Article 17.
Administrative Provisions; Regulatory Authority of Marine Fisheries Commission and Department.
§ 113-221. Rules.
(a) Chapter 150B of the General Statutes governs the adoption of rules under this Article.
(b) Upon purchasing a license, each licensee shall be provided access to a copy of the rules concerning the activities authorized by the license. The copy may be in written or electronic form, including by file download over the Internet. A written copy of the rules shall be provided to a licensee upon request.
(c) The Fisheries Director shall notify licensees of a new rule or change to a rule by sending each licensee either a newsletter containing the text of the rule or change or an updated codification of the rules of the Marine Fisheries Commission that contains the new rule or change. The Director may elect to use electronic means rather than mail to notify licensees if electronic means would be more timely and cost-effective. A written copy of any notification produced in accordance with this section shall be provided to a licensee upon request.
(d) Unless there are overriding policy considerations involved, any rule of the Marine Fisheries Commission that will result in severe curtailment of the usefulness or value of equipment in which fishermen have any substantial investment shall be given a future effective date so as to minimize undue potential economic loss to fishermen. Whether or not any rule will result in severe curtailment of the usefulness or value of equipment in which fishermen have any substantial investment and whether or not a future effective date should be set is a matter within the sole discretion of the Marine Fisheries Commission. This subsection does not require the Marine Fisheries Commission to establish an effective date that is more than two years later than the date on which the rule is adopted.
(e) Repealed by Session Laws 2003-154, s. 1, effective July 1, 2003.
(e1) Repealed by Session Laws 2003-154, s. 1, effective July 1, 2003.
(f) All persons who may be affected by rules adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission are under a duty to keep themselves informed of the current rules. It is no defense in any criminal prosecution for the defendant to show that the defendant in fact received no notice of a particular rule. In any prosecution for violation of a rule, or in which proof of matter contained in a rule is involved, the Department is deemed to have complied with publication procedures and the burden is on the defendant to show by the greater weight of the evidence substantial failure of compliance by the Department with the required publication procedures.
(g) Every court shall take judicial notice of any codification of rules issued by the Fisheries Director within two years preceding the date of the offense charged or transaction in issue. In the absence of any indication to the contrary, the codifications are to be deemed accurate and current statements of the text of the rules in question and it is incumbent upon any person asserting that a relevant portion of the codified text is inaccurate, or has been amended or deleted, to satisfy the court as to the text of the rules that is in fact properly applicable.
(h) Repealed by Session Laws 1983, c. 221, s. 1. (1915, c. 84, s. 21; 1917, c. 290, s. 7; C.S., s. 1878; 1925, c. 168, s. 2; 1935, c. 35; 1945, c. 776; 1953, cc. 774, 1134, 1251; 1963, c. 1097, s. 1; 1965, c. 957, s. 2; 1973, c. 1262, ss. 28, 86; c. 1331, s. 3; 1975, 2nd Sess., c. 983, s. 70; 1979, c. 388, s. 6; 1983, cc. 221, 619, 620; 1987, c. 641, ss. 7, 19; c. 827, s. 7; 1997-400, s. 4.3; 1998-225, s. 3.8; 2000-189, s. 9; 2003-154, s. 1; 2014-100, s. 14.13.)
§ 113-221.1. Proclamations; emergency review.
(a) Chapter 150B of the General Statutes does not apply to proclamations issued under this Article.
