Research Guides

Where to Find Local Government Charters and Ordinances

Charters

Local governments are created by acts of the General Assembly, which define their boundaries and approve their charters.  These charters can be changed by legislative action or, in certain cases, by so-called “home rule” amendments adopted by the local governments.  Local government charters and legislative amendments can be found in the Session Laws of North Carolina.  All “home rule” changes to local government charters and forms of government must be filed with the Secretary of State and the Legislative Library, according to G.S. 160A-111 (municipalities) and 153A-64 (counties).

The Legislative Library
The Legislative Library maintains Session Laws dating back to the mid 1800s with cumulative index volumes covering session years 1900-1967. Local legislation can be searched online  for sessions beginning in 1969. The library also maintains a file of home rule charter amendments in a "Home Rule Amendments" notebook in the Legislative Office Building location.

The North Carolina Supreme Court Library

For historical information on local government charters and incorporations of cities and towns, the Supreme Court Library maintains the "W.P.A. Files." These files result from a project sponsored by the N. C. League of Municipalities during the early Works Project Administration years (1935-1943), to collect and index all North Carolina laws affecting municipalities. The files contain municipal acts of the General Assembly from 1715 through 1937. In researching charters and incorporations, the researcher may begin with the "List of Laws for Municipalities" file, which lists citations by city/town name. The "Municipality- County" files can then be referred to for a copy of the actual legislation.

Ordinances

Municipal Code Corporation has links to city and county ordinances arranged by state.

North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State
Land Records Management Division
The Department receives and files municipal annexation ordinances as submitted by N. C. cities and towns. GS 160A-39 and GS 160A-51 require that whenever the limits of a municipality are enlarged, a map of the annexed territory and a copy of the ordinance be filed with the Secretary of State.

The North Carolina League of Municipalities and The Institute of Government  maintain printed codes for a number of municipalities and counties in North Carolina. However, since some of these documents may not be current, it is recommended that the researcher call before visiting.


.