North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H212 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-H 1
4-HOUSE BILL 212
3+H D
4+HOUSE BILL DRH10085-MU-26
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Condemnation/Service on Spouses Not Required. (Public)
89 Sponsors: Representative Blust.
9-For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10-Referred to: Transportation, if favorable, Judiciary 3, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and
11-Operations of the House
12-February 27, 2025
13-*H212 -v-1*
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRH10085 -MU-26*
1413 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1514 AN ACT TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS NOT 2
1615 REQUIRED TO SERVE OR JOIN SPOUSES OF PROPERTY OWNERS IN 3
1716 CONDEMNATION ACTIONS AND TO MAKE TECHNICAL CHANGES. 4
1817 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
1918 SECTION 1. G.S. 136-103 reads as rewritten: 6
2019 "§ 136-103. Institution of action and deposit. 7
2120 (a) In case condemnation shall become necessary becomes necessary, the Department of 8
2221 Transportation shall institute a civil action by filing in the superior court of any county in which 9
2322 the land is located a complaint and a declaration of taking declaring that such land, easement, or 10
2423 interest therein the land or an easement or interest in the land is thereby taken for the use of the 11
2524 Department of Transportation.Department. The Department is not required to serve or join 12
2625 spouses of persons with an interest in the land unless the spouse also has an interest in the land 13
2726 other than the possibility of a future election under G.S. 29-30. 14
2827 (b) Said The declaration shall contain or have attached thereto to it the following: 15
2928 (1) A statement of the authority under which and the public use for which said the 16
3029 land is taken. 17
3130 (2) A description of the entire tract or tracts affected by said the taking sufficient 18
3231 for the identification thereof.of it. 19
3332 (3) A statement of the estate or interest in said the land taken for public use and a 20
3433 description of the area taken sufficient for the identification thereof.of it. 21
3534 (4) The names and addresses of those persons who that the Department of 22
3635 Transportation is informed and believes may have or claim to have an interest 23
3736 in said lands, the land, so far as the same can by reasonable diligence be 24
3837 ascertained and if any such can be ascertained by reasonable diligence. The 25
3938 Department shall state whether any persons are infants, non compos mentis, 26
4039 or under any other disability, or their whereabouts or names unknown, it must 27
4140 be so stated.if any person's whereabouts or name is unknown. The Department 28
4241 is not required to include the names and addresses of persons whose only 29
4342 interest in the land is the possibility of a future election under G.S. 29-30. 30
4443 (5) A statement of the sum of money estimated by said the Department of 31
4544 Transportation to be just compensation for said the taking. 32
46-(c) Said The complaint shall contain or have attached thereto to it the following: 33 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
47-Page 2 House Bill 212-First Edition
48-(1) A statement of the authority under which and the public use for which said 1
49-land is taken.The information described in subdivisions (b)(1) through (b)(4) 2
50-of this section. 3
51-(2) A description of the entire tract or tracts affected by said taking sufficient for 4
52-the identification thereof. 5
53-(3) A statement of the estate or interest in said land taken for public use and a 6
54-description of the area taken sufficient for the identification thereof. 7
55-(4) The names and addresses of those persons who the Department of 8
56-Transportation is informed and believes may have or claim to have an interest 9
57-in said lands, so far as the same can by reasonable diligence be ascertained 10
58-and if any such persons are infants, non compos mentis, under any other 11
59-disability, or their whereabouts or names unknown, it must be so stated. 12
60-(5) A statement as to such any liens or other encumbrances as that the Department 13
61-of Transportation is informed and believes are encumbrances upon said real 14
62-estate the land and can by reasonable diligence be ascertained.be ascertained 15
63-by reasonable diligence. 16
64-(6) A prayer that there be a determination of just compensation in accordance with 17
65-the provisions of this Article. 18
66-(d) The filing of said the complaint and said the declaration of taking shall be 19
67-accompanied by the a deposit of the sum of money estimated by said the Department of 20
68-Transportation to be just compensation for said taking and upon the taking. Upon the filing of 21
69-said complaint and said declaration of taking and deposit of said sum, the complaint, declaration, 22
70-and deposit, summons shall be issued and together with a copy of said complaint and said 23
71-declaration of taking and notice of the deposit the complaint, declaration, and notice of deposit 24
72-shall be served upon the person named therein in the manner now provided for the service of 25
