North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H281 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	H 1
4		-	HOUSE BILL 281
	3	+	H D
	4	+	HOUSE BILL DRH10121-MQ-31
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: Restore Down-Zoning/Multiple Municipalities. (Local)
8	9		Sponsors: Representative Cairns.
9		-	For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10		-	Referred to: Judiciary 3, if favorable, Housing and Development, if favorable, Rules, Calendar,
11		-	and Operations of the House
12		-	March 5, 2025
13		-	H281 -v-1
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRH10121 -MQ-31
14	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
15	14		AN ACT TO RESTORE THE AUTHORITY TO INITIATE DOWN -ZONING IN 2
16	15		MOREHEAD CITY, THE TOWN OF BEAUFORT, THE TOWN OF BOGUE, THE 3
17	16		TOWN OF CAPE CARTERET, THE TOWN OF CEDAR POINT, AND THE TOWN OF 4
18	17		NEWPORT. 5
19	18		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
20	19		SECTION 1. G.S. 160D-601(d), as amended by Section 3K.1(a) of S.L. 2024-57, 7
21	20		reads as rewritten: 8
22	21		"(d) Down-Zoning. – No amendment to zoning regulations or a zoning map that 9
23	22		down-zones property shall be initiated, enacted, or enforced initiated nor is it enforceable without 10
24	23		the written consent of all property owners whose property is the subject of the down-zoning 11
25	24		amendment. amendment, unless the down-zoning amendment is initiated by the local 12
26	25		government. For purposes of this section, "down-zoning" means a zoning ordinance that affects 13
27	26		an area of land in one of the following ways: 14
28	27		(1) By decreasing the development density of the land to be less dense than was 15
29	28		allowed under its previous usage. 16
30	29		(2) By reducing the permitted uses of the land that are specified in a zoning 17
31	30		ordinance or land development regulation to fewer uses than were allowed 18
32	31		under its previous usage. 19
33	32		(3) By creating any type of nonconformity on land not in a residential zoning 20
34	33		district, including a nonconforming use, nonconforming lot, nonconforming 21
35	34		structure, nonconforming improvement, or nonconforming site element." 22
36	35		SECTION 2.(a) This act applies only to the municipality of Morehead City and the 23
37	36		Towns of Beaufort, Bogue, Cape Carteret, Cedar Point, and Newport. 24
38	37		SECTION 2.(b) This act is effective when it becomes law and applies retroactively 25
39	38		to December 11, 2024. Any adopted ordinance affected by Section 3K.1 of S.L. 2024-57 shall 26
40	39		be in effect as it was on or before December 11, 2024. 27
	40	+	H.B. 281
	41	+	Mar 4, 2025
	42	+	HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK