G.S. ch. 12
G.S. ch. 12
in effectG.S. 12-2 Repeal of statute not to affect actions.
§12-2. Repeal of statute not to affect actions.
The repeal of a statute shall not affect any action brought before the repeal, for any forfeitures incurred, or for the recovery of any rights accruing under such statute. (1830, c. 44; R.C., c. 108, s. 1; 1879, c. 163; 1881, c. 48; Code, s. 3764; Rev., s. 2830; C.S., s. 3948.)
G.S. 12-3 Rules for construction of statutes.
§ 12-3. Rules for construction of statutes.
In the construction of all statutes the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the General Assembly, or repugnant to the context of the same statute, that is to say:
(1) Singular and Plural Number, Masculine Gender, etc. - Every word importing the singular number only shall extend and be applied to several persons or things, as well as to one person or thing; and every word importing the plural number only shall extend and be applied to one person or thing, as well as to several persons or things; and every word importing the masculine gender only shall extend and be applied to females as well as to males, unless the context clearly shows to the contrary.
(2) Authority, to Three or More Exercised by Majority. - All words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more public officers or other persons shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such officers or other persons, unless it shall be otherwise expressly declared in the law giving the authority.
(3) "Month" and "Year". - The word "month" shall be construed to mean a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed; and the word "year," a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the expression "year of our Lord." When a statute refers to a period of one or more months and the last month does not have a date corresponding to the initial date, the period shall expire on the last day of the last month.
(4) Leap Year, How Counted. - In every leap year the increasing day and the day before, in all legal proceedings, shall be counted as one day.
(5) "Oath" and "Sworn". - The word "oath" shall be construed to include "affirmation," in all cases where by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in like cases the word "sworn" shall be construed to include the word "affirmed."
(6) "Person" and "Property". - The word "person" shall extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals, unless the context clearly shows to the contrary. The words "real property" shall be coextensive with lands, tenements and hereditaments. The words "personal property" shall include moneys, goods, chattels, choses in action and evidences of debt, including all things capable of ownership, not descendable to heirs at law. The word "property" shall include all property, both real and personal.
(7) "Preceding" and "Following". - The words "preceding" and "following," when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference.
(8) "Seal". - In all cases in which the seal of any court or public office shall be required by law to be affixed to any paper issuing from such court or office, the word "seal" shall be construed to include an impression of such official seal, made upon the paper alone, as well as an impression made by means of a wafer or of wax affixed thereto.
(9) "Will". - The term "will" shall be construed to include codicils as well as wills.
(10) "Written" and "in Writing". - The words "written" and "in writing" may be construed to include printing, engraving, lithographing, and any other mode of representing words and letters: Provided, that in all cases where a written signature is required by law, the same shall be in a proper handwriting, or in a proper mark.
(11) "State" and "United States". - The word "state," when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies.
(12) "Imprisonment for One Month," How Construed. - The words "imprisonment for one month," wherever used in any of the statutes, shall be construed to mean "imprisonment for thirty days."
(13) "Governor," "Senator," "Solicitor," "Elector," "Executor," "Administrator," "Collector," "Juror," and "Auditor". - The words "Governor," "Senator," "district attorney," "elector," "executor," "administrator," "collector," "juror," "auditor," and any other words of like character shall when applied to the holder of such office, or occupant of such position, be words of common gender, and they shall be a sufficient designation of the person holding such office or position, whether the holder be a man or woman.
(14) "Devisee" and "Devise". - The word "devisee," wherever used in any of the statutes, shall be construed to mean "devisee" as defined in G.S. 28A-1-1. The word "devise," wherever used in any of the statutes as a noun, shall be construed to mean a testamentary disposition of real or personal property and, wherever used in any of the statutes as a verb, shall be construed to mean to dispose of real or personal property by will.
(15) Requirement to consult with a committee or commission of the General Assembly. - All words purporting to require an individual or other entity to consult with a committee or commission of the General Assembly before taking an action shall be construed to require the entity to do all of the following:
a. Submit a report of the action under consideration to the chairs and staff of the committee or commission. The report shall include all information required by statute and the rules of that committee or commission. The staff of the committee or commission shall make the report available electronically to the members of the committee or commission and to the public.
b. Appear at a meeting of the committee or commission at which the matter is heard. Unless another period of time is specified by statute, the requirement to appear is satisfied if the committee or commission does not have a meeting at which the matter is heard within 90 days of receiving the required submission.
(16) "Husband and Wife" and similar terms. - The words "husband and wife," "wife and husband," "man and wife," "woman and husband," "husband or wife," "wife or husband," "man or wife," "woman or husband," or other terms suggesting two individuals who are then lawfully married to each other shall be construed to include any two individuals who are then lawfully married to each other.
(17) "Widow" and "Widower." - The words "widow" and "widower" mean the surviving spouse of a deceased individual. ( 21 Hen. III; R.S., c. 31, s. 113; R.C., c. 31, s. 108; c. 108; Code, s. 3765; Rev., s. 2831; C.S., s. 3949; 1921, c. 30; 1973, c. 47, s. 2; 1977, c. 446, s. 4; 2011-284, s. 1; 2012-142, s. 6.11; 2017-102, s. 35.)
G.S. 12-3.1 Fees and charges by agencies.
§ 12-3.1. Fees and charges by agencies.
