North Carolina HB 620: Administrative Office of the Courts Agency Requests.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025

SESSION LAW 2025-54
HOUSE BILL 620

*H620-v-6*
AN ACT TO MODIFY PROVISIONS AFFECTING THE COURTS OF NORTH CAROLINA
AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

INCLUDE HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW IN RECIPIENT LIST OF
STATE APPELLATE DIVISION REPORTS
SECTION 1. G.S. 7A-343.1(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a) The Administrative Officer of the Courts shall, upon request and at the State's
expense, distribute such number of copies of the appellate division reports to federal, State
departments and agencies, and to educational institutions of instruction, as follows:
...
University of North Carolina School of Law 5
North Carolina Central University School of Law 5
Duke University School of Law 5
Wake Forest University School of Law 5
Elon University School of Law 5
Campbell University School of Law 5
High Point University School of Law 5
...."

MODIFY PROVISIONS AFFECTING JUDICIALLY MANAGED ACCOUNTABILITY
AND RECOVERY COURTS
SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 7A-801 reads as rewritten:
"§ 7A-801. Monitoring and annual report.
The Administrative Office of the Courts shall monitor all local judicially managed
accountability and recovery courts, prepare an annual report on the implementation, operation,
and effectiveness of the State judicially managed accountability and recovery court program, and
submit the report to the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Justice
and Public Safety by March 1 of each year. Each judicially managed accountability and recovery
court and any court authorized to remain a drug treatment local judicially managed accountability
and recovery court under G.S. 7A-802, shall submit evaluation reports to the Administrative
Office of the Courts as requested."
SECTION 2.(b) G.S. 7A-792 reads as rewritten:
"§ 7A-792. Goals.
The goals of the local judicially managed accountability and recovery courts funded under
this Article include the following:
...."
SECTION 2.(c) G.S. 7A-793 reads as rewritten:
"§ 7A-793. Establishment of North Carolina Judicially Managed Accountability and
Recovery Court Program.

Page 2 Session Law 2025-54 House Bill 620
The North Carolina Judicially Managed Accountability and Recovery Court Program is
established in the Administrative Office of the Courts to facilitate the creation, administration,
and funding of local judicially managed accountability and recovery courts. The Director of the
Administrative Office of the Courts shall provide any necessary staff for planning, organizing,
and administering the program. Local judicially managed accountability and recovery court
programs funded pursuant to this Article shall be operated consistently with the guidelines
adopted pursuant to G.S. 7A-795. Local judicially managed accountability and recovery courts
established and funded pursuant to this Article may consist of local judicially managed
accountability and recovery court programs approved by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
With the consent of either the chief district court judge or the senior resident superior court judge,
a local judicially managed accountability and recovery court may be established."
SECTION 2.(d) This section becomes effective August 1, 2025.

PROHIBIT USE OF MODIFIED ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS
FORMS WITHOUT PROPER NOTICE TO CLIENTS
SECTION 3.(a) G.S. 7A-232 reads as rewritten:
"§ 7A-232. Forms.
The following forms are sufficient for the purposes indicated under this article. Substantial
conformity is sufficient. Forms promulgated by the Administrative Office of the Courts shall not
be modified in a way that maintains an appearance that the form was promulgated by the
Administrative Office of the Courts. Any attorney or party who modifies a form promulgated by
the Administrative Office of the Courts must clearly notate that the form has been modified from
the version promulgated by the Administrative Office of the Courts and specify what changes
were made to the form.
...."
SECTION 3.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to
modified forms used on or after that date.

REPEAL REQUIREMENTS OF PUBLIC NOTICE OF NAME CHANGE AT
COURTHOUSE BEFORE FILING THE NAME CHANGE
SECTION 4.(a) G.S. 101-2 reads as rewritten:
"§ 101-2. Procedure for changing name; petition; notice.
(a) A person who wishes, for good cause shown, to change his or her name must file an
application before the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the person resides, after
giving 10 days' notice of the application by publication in the area designated by the clerk of
superior court for posting notices in the county.resides.
(b) The publication in subsection (a) of this section is not required if the applicant:
(1) Is a participant in the address confidentiality program under Chapter 15C of
the General Statutes; or
(2) Provides evidence that the applicant is a victim of domestic violence, sexual
offense, or stalking. This evidenc