North Carolina HB 626: Housing Choice Act.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 626

Short Title: Housing Choice Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Alston, Dahle, and G. Brown (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 2, 2025
*H626-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ENACT THE HOUSING CHOICE ACT. 2
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 3
SECTION 1. Article 9 of Chapter 160D of the General Statutes is amended by 4
adding a new Part to read: 5
"Part 7. Municipal Land-Use Regulation Strategies. 6
"§ 160D-980. Land-use regulation strategies. 7
(a) A municipality with less than 100,000 residents may adopt, by ordinance or policy, 8
the following provisions to be eligible for priority consideration under G.S. 159G-23: 9
(1) Permit, by right, multifamily residential development in all districts zoned for 10
residential use. 11
(2) Identify and utilize local funding subsidies or other sources of revenue to 12
waive construction-related fees for the construction of low- or 13
moderate-income housing. 14
(3) Allow multifamily residential dwellings compatible in scale and form with 15
detached single-family residential dwellings within mixed-use zones. 16
(4) Allow the development of at least one, internal or detached accessory dwelling 17
unit, with owner-occupancy of the primary dwelling required, in all residential 18
zoning districts that allow the development of single-family dwellings, which 19
conform to the North Carolina Residential Code for One- and Two-Family 20
Dwellings. 21
(5) Preserve existing low- or moderate-income housing by creating and utilizing 22
a landlord incentive program or establishing a locally funded housing loss 23
mitigation fund. 24
(6) Implement home-buyers education services for first-time homebuyers. 25
(b) A municipality with 100,000 or more residents may adopt, by ordinance or policy, 26
the following provisions to be eligible for priority consideration under G.S. 159G-23: 27
(1) Establish a minimum gross density of four units per acre across all residential 28
zoning districts that allow single-family dwellings. 29
(2) Allow the development of at least one, internal or detached accessory dwelling 30
unit, with owner-occupancy of the primary dwelling required, in all residential 31
zoning districts that allow the development of single-family dwellings, which 32
conform to the North Carolina Residential Code for One- and Two-Family 33
Dwellings. 34
(3) Prohibit parking requirements. 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 626-First Edition
(4) Allow multifamily residential dwellings, including duplexes and triplexes, in 1
any zoning district that allows single-family dwellings. 2
(5) Demonstrate a thirty percent (30%) increase in building permit issuance over 3
a 12-month time period. 4
(6) Allow multifamily residential development in nonresidential zoning districts 5
that are within 1/4 mile of major transit investment corridors, commercial 6
centers, or employment centers. 7
(7) Eliminate multifamily building height restrictions of less than three stories in 8
zoning districts designated as transit-oriented districts. 9
(8) Identify and utilize local funding subsidies or other sources of revenue to 10
waive construction-related fees for the construction of moderate-income 11
housing. 12
(9) Allow multifamily residential dwellings compatible in scale and form with 13
detached single-family residential dwellings within mixed-use zoning 14
districts. 15
(10) Preserve existing moderate-income housing by creating and utilizing a 16
landlord incentive program or establishing a housing loss mitigation fund. 17
(11) Enter into a joint acquisition agreement with another local political 18
subdivision for the purpose of combining resources to acquire property for 19
low- to moderate-income housing. 20
(12) Demonstrate utilization of a moderate-income housing set aside from a 21
community reinvestment agency, redevelopment agency, or community 22
development and renewal agency to create or subsidize moderate-income 23
housing." 24
SECTION 2. G.S. 159G-23 reads as rewritten: 25
"§ 159G-23. Priority consideration for loan or grant from Wastewater Reserve or Drinking 26
Water Reserve. 27
The considerations for priority in this section apply to a loan or grant from the Wastewater 28
Reserve or the Drinking Water Reserve. The Division of Water Infrastructure must consider the 29
following items when evaluating applications: 30
(1) Public necessity. – A project that promotes public health and protects the 31
environment, improves a system that is not in compliance with permit 32
requirements or is under orders from the Department, enables a moratorium 33
to be lifted, or replaces failing septic tanks with a wastewater collection 34
system. 35
(2) Effect on impaired waters. – A project that improves designated impaired 36
waters of the State