73-process in civil actions. persons named in the complaint in accordance with G.S. 1A-1, Rule 4. 26
74-The Department of Transportation may amend the complaint and declaration of taking and may 27
75-increase the amount of its deposit with the court at any time while the proceeding is pending, and 28
76-the owner shall have a person named in the complaint has the same rights of withdrawal of this 29
77-additional amount as set forth in G.S. 136-105 of this Chapter.G.S. 136-105." 30
78-SECTION 2. G.S. 29-30 reads as rewritten: 31
79-"§ 29-30. Election of surviving spouse to take life interest in lieu of intestate share provided. 32
80-(a) Except as provided in this subsection, in lieu of the intestate share provided in 33
81-G.S. 29-14 or G.S. 29-21, or of the elective share provided in G.S. 30-3.1, the surviving spouse 34
82-of an intestate or the surviving spouse who has petitioned for an elective share is entitled to take 35
83-as the surviving spouse's intestate share or elective share a life estate in one third in value of all 36
84-the real estate of which the deceased spouse was seised and possessed of an estate of inheritance 37
85-at any time during coverture. the marriage. The surviving spouse is not entitled to take a life 38
86-estate in any of the following circumstances: 39
87-… 40
88-(3c) Any real estate taken by the Department of Transportation in a condemnation 41
89-action initiated before the deceased spouse's death. 42
90-…." 43
91-SECTION 3. This act becomes effective October 1, 2025, and applies to 44
92-condemnation actions initiated on or after that date. 45
45+(c) Said The complaint shall contain or have attached thereto to it the following: 33
46+(1) A statement of the authority under which and the public use for which said 34
47+land is taken.The information described in subdivisions (b)(1) through (b)(4) 35
48+of this section. 36
49+H.B. 212
50+Feb 25, 2025
51+HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
52+Page 2 DRH10085-MU-26
53+(2) A description of the entire tract or tracts affected by said taking sufficient for 1
54+the identification thereof. 2
55+(3) A statement of the estate or interest in said land taken for public use and a 3
56+description of the area taken sufficient for the identification thereof. 4
57+(4) The names and addresses of those persons who the Department of 5
58+Transportation is informed and believes may have or claim to have an interest 6
59+in said lands, so far as the same can by reasonable diligence be ascertained 7
60+and if any such persons are infants, non compos mentis, under any other 8
61+disability, or their whereabouts or names unknown, it must be so stated. 9
62+(5) A statement as to such any liens or other encumbrances as that the Department 10
63+of Transportation is informed and believes are encumbrances upon said real 11
64+estate the land and can by reasonable diligence be ascertained.be ascertained 12
65+by reasonable diligence. 13
66+(6) A prayer that there be a determination of just compensation in accordance with 14
67+the provisions of this Article. 15
68+(d) The filing of said the complaint and said the declaration of taking shall be 16
69+accompanied by the a deposit of the sum of money estimated by said the Department of 17
70+Transportation to be just compensation for said taking and upon the taking. Upon the filing of 18
71+said complaint and said declaration of taking and deposit of said sum, the complaint, declaration, 19
72+and deposit, summons shall be issued and together with a copy of said complaint and said 20
73+declaration of taking and notice of the deposit the complaint, declaration, and notice of deposit 21
74+shall be served upon the person named therein in the manner now provided for the service of 22
75+process in civil actions. persons named in the complaint in accordance with G.S. 1A-1, Rule 4. 23
76+The Department of Transportation may amend the complaint and declaration of taking and may 24
77+increase the amount of its deposit with the court at any time while the proceeding is pending, and 25
78+the owner shall have a person named in the complaint has the same rights of withdrawal of this 26
79+additional amount as set forth in G.S. 136-105 of this Chapter.G.S. 136-105." 27
80+SECTION 2. G.S. 29-30 reads as rewritten: 28
81+"§ 29-30. Election of surviving spouse to take life interest in lieu of intestate share provided. 29
82+(a) Except as provided in this subsection, in lieu of the intestate share provided in 30
83+G.S. 29-14 or G.S. 29-21, or of the elective share provided in G.S. 30-3.1, the surviving spouse 31
84+of an intestate or the surviving spouse who has petitioned for an elective share is entitled to take 32
85+as the surviving spouse's intestate share or elective share a life estate in one third in value of all 33
86+the real estate of which the deceased spouse was seised and possessed of an estate of inheritance 34
87+at any time during coverture. the marriage. The surviving spouse is not entitled to take a life 35
88+estate in any of the following circumstances: 36
89+… 37
90+(3c) Any real estate taken by the Department of Transportation in a condemnation 38
91+action initiated before the deceased spouse's death. 39
92+…." 40
93+SECTION 3. This act becomes effective October 1, 2025, and applies to 41
94+condemnation actions initiated on or after that date. 42