NC Subdivision Regulation Authority (G.S. §160D Article 8) (NC)
Tracked preemption from the North Carolina overlay bundle.
Overview
← All state preemptionsNorth Carolina overlay roll-upNorth Carolina zoning wikiNorth Carolina building codesFederal overlaysGlossaryFederal-conflict: Not flagged
Effective
2021-07-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:NC
Other North Carolina preemptions
NC S.L. 2024-43 (HB 250) — Public Safety / Other Changes Omnibus (placeholder — zoning provisions unverified)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 Applications
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
project.requires_subdivision_plat == TruePreempted fields
3 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
review_type | override | subdivision_administrative_review | §160D-806: subdivision approval must be administrative (staff) where the ordinance lists objective standards; quasi-judicial / discretionary review prohibited for compliant plats |
base_districts[*].minor_subdivision_exemption | add | exempt_per_local_ordinance | §160D-802 statutory exemptions: division for ag use ≥1 ac with no new street, recombination, court-ordered, public-acquisition divisions |
base_districts[*].subdivision_performance_guarantee_cap | cap_at | 125_pct_of_remaining_improvements | §160D-804.1 caps performance guarantees at 125% of remaining improvement cost; mandates partial release as work completes |
Citation
Authority source
N.C.G.S. §160D-801 – §160D-808 (Subdivision Regulation, Article 8)
§ §160D-801 – §160D-808
Research notes
Article 8 controls subdivision review process and substantive exemptions. §160D-802 statutory exemptions: agricultural divisions ≥1 ac with no new street, recombinations, court-ordered, divisions for public acquisition; cities/counties cannot enforce subdivision ordinance against statutorily exempt divisions. §160D-804.1 caps performance guarantees (125%) and mandates surety release — a major 2019–2021 reform protecting developers. §160D-806 prohibits discretionary review of plats meeting ordinance standards. Often combined with §160D-108 vested-rights protections.