North Carolina SB 700: VOTER CHALLENGE EFFECT

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 700

Short Title: Create the Office of Engineering and Codes. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Jarvis, Lazzara, and Sawrey (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S700-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO CREATE THE OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND CODES WITHIN THE 2
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND TRANSFER VARIOUS COUNCILS AND BOARDS 3
TO THE OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND CODES. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
6
PART I. CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND CODES AND 7
CONFORMING CHANGES TO THE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL 8
SECTION 1.1.(a) Chapter 95 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 9
article to read: 10
"Article 24. 11
"Office of Engineering and Codes. 12
"§ 95-280. Office of Engineering and Codes. 13
(a) The Office of Engineering and Codes is created within the Department of Labor and 14
the Office shall exercise its powers and duties independently of the Department. The Department 15
of Labor shall provide clerical and professional services to the Office of Engineering and Codes 16
for the purpose of carrying out its powers and duties under this Article and the laws of this State. 17
For purposes of this section, the phrase "clerical and professional services" includes, but is not 18
limited to, budgetary, human resources, information technology, and legal. 19
(b) The Office of Engineering and Codes shall be responsible for all of the following: 20
(1) Building Code Council and Residential Code Council, Article 9 of Chapter 21
143 of the General Statutes. 22
(2) North Carolina Manufactured Housing Board – Manufactured Home 23
Warranties, Article 9A of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes. 24
(3) Uniform Standards Code for Manufactured Homes, Article 9B of Chapter 143 25
of the General Statutes. 26
(4) North Carolina Code Officials Qualification Board, Article 9C of Chapter 143 27
of the General Statutes. 28
(5) North Carolina Home Inspector Licensure Board, Article 9F of Chapter 143 29
of the General Statutes. 30
(6) Engineering and Building Codes Division. 31
(c) The "State Engineer," as that term is used in this Article and elsewhere in the General 32
Statutes, shall be the head of the Office of Engineering and Codes and shall be a person appointed 33
by the Commissioner of Labor subject to confirmation by the General Assembly by joint 34
resolution. The State Engineer shall be a person other than the Commissioner of Labor and shall 35
serve a three-year term. If a vacancy arises or exists pursuant to this subsection when the General 36

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 700-First Edition
Assembly is not in session, the Commissioner of Labor may appoint a State Engineer to serve on 1
an interim basis pending confirmation by the General Assembly. For the purposes of this 2
subsection, the General Assembly is not in session only (i) prior to convening of the Regular 3
Session, (ii) during any adjournment of the Regular Session for more than 10 days, and (iii) after 4
sine die adjournment of the Regular Session. 5
(d) The salary of the State Engineer shall be set by the General Assembly in the Current 6
Operations Appropriations Act. In addition to the salary set by the General Assembly in the 7
Current Operations Appropriations Act, the State Engineer shall receive as longevity pay in an 8
amount equal to four and eight-tenths percent (4.8%) of the annual salary set forth in the Current 9
Operations Appropriations Act payable monthly after five years of service, and nine and 10
six-tenths percent (9.6%) after 10 years of service. For purposes of this subsection, the term 11
"service" means service as the State Engineer. 12
"§ 95-281. Execution of laws; adopt rules to enforce laws. 13
The State Engineer shall see that all laws the State Engineer is responsible for administering 14
are faithfully executed and, to that end, the State Engineer is authorized to adopt rules in 15
accordance with Chapter 150B of the General Statutes in order to enforce, carry out, and make 16
effective the provisions of those laws. The State Engineer is also authorized to adopt such further 17
rules not contrary to those laws that will prevent persons subject to the State Engineer's regulatory 18
authority from engaging in practices injurious to the public. 19
"§ 95-282. Public office; inspection of records. 20
The Office of Engineering and Codes shall be a public office and the records, reports, books, 21
and papers thereof on file therein shall be accessible to the inspection of the public, except that 22
the records compiled as a part of an investigation for the crimes, shall not be considered as public 23
records and may be made available to the public only upon an order of a court of competent 24
jurisdiction. Provided that such records shall upon request be made available to the district 25
attorney of any district if the same concerns persons or investigation