(b) The Marine Fisheries Commission may delegate to the Fisheries Director the authority to issue proclamations suspending or implementing, in whole or in part, particular rules of the Commission that may be affected by variable conditions. These proclamations shall be issued by the Fisheries Director or by a person designated by the Fisheries Director. Except as provided in this subsection, all proclamations shall state the hour and date upon which they become effective and shall be issued at least 48 hours in advance of the effective date and time. A proclamation that prohibits the taking of certain fisheries resources for reasons of public health or that governs a quota-managed fishery may be made effective immediately upon issuance. A proclamation to reopen the taking of certain fisheries resources closed for reasons of public health shall be issued at least 12 hours in advance of the effective date and time of the reopening. A person who violates a proclamation that is made effective immediately upon issuance shall not be charged with a criminal offense for the violation if the violation occurred between the time of issuance and 48 hours after the issuance and the person did not have actual notice of the issuance of the proclamation. Fisheries resources taken or possessed by any person in violation of any proclamation may be seized regardless of whether the person had actual notice of the proclamation. A permanent file of the text of all proclamations shall be maintained in the office of the Fisheries Director. Certified copies of proclamations are entitled to judicial notice in any civil or criminal proceeding. The Fisheries Director shall make every reasonable effort to give actual notice of the terms of any proclamation to persons who may be affected by the proclamation. Reasonable effort includes a press release to communications media, posting of a notice at docks and other places where persons affected may gather, personal communication by inspectors and other agents of the Fisheries Director, and other measures designed to reach the persons who may be affected. It is a defense to an enforcement action for a violation of a proclamation that a person was prevented from receiving notice of the proclamation due to a natural disaster or other act of God occasioned exclusively by violence of nature without interference of any human agency and that could not have been prevented or avoided by the exercise of due care or foresight.
(c) All persons who may be affected by proclamations issued by the Fisheries Director are under a duty to keep themselves informed of current proclamations. It is no defense in any criminal prosecution for the defendant to show that the defendant in fact received no notice of a particular proclamation. In any prosecution for violation of a proclamation, or in which proof of matter contained in a proclamation is involved, the Department is deemed to have complied with publication procedures; and the burden is on the defendant to show, by the greater weight of the evidence, substantial failure of compliance by the Department with the required publication procedures.
(d) Pursuant to the request of five or more members of the Marine Fisheries Commission, the Chair of the Marine Fisheries Commission may call an emergency meeting of the Commission to review an issuance or proposed issuance of proclamations under the authority delegated to the Fisheries Director pursuant to subsection (b) of this section or to review the desirability of directing the Fisheries Director to issue a proclamation to prohibit or allow the taking of certain fisheries resources. At least 48 hours prior to any emergency meeting called pursuant to this subsection, a public announcement of the meeting shall be issued that describes the action requested by the members of the Marine Fisheries Commission. The Department shall make every reasonable effort to give actual notice of the meeting to persons who may be affected. After its review is complete, the Marine Fisheries Commission, consistent with its duty to protect, preserve, and enhance the commercial and sports fisheries resources of the State, may approve, cancel, or modify the previously issued or proposed proclamation under review or may direct the Fisheries Director to issue a proclamation that prohibits or allows the taking of certain fisheries resources. An emergency meeting called pursuant to this subsection and any resulting orders issued by the Marine Fisheries Commission are exempt from the provisions of Article 2A of Chapter 150B of the General Statutes. The decisions of the Marine Fisheries Commission shall be the final decision of the State and shall not be set aside on judicial review unless found to be arbitrary and capricious. (1915, c. 84, s. 21; 1917, c. 290, s. 7; C.S., s. 1878; 1925, c. 168, s. 2; 1935, c. 35; 1945, c. 776; 1953, cc. 774, 1134, 1251; 1963, c. 1097, s. 1; 1965, c. 957, s. 2; 1973, c. 1262, ss. 28, 86; c. 1331, s. 3; 1975, 2nd Sess., c. 983, s. 70; 1979, c. 388, s. 6; 1983, cc. 221, 619, 620; 1987, c. 641, ss. 7, 19; c. 827, s. 7; 1997-400, s. 4.3; 1998-225, s. 3.8; 2000-189, s. 9; 2003-154, s. 2.)
§ 113-221.2. Additional rules to establish sanitation requirements for scallops, shellfish, and crustacea; permits and permit fees authorized.
(a) Authority to Adopt Certain Rules and Establish Permits. - For the protection of the public health, the Marine Fisheries Commission shall adopt rules establishing sanitation requirements for the harvesting, processing and handling of scallops, shellfish, and crustacea of in-State origin. The rules of the Marine Fisheries Commission may also regulate scallops, shellfish, and crustacea shipped into North Carolina. The Department is authorized to enforce the rules and may issue and revoke permits according to the rules. The Department is authorized to establish a fee for each permit not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00).