(a) Authority. - Only the General Assembly has the power to authorize an agency to establish or increase a fee or charge for the rendering of any service or fulfilling of any duty to the public. In the construction of a statute, unless that construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the General Assembly or repugnant to the context of the statute, the legislative grant of authority to an agency to adopt rules shall not be construed as a grant of authority to the agency to establish by rule a fee or a charge for the rendering of any service or fulfilling of any duty to the public, unless the statute expressly provides for the grant of authority to establish a fee or charge for that specific service. Notwithstanding any other law, a rule adopted by an agency to establish or increase a fee or charge shall not go into effect until the agency has consulted with the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations on the amount and purpose of the fee or charge to be established or increased. Where a rule provides for a periodic automatic adjustment to a fee, the agency that adopts the rule is not required to consult with the Commission every time the fee automatically adjusts. The agency shall submit a request for consultation to all members of the Commission, the Commission Assistant, and the Fiscal Research Division of the General Assembly on the same date the notice of text of the rule is published. The request for consultation shall consist of a written report stating (i) the amount of the current fee or charge, if applicable, (ii) the amount of the proposed new or increased fee or charge, (iii) the statutory authority for the fee or charge, and (iv) a detailed explanation of the need for the establishment or increase of the fee or charge.
(a1) If the Commission does not hold a meeting to hear the consultation required by subsection (a) of this section within 90 days after the notice of text of the rule has been published and the consultation request required by subsection (a) of this section has been submitted, the consultation requirement is satisfied.
(b) Definitions. - The following definitions apply in this section:
(1) Agency. - Every agency, institution, board, commission, bureau, department, division, council, member of the Council of State, or officer of the legislative, executive or judicial branches of State government. The term does not include counties, cities, towns, villages, other municipal corporations or political subdivisions of the State or any agencies of these subdivisions, the University of North Carolina, community colleges, hospitals, county or city boards of education, other local public districts, units, or bodies of any kind, or private corporations created by act of the General Assembly.
(2) Rule. - Every rule, regulation, ordinance, standard, and amendment thereto adopted by any agency, including rules and regulations regarding substantive matters, standards for products, procedural rules for complying with statutory or regulatory authority or requirements and executive orders of the Governor.
(c) Exceptions. - This section does not apply to any of the following:
(1) Rules establishing fees or charges to State, federal or local governmental units.
(2) A reasonable fee or charge for copying, transcripts of public hearings, State publications, or mailing a document or other item.
(3) Reasonable registration fees covering the cost of a conference or workshop.
(4) Reasonable user fees covering the cost of providing data processing services.
(d) In lieu of the requirements of subsections (a) and (a1) of this section, the North Carolina State Ports Authority shall report the establishment or increase of any fee to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations as provided in G.S. 136-262(a)(11). (1979, c. 559, s. 1; 1981, c. 695, ss. 1, 2; 1987, c. 564, s. 35; 1991, c. 418, s. 6; 2001-427, s. 8(a); 2002-99, s. 7(c); 2005-276, s. 6.8(b); 2011-145, s. 14.6(k); 2015-241, s. 6.18.)
G.S. 12-3.2 Definition of antisemitism.
§ 12-3.2. Definition of antisemitism.
(a) North Carolina adopts the Working Definition of Antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 26, 2016, including the contemporary examples of antisemitism set forth therein, as a tool and guide for training, education, recognizing, and combating antisemitic hate crimes or discrimination and for tracking and reporting antisemitic incidents in this State.
(b) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or the Constitution of North Carolina. (2024-27, s. 1.)
G.S. 12-3.3 Official recognition of two sexes in all administrative rules, regulations, or public policies adopted by the State of North Carolina or its political subdivisions.
§ 12-3.3. Official recognition of two sexes in all administrative rules, regulations, or public policies adopted by the State of North Carolina or its political subdivisions.
The following definitions shall apply to all administrative rules, regulations, or public policies adopted by the State of North Carolina or its political subdivisions, unless otherwise specified:
(1) Biological sex. - The biological indication of male and female in the context of reproductive potential or capacity, such as sex chromosomes, naturally occurring sex hormones, gonads, and nonambiguous internal and external genitalia present at birth, without regard to an individual's psychological, chosen, or subjective experience of gender.
(2) Boy. - A minor human male.
(3) Father. - A male parent.
(4) Female. - A term that when used to refer to a natural person, means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing ova (eggs).
(5) Gender identity. - A term that means an individual's self-declared identity that may not align with biological sex and, being a subjective internal sense, shall not be treated as legally or biologically equivalent to sex.
(6) Girl. - A minor human female.
(7) Male. - A term that when used to refer to a natural person, means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing sperm.
(8) Man. - An adult human male.
(9) Mother. - A female parent.
(10) Woman. - An adult human female. (2025-84, s. 1(a).)
G.S. 12-4 Construction of amended statute.
§ 12-4. Construction of amended statute.
Where a part of a statute is amended it is not to be considered as having been repealed and reenacted in the amended form; but the portions which are not altered are to be considered as having been the law since their enactment, and the new provisions as having been enacted at the time of the amendment.
Whenever the General Assembly (i) enacts a bill which purports to amend an existing general statute by deleting, adding, or substituting specific words or figures, and (ii) such bill also purports to set out the wording of the amended statute, or a portion thereof, as it will read after the amendment is accomplished, and (iii) there is a variance between the latter and the former, then, in such case, the latter shall control and be presumed to express the amendatory intent of the General Assembly. (1868-9, c. 270, s. 22; 1870-1, c. 111; Code, s. 3766; Rev., s. 2832; C.S., s. 3950; 1971, c. 115.)
Source: North Carolina General Assembly (ncleg.gov)URL: https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByChapter/Chapter_12.htmlFetched: 10/19/2026