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H126 • 2025

Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws.

Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws.

Agriculture Energy Housing
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Dixon, N. Jackson, Ager, Balkcom, Biggs, Branson, G. Brown, Cairns, Eddins, Harrison, Humphrey, Jeffers, Majeed, McNeely, Riddell, Ward, Warren, White
Last action
2025-06-20
Official status
Ch. SL 2025-12
Effective date
2025-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws.

H126-SMCC-54(sl)-v-5 (2025-09-26): Revise Voluntary Agricultural District Laws.

What This Bill Does

  • H126-SMCC-54(sl)-v-5 (2025-09-26): Revise Voluntary Agricultural District Laws.
  • H126-SMCC-8(e1)-v-2 (2025-03-26): Revise Voluntary Ag.
  • District Laws.
  • H126-SMCJ-23(CSCJ-7)-v-3 (2025-04-09): Revise Voluntary Ag.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Filed

Plain English: 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Agricultural District Laws.

  • 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Agricultural District Laws.
  • Analysis of: S.L.
  • 2025-12 Date: August 4, 2025 Prepared by: Legislative Analysis Division Staff Daniel Ettefagh Director *H126-SMNP-54(sl)-v-5* Legislative Drafting 919-733-6660 This bill analysis was prepared by the nonpartisan legislative staff for the use of legislators in their deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
  • S.L.
Filed

Plain English: 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.

  • 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.
  • District Laws.
  • Committee: House Agriculture and Environment.
  • If favorable, re -refer to Housing and Development.
Filed

Plain English: 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.

  • 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.
  • District Laws.
  • Committee: House Housing and Development.
  • If favorable, re -refer to Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Date: April 9, 2025 Introduced by: Reps.
Filed

Plain English: 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.

  • 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.
  • District Laws.
  • Committee: House Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Date: April 15, 2025 Introduced by: Reps.
  • Dixon, N.
Filed

Plain English: 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.

  • 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.
  • District Laws.
  • Committee: Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment.
  • If favorable, re -refer to Rules and Operations of the Senate Date: June 3, 2025 Introduced by: Reps.
Filed

Plain English: 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.

  • 2025-2026 General Assembly HOUSE BILL 126: Revise Voluntary Ag.
  • District Laws.
  • Committee: Senate Rules and Operations of the Senate Date: June 5, 2025 Introduced by: Reps.
  • Dixon, N.

Bill History

  1. 2025-06-20 North Carolina General Assembly

    Ch. SL 2025-12

  2. 2025-06-20 North Carolina General Assembly

    Signed by Gov. 6/20/2025

  3. 2025-06-13 North Carolina General Assembly

    Pres. To Gov. 6/13/2025

  4. 2025-06-12 North Carolina General Assembly

    Ratified

  5. 2025-06-11 Senate

    Ordered Enrolled

  6. 2025-06-11 Senate

    Passed 3rd Reading

  7. 2025-06-11 Senate

    Passed 2nd Reading

  8. 2025-06-10 Senate

    Reptd Fav

  9. 2025-06-03 Senate

    Re-ref Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

  10. 2025-06-03 Senate

    Reptd Fav

  11. 2025-06-02 Senate

    Re-ref to Agriculture, Energy, and Environment. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate

  12. 2025-06-02 Senate

    Withdrawn From Com

  13. 2025-04-30 Senate

    Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

  14. 2025-04-30 Senate

    Passed 1st Reading

  15. 2025-04-30 Senate

    Regular Message Received From House

  16. 2025-04-30 House

    Regular Message Sent To Senate

  17. 2025-04-29 House

    Passed 3rd Reading

  18. 2025-04-29 House

    Passed 2nd Reading

  19. 2025-04-15 House

    Placed On Cal For 04/29/2025

  20. 2025-04-15 House

    Cal Pursuant Rule 36(b)

  21. 2025-04-15 House

    Reptd Fav

  22. 2025-04-10 House

    Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  23. 2025-04-10 House

    Reptd Fav Com Substitute

  24. 2025-03-26 House

    Re-ref Com On Housing and Development

  25. 2025-03-26 House

    Reptd Fav

  26. 2025-02-17 House

    Ref to the Com on Agriculture and Environment, if favorable, Housing and Development, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

  27. 2025-02-17 House

    Passed 1st Reading

  28. 2025-02-13 House

    Filed

Official Summary Text

H126-SMCC-54(sl)-v-5
(2025-09-26): Revise Voluntary Agricultural District Laws.
H126-SMCC-8(e1)-v-2
(2025-03-26): Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws.
H126-SMCJ-23(CSCJ-7)-v-3
(2025-04-09): Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws.
H126-SMCJ-32(e2)-v-2
(2025-04-15): Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws.
H126-SMTQ-53(e2)-v-2
(2025-06-03): Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws.
H126-SMTQ-55(e2)-v-3
(2025-06-05): Revise Voluntary Ag. District Laws.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025

SESSION LAW 2025-12
HOUSE BILL 126

*H126-v-4*
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAWS GOVERNING VOLUN TARY AGRICULTURAL
DISTRICTS TO ENHANCE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF
ALTERNATIVES FOR LAN D USE DECISIONS IMPA CTING LANDS IN SUCH
DISTRICTS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1. G.S. 106-740 reads as rewritten:
"§ 106-740. Public hearings on condemnation and rezoning of farmland.
An ordinance adopted under this Part or Part 3 of this Article may shall provide that no State
or local public agency or governmental unit may formall y initiate any action to condemn any
interest in qualifying farmland farmland, or rezone such land , within a voluntary agricultural
district under this Part or an enhanced voluntary agricultural district under Part 3 of this Article
until such agency has r equested the local agricultural advisory board established under
G.S. 106-739 to hold a public hearing on the proposed condemnation.condemnation or rezoning
that conforms to the following requirements:
(1) Following a public hearing held pursuant to this section, the board shall
prepare and submit written findings and a recommendation to the
decision-making body of the agency proposing acquisition.
(2) The board designated to hold the hearing shall have 30 45 days after receiving
a request under this section to hold the public hearing and submit its findings
and recommendations to the agency.
(3) The agency may shall not formally initiate a condemnation or rezoning action
while the proposed condemnation is properly before the advisory board within
these tim e limitations. until 120 days after the date the local agricultural
advisory board submits its findings and recommendations to the agency."
Page 2 Session Law 2025-12 House Bill 126
SECTION 2. This act is effective October 1, 2025, and applies to condemnation or
rezoning actions initiated by any State or local public agency or governmental unit on or after
that date.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 12th day of June, 2025.

s/ Rachel Hunt
President of the Senate

s/ Donna McDowell White
Presiding Officer of the House of Representatives

s/ Josh Stein
Governor

Approved 3:02 p.m. this 20th day of June, 2025