After showing signs of life in 2010, the North Carolina housing market has slumped again in 2011.  The N.C. Association of Realtors reports that existing home sales volume through July was down 7% from last year and down 22% from … Read more

NOTE:  This post has been updated to reflect changes enacted by the General Assembly in 2013 and 2014. In North Carolina, the procurement of professional services performed by architects, engineers, surveyors, and construction managers at risk is governed by G.S. … Read more

As noted in a previous post, the General Assembly recently enacted S.L. 2011-199 (HB 380), which, effective October 1, 2011, amends the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure (NCRCP) to address issues related to e-discovery in North Carolina state courts. … Read more

The recent annexation reform legislation summarized in this blog post, changed the involuntary annexation laws, but left the basic structure for voluntary annexation in place. The legislature, did, however, modify the petition signature requirements by enacting S.L. 2011-57 (HB 171), apparently … Read more

Tim Taylor is both a housing inspector and the appointed minimum housing public officer for the town of Tooltime, North Carolina. For years he has conducted periodic inspections of dwellings throughout the town in accordance with his town’s periodic inspection … Read more

The “digital age” has been upon us for many years, but the legal system continues to struggle to keep pace with the fundamental transformation it has caused in the way people communicate and generate and store information. The discovery of … Read more

Every county in our state has a county seat, in which sits the county courthouse and oftentimes other county offices.  For many towns, especially in rural areas, being the county seat is a point of pride, marking the identity of … Read more

A proposal to rezone a 15-acre tract is pending before the town council. The tract is near the edge of town. It fronts one of the town’s major roads and is occupied by three vacant residences. It is zoned for medium … Read more

There’s no dispute that property owned by the federal government is exempt from local property taxes. Cumberland County cannot levy property taxes on the Army tanks, helicopters, and munitions at Fort Bragg.  Nor can Swain County tax the many acres … Read more

Under Section G.S. 132-1.4(c) of the North Carolina Public Records law, the contents of 911 calls are public information, except for certain information specified in the statute. This provision was modified in An Act To Provide That a Transcript or … Read more