AN ACT to allow henderson, polk, and rutherford counties to prohibit cryptocurrency mining as an allowable use in any zoning district.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Part 1 of Article 9 of Chapter 160D of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 160D‑916.1.  Cryptocurrency mining.

(a)        A local government may by ordinance prohibit or otherwise regulate cryptocurrency mining in any zoning district.

(b)        For the purposes of this section, the term cryptocurrency mining means the operation of specialized computer equipment for the primary purpose of mining one or more blockchain‑based cryptocurrencies which typically involves the solving of algorithms as part of the development and maintenance of a blockchain that is a type of distributed ledger maintained on a peer‑to‑peer network.

SECTION 2.  This act applies only to the Counties of Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford and any municipalities located in the Counties of Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.