(b) Advance Sale of Permits; Permit Revenue. - To ensure an orderly transition from one permit year to the next, the Division may issue a permit prior to July 1 of the permit year for which the permit is valid. Revenue that the Division receives for the issuance of a permit prior to the beginning of a permit year shall not revert at the end of the fiscal year in which the revenue is received and shall be credited and available to the Division for the permit year in which the permit is valid. (1965, c. 783, s. 1; 1967, c. 1005, s. 1; 1973, c. 476, s. 128; 1983, c. 891, s. 2; 2011-145, s. 13.3(ppp), (qqq); 2013-360, s. 14.8(u).)
§ 113-221.3. Monitoring program for State coastal fishing and recreation waters; removal or destruction of warning signs.
(a) For the protection of the public health of swimmers and others who use the State's coastal fishing waters for recreational activities, the Department shall develop and implement a program to monitor the State's coastal fishing waters for contaminants. The monitoring program shall cover all coastal fishing waters up to the point where those waters are classified as inland fishing waters.
(b) The Marine Fisheries Commission shall adopt rules to provide for a water quality monitoring program for the coastal recreation waters of the State and to allow the Department to implement the federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000 (Pub. L. No. 106-284; 114 Stat. 870, 875; 33 U.S.C. §§ 1313, 1362). The rules shall address, but are not limited to, definitions, surveys, sampling, action standards, and posting of information on the water quality of coastal recreation waters.
(c) No person shall remove, destroy, damage, deface, mutilate, or otherwise interfere with any sign posted by the Department pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. No person, without just cause or excuse, shall have in his or her possession any sign posted by the Department pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. Any person who violates this section is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
(d) As used in this section, coastal recreation waters has the same meaning as in 33 U.S.C. § 1362. (1997-443, s. 15.17(a); 2003-149, s. 1; 2011-145, s. 13.3(rrr), (sss).)
§ 113-221.4. Embargo.
(a) If the Secretary of Environmental Quality or a local health director has probable cause to believe that any scallops, shellfish, or crustacea is adulterated or misbranded, the Secretary of Environmental Quality or a local health director may detain or embargo the article by affixing a tag to it and warning all persons not to remove or dispose of the article until permission for removal or disposal is given by the official by whom it was detained or embargoed or by the court. It shall be unlawful for any person to remove or dispose of the detained or embargoed article without that permission.
(b) The official by whom the scallops, shellfish, or crustacea was detained or embargoed shall petition a judge of the district or superior court in whose jurisdiction the article is detained or embargoed for an order for condemnation of the article. If the court finds that the article is adulterated or misbranded, that article shall be destroyed under the supervision of the petitioner. All court costs and fees, storage and other expense shall be taxed against the claimant of the article. If, the article, by proper labelling can be properly branded, the court, after the payment of all costs, fees, expenses, and an adequate bond, may order that the article be delivered to the claimant for proper labelling under the supervision of the petitioner. The bond shall be returned to the claimant after the petitioner represents to the court that the article is no longer mislabelled and that the expenses of supervision have been paid. (1983, c. 891, s. 2; 1997-261, s. 109; 1997-443, s. 11A.63A; 2006-80, s. 1; 2007-7, s. 1; 2011-145, ss. 13.3(ttt), (uuu); 2015-241, s. 14.30(v).)
§ 113-221.5. Right of entry to enforce certain sanitation requirements.
The Secretary of Environmental Quality and a local health director shall each have the delegable right of entry upon the premises of any place where entry is necessary to enforce the provisions of G.S. 113-221.2(a) or the rules adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission or a local board of health. If consent for entry is not obtained, an administrative search and inspection warrant shall be obtained pursuant to G.S. 15-27.2. However, if an imminent hazard exists, no warrant is required for entry upon the premises. (2016-94, s. 14.15.)
§ 113-222. Arrest, service of process and witness fees of inspectors.
All arrest fees and other fees that may be charged in any bill of costs for service of process by inspectors must be paid to the county in which the trial is held. No witness fee may be taxed in any bill of costs by virtue of the appearance of an inspector as a witness in a criminal case within his enforcement jurisdiction. Acceptance by any inspector of any arrest fee, witness fee, or any other fee to which he is not entitled is a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1965, c. 957, s. 2; 1993, c. 539, s. 843; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)
§ 113-223. Reciprocal agreements by Department generally.
