Keeping NC Open for Business.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1207

Short Title: Keeping NC Open for Business. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Ball and Budd (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
May 5, 2026
*H1207-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A MUNIC IPAL WINTER ROAD OPE RATIONS GRANT 2
PROGRAM. 3
4
Whereas, winter weather events involving snow and ice, while intermittent in North 5
Carolina, can cause substantial disruption to commerce, emergency response, and public safety 6
when municipal road networks are inadequately cleared; and 7
Whereas, widespread business closures, delayed freight movement, and workforce 8
disruptions resulting from winter -weather-related transportation failures can cost the State 9
economy an estimated five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000) or more per day in lost 10
economic activity and productivity, substantially exceeding the cost of proactive investments in 11
municipal snow and ice response capacity; and 12
Whereas, timely snow and ice removal from municipal streets and commercial 13
corridors reduces economic losses, improves emergenc y access, and shortens recovery time 14
following winter storms; and 15
Whereas, municipalities vary significantly in their winter road response capacity, and 16
a coordinated State–local partnership can improve readiness and efficiency; Now, therefore, 17
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 18
19
MUNICIPAL WINTER ROAD REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM. 20
SECTION 1. Chapter 136 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article 21
to read: 22
"Article 14D. 23
"Municipal Winter Road Operations Cost Share Program. 24
"§ 136-189.30. Municipal Winter Road Operations Cost Share Program. 25
(a) Creation. – The Municipal Winter Road Operations Cost Share Program ( "the 26
Program") is established within the Department of Transportation. The Department shall 27
administer the Program and reimburse municipalities in accordance with this Article. 28
(b) Purpose. — The purpose of this Article is to improve municipal preparedness and 29
response for snow and ice events by supporting the acquisition of equipment, staffing readiness, 30
and coordinated contractin g for snow and ice removal on municipal streets and public 31
rights-of-way. 32
(c) Allowable Reimbursements. — The Department may reimburse up to seventy-five 33
percent (75%) of the following costs incurred by a municipality: 34
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1207-First Edition
(1) Outfitting municipal sanitation trucks, dump trucks, or other heavy -duty 1
municipal vehicles with snow plows, salt spreaders, or liquid de -icing 2
systems; 3
(2) Installation of required cameras, GPS tracking devices, and associated data 4
systems; 5
(3) Operational costs directly related to snow and ice response, including staffing, 6
training, fuel, materials, and contracted services; and 7
(4) Payments to contracted private snow-removal providers as required under this 8
Article. 9
(e) Contracting requirement. — As a condition of receiving reimbursement under this 10
Article, a municipality shall contract with one or more private service providers located within 11
the State that are capable of performing snow and ice removal using appropriately equipped 12
vehicles, to provide supplemental snow and ice removal services. Nothing in this subsection shall 13
be construed to prohibit reimbursement for snow and ice removal performed by municipal 14
departments or other public municipal services, provided such services meet the requirements of 15
this Article. 16
(1) Accumulation of winter precipitation of at least 1 inch of snow or .1 inch of 17
ice and 18
(2) Forecasted temperatures are expected to remain below freezing after sunrise 19
on the following day. 20
The Department may adopt rules establishing minimum contractual stan dards, 21
including response time, equipment requirements, and documentation. 22
(f) Equipment and data requirements. — Any municipal or contracted vehicle funded in 23
whole or in part under this Article shall be equipped with: 24
(1) Forward-and-plow-facing cameras capable of recording operations; and 25
(2) GPS tracking devices capable of recording route coverage, duration, and time 26
stamps. 27
Data collected under this section shall be used for: 28
(1) Verification of services performed; 29
(2) Billing and reimbursement documentation; and 30
(3) Operational transparency for municipal officials. 31
(g) Public plowing status map. — As a condition of receiving reimbursement under this 32
Article, a municipality shall provide a publicly accessible, real -time or near -real-time map 33
showing snow and ice removal activity on municipal streets, including plowed and in -progress 34
routes, using GPS data. 35
(h) Application and prioritization. — The Department shall develop an application 36
process requiring municipalities to submit: 37
(1) Winter road operations plan; 38
(2) Proposed equipment acquisitions; 39
(3) Contracted service arrangements; and 40
(4) Documentation of the required local match. 41
(i) In reimbursing allowable costs under this article, the Department shall consider: 42
(1) Amount of local match provided; 43
(2) Population served and commercial activity affected; 44
(3) Demonstrated need and existing capacity; and 45
(4) Geographic distribution of awards. 46
(5) High ratio of municipal to NCDOT-maintained roads. 47
(j) Reporting. — The Department shall submit an annual report to the Joint Legislative 48
Transportation Oversight Committee detailing: 49
(1) Reimbursements; 50
(2) Funds expended; 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 1207-First Edition Page 3
(3) Municipal participation; and 1
(4) Observed impacts on winter road response." 2
SECTION 2. The sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) in recurring funds is 3
appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Transportation for each fiscal year 4
beginning with the 2026–2027 fiscal year to support operational costs under this Article. 5
The sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the 6
General Fund to the Department of Transportation for the 2026 –2027 fiscal year to support the 7
acquisition and installation of snow and ice -removal equipment under this Article. Funds 8
appropriated under this section shall not revert and shall remain available for expenditure until 9
expended. 10
SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the Highway Fund to the Department of 11
Transportation for the 2026 -2027 fiscal year the sum of five million dollars($5,000,000) in 12
nonrecurring funds to be used by the Department to build up a salt and brine reserve to distribute 13
to local governments in need, with priority given based on need, geography, and population. 14
SECTION 4. This act becomes effective July 1, 2026. 15