Bill > H963

This bill establishes several key initiatives to address building code enforcement and inspector workforce challenges in North Carolina. First, it creates a Building Inspector Apprenticeship Program that allows local governments to employ apprentice code-enforcement officials who can perform inspections under direct supervision, with a structured training pathway to full certification. The bill also introduces a General Contractor to Inspector Transition Program, which provides expedited certification routes for experienced general contractors to become code-enforcement officials by recognizing their existing construction knowledge and potentially allowing faster progression through certification levels. Additionally, the bill mandates just cause and due process protections for county and municipal building inspectors, ensuring they cannot be dismissed, suspended, or demoted without specific procedural safeguards and a fair hearing process. The legislation also provides finality for approved stages of building inspections, meaning that once a construction component passes inspection, it cannot be re-examined or deemed non-compliant except under specific circumstances like fraud or discovering a hidden defect. Furthermore, the bill establishes a Disaster Building Inspection Relief Fund to help Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties augment their building code inspection capacity after a declared disaster, with grants available to hire additional inspectors. Lastly, the bill preserves Level I code-enforcement officials' authority to inspect certain small residential and nonresidential buildings, maintaining their current inspection capabilities.

Budget and Finance

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/H963