North Carolina HB 377: School Cal. Flex./Chatham County.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 4
HOUSE BILL 377
Committee Substitute Favorable 3/25/25
Senate Judiciary Committee Substitute Adopted 5/20/26
Fourth Edition Engrossed 6/3/26

Short Title: 2026 Court Changes. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 13, 2025
*H377-v-4*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ENACT CERTAIN MODIFICATIONS TO THE LAWS RELATED TO THE 2
NORTH CAROLINA COURT SYSTEM AND TO MAKE TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS 3
TO ESTATE PLANNING STATUTES. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
6
AMEND ADOPTION LAW TO FACILITATE E-FILING 7
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 48-2-304 reads as rewritten: 8
"§ 48-2-304. Petition for adoption; content. 9
(a) The original petition for adoption must be signed and verified by each petitioner, and 10
the original and two exact or conformed copies petitioner and shall be filed with the clerk of 11
court. The petition shall state: 12
(1) Each petitioner's full name, current address, place of domicile if different from 13
current address, and whether each petitioner has resided or been domiciled in 14
this State for the six months immediately preceding the filing of the petition; 15
(2) The marital status and gender of each petitioner; 16
(3) The sex and, if known, the date and state or country of birth of the adoptee; 17
(4) The full name by which the adoptee is to be known if the petition is granted; 18
(5) That the petitioner desires and agrees to adopt and treat the adoptee as the 19
petitioner's lawful child; and 20
(6) If the adoptee is a minor or an adult who has been adjudicated incompetent, a 21
description and estimate of the value of any property of the adoptee. 22
...." 23
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 48-9-102 reads as rewritten: 24
"§ 48-9-102. Records confidential and sealed. 25
(a) All records created or filed in connection with an adoption, except the decree of 26
adoption and the entry in the special proceedings index in the office of the clerk of court, and on 27
file with or in the possession of the court, an agency, the State, a county, an attorney, or other 28
provider of professional services, are confidential and may not be disclosed or used except as 29
provided in this Chapter. 30
(b) During a proceeding for adoption, records shall not be open to inspection by any 31
person except upon an order of the court finding that disclosure is necessary to protect the interest 32
of the adoptee. 33

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 377-Fourth Edition
(c) When a decree of adoption becomes final, all records and all indices of records, except 1
for the Special Proceedings Index, on file with the court, an agency, or this State shall be retained 2
permanently and sealed. Sealed records shall not be open to inspection by any person except as 3
otherwise provided in this Article. 4
(d) All Copies of all records filed in connection with an adoption, including a copy of the 5
petition giving the date of the filing of the original petition, the original of each consent and 6
relinquishment, additional documents filed pursuant to G.S. 48-2-305, any report to the court, 7
any additional documents submitted and orders entered, any orders of dismissal, and a copy of 8
the final decree, adoption proceeding shall be sent made available by the clerk of superior court 9
to the Division within 10 days after the appeal period for a decree of adoption has expired or 10 10
days following the final disposition of an appeal pursuant to G.S. 48-2-607(b). The petition and 11
final decree or order of dismissal shall be retained by the clerk.For purposes of this subsection, 12
copies of the records may be made available through electronic transfer or by providing the 13
Division with electronic access within the electronic filing and case management system. 14
(d1) The Division, within 40 days after receipt of the record in subsection (d), shall conduct 15
a limited review for the sole purpose of identifying any obvious error on the report to vital records 16
that is prepared by the superior court clerk and to notify the clerk of the error. If the Division 17
notifies the superior court clerk of an error in the report to vital records, then the clerk shall 18
correct the report and return it to the Division within 10 days after receipt of the notice. 19
(e) The Division shall, subject to the review in (d1), cause the papers and reports related 20
to the proceeding to be permanently indexed and filed. 21
(f) The Division shall, within 40 days after receiving it from the court, transmit a report 22
of each adoption and any name change to the State Registrar Registrar, which may be transmitted 23
electronically, if the adoptee was born in this State. In the case of an adoptee who was not born 24
in this State, the Division shall, within 40 days after receiving it from the court, transmit the 25
report and any name change to the appropriate official responsible for issuing birth certificates 26
or their equivalent. 27
(g) In any adoption, the State Registra