FILED SENATE
Mar 16, 2021
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
S.B. 308
SESSION 2021 PRINCIPAL CLERK
S D
SENATE BILL DRS15139-MH-110
Short Title: Building Code Inspection Reform. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Johnson and Jarvis (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to:
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO STREAMLINE ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATES OF COMPLIANCE WITH
3 BUILDING CODES AND TO PREVENT UNNECESSARY DELAY DUE TO
4 REPETITIVE REINSPECTIONS.
5 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
6 SECTION 1. G.S. 160D-1104(d), as enacted by S.L. 2019-111, reads as rewritten:
7 "(d) Except as provided in G.S. 160D-1115 and G.S. 160D-1207, a local government may
8 not adopt or enforce a local ordinance or resolution or any other policy that requires regular,
9 routine inspections of buildings or structures constructed in compliance with the North Carolina
10 Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings in addition to the specific inspections
11 required by the North Carolina Building Code without first obtaining approval from the North
12 Carolina Building Code Council. The North Carolina Building Code Council shall review all
13 applications for additional inspections requested by a local government and shall, in a reasonable
14 manner, approve or disapprove the additional inspections. This subsection does not limit the
15 authority of the local government to require inspections upon unforeseen or unique circumstances
16 that require immediate action. In performing the specific inspections required by the North
17 Carolina Residential Building Code, the inspector shall conduct all inspections requested by the
18 permit holder for each scheduled inspection visit. For each requested inspection, the inspector
19 shall inform the permit holder of instances in which the work inspected is incomplete or
20 otherwise fails to meet the requirements of the North Carolina Residential Code for One- and
21 Two-Family Dwellings or the North Carolina Building Code. When a subsequent inspection is
22 conducted to verify completion or correction of instances of Code noncompliance, any additional
23 violations of the Residential Code or the Building Code noted by the inspector that (i) are outside
24 the scope of the subsequent inspection and (ii) fall within an area or aspect of work for which a
25 final inspection has already been conducted, the inspection department shall not charge an
26 additional fee nor delay issuance of a temporary certificate of compliance pending completion of
27 additional inspections to verify completion or correction of those additional violations. Nothing
28 in this subsection is intended to prevent the local government from requiring suitable security to
29 ensure code compliance as set forth in G.S. 160D-1116."
30 SECTION 2. This act becomes effective January 1, 2022, and applies to inspections
31 associated with permits applied for on or after that date.
*DRS15139-MH-110*


Statutes affected:
Edition 2: 160D-1104
Edition 3: 160D-1104
Edition 4: 143-143.2, 160A-344
Ratified: 143-143.2
SL 2021-183: 143-143.2