/watauga-county/index.md) - [Yadkin County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/yadkin-county/index.md) ## Sources for this page - [U.S. Census Bureau, County Population Totals, Vintage 2024](https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html) - [U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files, Counties](https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html) - [NCpedia county entries, State Library of North Carolina](https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/counties) - [2026 North Carolina Development Tier Designations, N.C. Department of Commerce, November 26, 2025](https://www.commerce.nc.gov/report-county-tiers-ranking-memo-current-year/open) - [2026-2027 Property Tax Rates And Reappraisal Schedules For North Carolina Counties, N.C. Department of Revenue](https://www.ncdor.gov/2026-2027countytaxratesfinalxlsx/open) - [Regional Councils, North Carolina Association of Regional Councils of Governments](https://ncarcog.org/regional-councils/) - [Wilkes County ordinance use search](https://wilkescounty.net/DocumentCenter/View/129/Zoning-Ordinance-PDF?bidId=) - [Wilkes County Planning](https://www.wilkescounty.net/258/Planning) - [Wilkes County parcel viewer](https://gis.wilkescounty.net/maps/) - [Wilkes County Register of Deeds](https://www.wilkescounty.net/268/Register-of-Deeds) - [Wilkes County online land records search](https://www.wilkesncrod.org/) - [Wilkes County Tax Administration](https://www.wilkescounty.net/226/Tax-Administration) - [Our Members | North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives](https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/our-members) - [Company-reported county service territories, Form EIA-861 2024 final data (Service_Territory_2024.xlsx)](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/zip/f8612024.zip) Transactions are handled through a licensed North Carolina real estate brokerage.