Bill > H856

This bill clarifies and expands North Carolina's existing law regarding deed restrictions on solar collectors for residential properties. The legislation aims to promote solar energy use by making void any deed restrictions, covenants, or agreements that would prohibit the installation of solar collectors used for water heating, space heating/cooling, passive heating, or electricity generation. The bill removes previous exceptions that allowed restrictions on solar collectors visible from common or public areas and introduces a more nuanced approach to regulating solar collector placement. It now permits reasonable regulations on the location or screening of solar collectors, but only if such regulations do not reduce the solar collector's operating efficiency by more than 10%. The bill also allows owners' associations to require that property owners be responsible for damages and hold the association harmless regarding solar collector installation. If legal disputes arise over solar collector installations, the court may award costs and attorneys' fees to the prevailing party. The law applies to deed restrictions recorded on or after the bill becomes effective, and specifically excludes condominiums in multi-story buildings from its provisions. The overall intent is to make solar energy more accessible and remove barriers to residential solar installations.

Government Affairs

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/H856