Article 1.
Approval and Protection of Monuments, Memorials, Works of Art, etc.
§ 100-1. Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 476, s. 48.
§ 100-2. Approval of memorials before acceptance by State; "work of art" defined.
A monument, memorial, or work of art may not become the property of the State by purchase, gift or otherwise, unless the monument, memorial, or work of art, or a design of the same, together with the proposed location of the same, is submitted to and approved by the North Carolina Historical Commission. A monument, memorial, or work of art, until so submitted and approved, may not be contracted for, placed in or upon, or allowed to extend over any property belonging to the State. The term "work of art" as used in this Article includes any painting, portrait, mural decoration, stained glass, statue, bas-relief, sculpture, tablet, fountain, or other article or structure of a permanent character intended for decoration or commemoration. (1941, c. 341, s. 2; 1957, c. 65, s. 11; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; c. 507, s. 5; c. 1262, s. 86; 1977, c. 771, s. 4; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1306, ss. 3, 4; 1989, c. 727, s. 218(27); 1997-443, s. 11A.119(a); 2015-170, s. 3(b); 2015-241, s. 14.30(c), (s), (u).)
§ 100-2.1. Protection of monuments, memorials, and works of art.
(a) Approval Required. - Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this section, a monument, memorial, or work of art owned by the State may not be removed, relocated, or altered in any way without the approval of the North Carolina Historical Commission.
(b) Limitations on Removal. - An object of remembrance located on public property may not be permanently removed and may only be relocated, whether temporarily or permanently, under the circumstances listed in this subsection and subject to the limitations in this subsection. An object of remembrance that is temporarily relocated shall be returned to its original location within 90 days of completion of the project that required its temporary removal. An object of remembrance that is permanently relocated shall be relocated to a site of similar prominence, honor, visibility, availability, and access that are within the boundaries of the jurisdiction from which it was relocated. An object of remembrance may not be relocated to a museum, cemetery, or mausoleum unless it was originally placed at such a location. As used in this section, the term "object of remembrance" means a monument, memorial, plaque, statue, marker, or display of a permanent character that commemorates an event, a person, or military service that is part of North Carolina's history. The circumstances under which an object of remembrance may be relocated are either of the following:
(1) When appropriate measures are required by the State or a political subdivision of the State to preserve the object.
(2) When necessary for construction, renovation, or reconfiguration of buildings, open spaces, parking, or transportation projects.
(c) Exceptions. - This section does not apply to the following:
(1) Highway markers set up by the Board of Transportation in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources as provided by Chapter 197 of the Public Laws of 1935.
(2) An object of remembrance owned by a private party that is located on public property and that is the subject of a legal agreement between the private party and the State or a political subdivision of the State governing the removal or relocation of the object.
(3) An object of remembrance for which a building inspector or similar official has determined poses a threat to public safety because of an unsafe or dangerous condition.
(4) An object of remembrance commemorating law enforcement officers of the Wildlife Resources Commission killed in the line of duty. (2015-170, s. 3(c); 2015-241, s. 14.30(c); 2023-69, s. 2.4.)
§ 100-3. Approval of design, etc., of certain bridges and other structures.
No bridge, arch, gate, fence or other structure intended primarily for ornamental or memorial purposes and which is paid for either wholly or in part by appropriation from the State treasury, or which is to be placed on or allowed to extend over any property belonging to the State, shall be begun unless the design and proposed location thereof shall have been submitted to the North Carolina Historical Commission and approved by it. Furthermore, no existing structures of the kind named and described in the preceding part of this section owned by the State, shall be removed or remodeled without submission of the plans therefor to the North Carolina Historical Commission and approval of said plans by the North Carolina Historical Commission. This section shall not be construed as amending or repealing Chapter 197 of the Public Laws of 1935. (1941, c. 341, s. 3; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1306, s. 3.)
§ 100-4. Governor to accept works of art approved by North Carolina Historical Commission.
The Governor of North Carolina is hereby authorized to accept, in the name of the State of North Carolina, gifts to the State of works of art as defined in G.S. 100-2. But no work of art shall be so accepted unless and until the same shall have been first submitted to the North Carolina Historical Commission and by it judged worthy of acceptance. (1941, c. 341, s. 4; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1306, s. 3.)
§ 100-5. Duties as to buildings erected or remodeled by State.
Upon request of the Governor and the Board of Public Buildings and Grounds, the North Carolina Historical Commission shall act in an advisory capacity relative to the artistic character of any building constructed, erected, or remodeled by the State. The term "building" as used in this section shall include structures intended for human occupation, and also bridges, arches, gates, walls, or other permanent structures of any character not intended primarily for purposes of decoration or commemoration. (1941, c. 341, s. 5; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1306, s. 3.)
§ 100-6. Disqualification to vote on work of art, etc.; vacancy.
Any member of the North Carolina Historical Commission who shall be employed by the State to execute a work of art or structure of any kind requiring submission to the North Carolina Historical Commission, or who shall take part in a competition for such work of art or structure, shall be disqualified from voting thereon, and the temporary vacancy thereby created may be filled by appointment by the Governor. (1941, c. 341, s. 6; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1306, s. 3.)
The provisions of this Article shall not be construed to include exhibits of an educational nature arranged by museums or art galleries administered by the State or any of its agencies or institutions, or to prevent the placing of portraits of officials, officers, or employees of the State in the offices or buildings of the departments, agencies, or institutions with which such officials, officers, or employees are or have been connected. But upon request of such museums or agencies, the North Carolina Historical Commission shall act in an advisory capacity as to the artistic qualities and appropriations of memorial exhibits or works of art submitted to it. (1941, c. 341, s. 7; 1973, c. 476, s. 48; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1306, s. 3.)
§ 100-8. Memorials to persons within 25 years of death; acceptance of commemorative funds for useful work.
No monument, statue, tablet, painting, or other article or structure of a permanent nature intended primarily to commemorate any person or persons shall be purchased from State funds or shall be placed in or upon or allowed to extend over State property within 25 years after the death of the person or persons so commemorated: Provided, nevertheless, that nothing in this Article shall be interpreted as prohibiting the acceptance of funds by State agencies or institutions from individuals or societies who wish to commemorate some person or persons by providing funds for educational, health, charitable, or other useful work. The agency or institution to which such funds are offered for memorial enterprises shall exercise its discretion as to the acceptance and expenditure of such funds. Nothing in this Article shall be interpreted as prohibiting the erection on the lands of the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park an appropriate tablet or plaque honoring the life and memory of the late Lionel Weil of Wayne County. Nothing in this Article shall be interpreted as prohibiting the erection on the lands of the Morrow Mountain State Park an appropriate tablet or plaque honoring the life and memory of the late James McKnight Morrow of Stanly County. Nothing in this Article shall be interpreted as prohibiting the erection on the lands of the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park an appropriate tablet or plaque, of such size and containing such language, as may be agreed upon by the donors and Director of State Parks, honoring the Whitfield heirs for their contributions to the establishment of the said park. (1941, c. 341, s. 8; 1957, c. 181; 1961, c. 976; 1963, c. 1128; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1306, s. 4.)