NC House Bill 1009 | Eastern North Carolina Now

    There are specific NCGS (North Carolina General Statutes) that regulate the establishment of municipal zoning ordinances, including the ETJ. The ETJ is set up to give municipalities limited regulatory authority over land use in areas just outside their official town boundaries, usually 1-2 miles. This helps guide orderly growth and protect the interests of both the town and nearby residents.

    There are also laws regarding requests to vary from the ETJ allowed land uses that give towns the authority to grant or reject those requests. Zoning is a powerful legal means to regulate orderly and beneficial land use. There's lots of potential questions regarding the application of zoning ordinances, but they are generally a positive tool.

    There is a NC House Bill 1009, that was filed in April 2025, that proposes a statewide repeal of municipal Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) authority in North Carolina. This should be alarming because it will eliminate municipal ETJ land use authority statewide.

    Cities and towns would no longer be allowed to regulate land use or planning in areas outside their corporate limits. The effective date could be as soon as January 1, 2026. This seems to be a Bill that has very low public awareness.