GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 41
Short Title: Lincoln/Catawba Common Boundary Line. (Local)
Sponsors: Representative Rhyne.
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Judiciary 1, if favorable, State and Local Government, if favorable, Finance, if
favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
February 5, 2025
*H41-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO KEEP THE COMMON BOUNDARY LINE BETWEEN LINCOLN COUN TY 2
AND CATAWBA COUNTY A S THE CURRENTLY RECO GNIZED COMMON 3
BOUNDARY LINE THAT IS USED BY THE COUNTIES FOR TAXATION PURPOSES 4
AND REFLECTED IN THE COUNTIES' GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS 5
MAPS. 6
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 7
SECTION 1. The legal boundary line between Lincoln County and Catawba County 8
shall be the recognized common boundary line used by Lincoln County and Catawba County for 9
taxation purposes and reflected in the counties' geographic information systems maps. 10
SECTION 2. Any completed county boundary survey delivered by the North 11
Carolina Geodetic Survey in accordance with Article 3 of Chapter 153A of the General Statutes 12
in 2024 that is not consistent with Section 1 of this act shall not be binding upon Lincoln County 13
and Catawba County and shall not be used by Lincoln County or Catawba County as a common 14
boundary between the counties. 15
SECTION 3. Notwithstanding any provision of Article 3 of Chapter 153A of the 16
General Statutes, not later than 42 months after the date this act becomes effective, North 17
Carolina Geodetic Survey (NCGS) or its contractors shall locate, survey, mark, and map the 18
boundary line described in Section 1 of this act in the manner provided in G.S. 153A-18. Lincoln 19
County shall pay the full cost of the work performed by NCGS or its contractors. Upon 20
completion of the survey, NCGS shall cause the survey plat to be recorded in the office of the 21
register of deeds of each county in the manner provided by law for the recordation of maps or 22
plats and in the Secretary of State's office. 23
SECTION 4. On and after the effective date of this act, all papers, documents, and 24
instruments required or permitted to be filed or registered related to residents or property shall 25
be filed in the county in which the property is located pursuant to the boundary described in 26
Section 1 of this act despite the fact that papers, documents, and instruments required or permitted 27
to be filed or registered with respect to such residents or property may have been previously 28
recorded in the other county. 29
SECTION 5. All public records related to residents and property located in areas 30
affected by the establishment of the boundary line in Section 1 of this act that were filed or 31
recorded prior to the effective date of this act in the adjoining county shall remain in the 32
respective adjoining county where filed or recorded, and such records shall be valid public 33
records as to the property and persons involved, even though they are recorded in an adjoining 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 41-First Edition
county where the property is not located as evidenced by the boundary described in Section 1 of 1
this act. 2
SECTION 6. The establishment of a county boundary line is, pursuant to Section 1 3
of Article VII of the North Carolina Constitution, the responsibility of the General Assembly. 4
Further, it is vital to the State of North Carolina and all affected local governments that county 5
boundary lines be fixed and any uncertainty as to the location of county boundary lines be 6
resolved. For this reason and in the interest of justice, neither Lincoln County nor Catawba 7
County, nor any agent, employee, or appointed or elected official thereof, shall be liable to any 8
individual, group, organization, for-profit or not-for-profit business entity of any kind, or 9
governmental entity or agency of any type or kind for any damages, costs, fees, or fines, and no 10
court action shall be maintained against said counties, officials, employees, and agents for any 11
recommendation, act, failure to act, or conduct related to the provisions of this act and/or the 12
adoption of a fixed boundary line separating the two counties. Lincoln County and Catawba 13
County and their officials, employees, and agents are released from all liability for any claims 14
made, and no court action shall be maintained against said officials, employees, and agents for 15
any act or failure to act pursuant to the terms of this act. 16
SECTION 7. This act is effective when it becomes law. 17