Subject to the specific provisions of G.S. 113-169.5 and G.S. 113-170.1 relating to reciprocal provisions as to landing and selling catch and as to licenses, the Department is empowered to make reciprocal agreements with other jurisdictions respecting any of the matters governed in this Subchapter. Pursuant to such agreements the Department may modify provisions of this Subchapter in order to effectuate the purposes of such agreements, in the overall best interests of the conservation of marine and estuarine resources. (1915, c. 84, s. 5; 1917, c. 290, s. 10; C.S., s. 1883; 1953, c. 1086; 1965, c. 957, s. 2; 1973, c. 1262, s. 28; 1977, c. 771, s. 4; 1989, c. 727, s. 104; 1998-225, s. 4.22.)
§ 113-224. Cooperative agreements by Department.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Department is empowered to enter into cooperative agreements with public and private agencies and individuals respecting the matters governed in this Subchapter. Pursuant to such agreements the Department may expend funds, assign employees to additional duties within or without the State, assume additional responsibilities, and take other actions that may be required by virtue of such agreements, in the overall best interests of the conservation of marine and estuarine resources.
(b) The Fisheries Director or a designee of the Fisheries Director shall not enter into an agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service of the United States Department of Commerce allowing Division of Marine Fisheries inspectors to accept delegation of law enforcement powers over matters within the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service. (1965, c. 957, s. 2; 1973, c. 1262, s. 28; 1977, c. 771, s. 4; 1989, c. 727, s. 105; 2014-100, s. 14.11(a); 2015-201, s. 3(a).)
§ 113-225. Inspectors not to have financial interest in fisheries.
Except as provided in this Subchapter respecting operations of demonstration and research projects by employees of the Department as part of their employment, no inspector may be financially interested in any fishing industry in the State of North Carolina. (1965, c. 957, s. 2.)
§ 113-226. Administrative authority of Department; administration of funds; delegation of powers.
(a) In the overall best interests of the conservation of marine and estuarine resources, the Department may lease or purchase lands, equipment, and other property; accept gifts and grants on behalf of the State; establish boating and fishing access areas; establish fisheries, fishery processing or storage plants, planted seafood beds, fish farms, and other enterprises related to the conservation of marine and estuarine resources as research or demonstration projects either alone or in cooperation with some individual or agency; sell the catch or processed fish or other marine and estuarine resources resulting from research fishing operations or demonstration projects; provide matching funds for entering into projects with some other governmental agency or with some scientific, educational, or charitable foundation or institution; condemn lands in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 40A of the General Statutes and other governing provisions of law; and sell, lease, or give away property acquired by it. Provided, that any private person selected to receive gifts or benefits by the Department be selected:
(1) With regard to the overall public interest that may result, and
(2) From a defined class upon such a rational basis open to all within the class as to prevent constitutional infirmity with respect to requirements of equal protection of the laws or prohibitions against granting exclusive privileges or emoluments.
(b) All money credited to, held by, or to be received by the Department in respect of the conservation of marine and estuarine resources must be deposited with the Department. In administering such funds and recommending expenditures, the Department must give attention to the sources of the revenues received so as to encourage disbursements to be made on an equitable basis; nevertheless, except as provided in this section, separate funds may not be established and particular projects and programs deemed to be of sufficient importance in the conservation of marine and estuarine resources may receive proportional shares of Department expenditures that are greater than the proportional shares of license and other revenues produced by such projects or programs for the Department.
(c) If as a precondition of receiving funds under any cooperative program there must be a separation of license revenues received from certain classes of licensees and utilization of such revenues for limited purposes, the Department is directed to make such arrangements for separate accounting or for separate funding as may be necessary to insure the use of the revenues for the required purposes and eligibility for the cooperative funds. In such instance, if required, such revenues may be retained by the Department until expended upon the limited purposes in question. This subsection applies whether the cooperative program is with a public or private agency and whether the Department acts alone on behalf of the State or in conjunction with the Wildlife Resources Commission or some other State agency.
(d) Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 1262, s. 28. (1965, c. 957, s. 2; 1973, c. 1262, s. 28; 1987, c. 827, s. 103; 1989, c. 727, s. 106.)
