NC Mountain Ridge Protection Act (NC)
Tracked preemption from the North Carolina overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1983-08-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:NC
Other North Carolina preemptions
NC S.L. 2023-108 (HB 409) — Statewide By-Right ADU MandateNC GS §160D-907 — Family Care Homes as Residential UseNC GS §160D-910 — Manufactured Housing Anti-ExclusionNC GS §160D-914 — Residential Solar Collector ProtectionNC GS §160D-921 — Tree Ordinance Local-Act RequirementNC GS §160D-903 — Bona Fide Farm Exemption from County ZoningNC HB 130 (2021) — Vested Rights Protections for Permit ApplicationsNC GS §160D Article 9 Part 4 — Historic Preservation Commission Authority
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
AND
city.is_in_mountain_ridge_zone==Trueparcel.on_protected_mountain_ridge==True
Preempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[*].max_height_ft | cap_at | 40 | Tall buildings (>40 ft or >3 stories) prohibited on protected mountain ridges absent local ridge-protection ordinance or state exception |
base_districts[*].ridge_development_standards | override | mountain_ridge_protection_act_standards |
Citation
Authority source
N.C.G.S. Chapter 113A, Article 14 (Mountain Ridge Protection Act of 1983)
§ Chapter 113A, Article 14
Research notes
Applies to ridges in designated mountain counties that are 3,000+ ft elevation AND at least 500 ft above the adjacent valley floor. Prohibits 'tall buildings or structures' (>40 ft or >3 stories) on protected ridges. Counties must adopt ridge-protection ordinances or default to state standards. Affected counties include Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey.