AN ACT to translate the north carolina state building code into spanish; TO direct the department of commerce to establish a website to track all local planning, zoning, and land‑use regulations; and TO direct the department of commerce to develop a program to partner with counties on residential site selection.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 143‑138(g) reads as rewritten:

(g)      Publication and Distribution of Code. – The Building Code Council shall cause to be printed, after adoption by the Council, the North Carolina State Building Code and each amendment thereto. After the Building Code Council adopts the North Carolina State Building Code, the Council shall cause the Code and each amendment thereto to be printed in English and to be translated into Spanish. It shall, at the State's expense, distribute copies of the Code and each amendment to State and local governmental officials, departments, agencies, and educational institutions, as is set out in the table below. It shall also make the translated Spanish copies of the Code available for distribution on written request to the Council. (Those marked by an asterisk will receive copies only on written request to the Council.)

OFFICIAL OR AGENCY                                                                 NUMBER OF COPIES

State Departments and Officials

Governor.............................................................................................................. 1

Lieutenant Governor........................................................................................... 1

Auditor................................................................................................................ 1

Treasurer.............................................................................................................. 1

Secretary of State................................................................................................ 1

Superintendent of Public Instruction................................................................... 1

Attorney General (Library).................................................................................. 1

Commissioner of Agriculture.............................................................................. 1

Commissioner of Labor....................................................................................... 1

Commissioner of Insurance................................................................................. 1

Department of Environmental

Quality........................................................................................................ 1

Department of Health and Human Service.......................................................... 1

Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the

Department of Public Safety...................................................................... 1

Board of Transportation....................................................................................... 1

Utilities Commission........................................................................................... 1

Department of Administration............................................................................ 1

Clerk of the Supreme Court................................................................................ 1

Clerk of the Court of Appeals............................................................................. 1

Department of Natural and Cultural Resources [State

Library]....................................................................................................... 1

Supreme Court Library........................................................................................ 1

Legislative Library.............................................................................................. 1

Office of Administrative Hearings...................................................................... 1

Rules Review Commission.................................................................................. 1

Schools

All state‑supported colleges and universities

in the State of North Carolina................................................................... *1 each

Local Officials

Clerks of the Superior Courts.............................................................................. 1 each

Chief Building Inspector of each incorporated

municipality or county............................................................................... 1

In addition, the Building Code Council shall make additional copies available at such price as it shall deem reasonable to members of the general public. The proceeds from sales of the Building Code shall be credited to the Insurance Regulatory Fund under G.S. 58‑6‑25.

SECTION 2.  The Building Code Council shall submit a report on its progress regarding the translation and publication of the North Carolina State Building Code in the Spanish language to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on General Government by April 1, 2024.

SECTION 3.  The Department of Commerce shall establish and maintain a public website to track all local planning, zoning, and land‑use regulations pursuant to G.S. 160D for the following purposes:

(1)        Create transparency for the public in the various land‑use and building permitting processes across localities.

(2)        Allow prospective developers to understand, compare, and contrast the various markets and building requirements in different areas.

(3)        Provide a central location of information to assist local planning departments and board members in obtaining details on policies.

SECTION 4.  The Department of Commerce shall develop and establish a program to partner with counties on residential site selection in the State, establishing measurable goals to fulfill housing needs in growing areas of the State by the year 2033. The website should contain a repository of sites and locations to allow interested parties to make an informed site location decision. The website would allow developers looking to build residential spaces in the State to determine a suitable market and the prospective profitability of a given site.

SECTION 5.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective January 1, 2025. Section 3 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2023. Section 4 of this act becomes effective August 1, 2023. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.