§ 113-227. Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 1262, s. 28.
§ 113-228. Adoption of federal regulations.
To the extent that the Department is granted authority in this Subchapter over subject matter as to which there is concurrent federal jurisdiction, the Marine Fisheries Commission in its discretion may by reference in its rules adopt relevant provisions of federal laws and regulations as State rules. To prevent confusion or conflict of jurisdiction in enforcement, the Marine Fisheries Commission is exempt from any conflicting limitations in G.S. 150B-21.6 so that it may provide for automatic incorporation by reference into its rules of future changes within any particular set of federal laws or regulations relating to some subject clearly within the jurisdiction of the Department. (1965, c. 957, s. 2; 1973, c. 1262, s. 28; 1987, c. 641, s. 11; c. 827, s. 104; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 890, s. 7.)
§ 113-229. Permits to dredge or fill in or about estuarine waters or State-owned lakes.
(a) Except as hereinafter provided before any excavation or filling project is begun in any estuarine waters, tidelands, marshlands, or State-owned lakes, the party or parties desiring to do such shall first obtain a permit from the Department. Granting of the State permit shall not relieve any party from the necessity of obtaining a permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers for work in navigable waters, if the same is required. The Department shall continue to coordinate projects pertaining to navigation with the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
(b) All applications for such permits shall include a plat of the areas in which the proposed work will take place, indicating the location, width, depth and length of any proposed channel, the disposal area, and a copy of the deed or other instrument under which the applicant claims title to the property adjoining the waters in question, (or any land covered by waters), tidelands, or marshlands, or if the applicant is not the owner, then a copy of the deed or other instrument under which the owner claims title plus written permission from the owner to carry out the project on his land.
(c) In lieu of a deed or other instrument referred to in subsection (b) of this section, the agency authorized to issue such permits may accept some other reasonable evidence of ownership of the property in question or other lawful authority to make use of the property.
(c1) The Coastal Resources Commission may, by rule, designate certain classes of major and minor development for which a general or blanket permit may be issued. In developing these rules, the Commission shall consider all of the following:
(1) The size of the development.
(2) The impact of the development on areas of environmental concern.
(3) How often the class of development is carried out.
(4) The need for on-site oversight of the development.
(5) The need for public review and comment on individual development projects.
(c2) General permits may be issued by the Commission as rules under the provisions of G.S. 113A-118.1. Individual development carried out under the provisions of general permits shall not be subject to the mandatory notice provisions of this section. The Commission may impose reasonable notice provisions and other appropriate conditions and safeguards on any general permit it issues. The variance, appeals, and enforcement provisions of this Article shall apply to any individual development projects undertaken under a general permit.
(d) An applicant for a permit, other than an emergency permit, shall notify the owner of each tract of riparian property that adjoins that of the applicant. An applicant may satisfy the required notification of adjoining riparian property owners by either (i) obtaining from each adjoining riparian property owner a signed statement that the adjoining riparian property owner has no objection to the proposed project or (ii) providing a copy of the applicant's permit application to each adjoining riparian property owner by certified mail. If the owner's address is unknown and cannot be ascertained with due diligence or if a diligent but unsuccessful effort has been made to serve the copy by certified mail, publication in accordance with the rules of the Commission shall serve to satisfy the notification requirement. An owner may file written objections to the permit with the Department for 30 days after the owner is served with a copy of the application by certified mail. In the case of a special emergency dredge or fill permit the applicant must certify that the applicant took all reasonable steps to notify adjacent riparian owners of the application for a special emergency dredge and fill permit prior to submission of the application. Upon receipt of this certification, the Secretary shall issue or deny the permit within the time period specified in subsection (e) of this section, upon the express understanding from the applicant that the applicant will be entirely liable and hold the State harmless for all damage to adjacent riparian landowners directly and proximately caused by the dredging or filling for which approval may be given.
(e) Applications for permits except special emergency permit applications shall be circulated by the Department among all State agencies and, in the discretion of the Secretary, appropriate federal agencies having jurisdiction over the subject matter which might be affected by the project so that such agencies will have an opportunity to raise any objections they might have. The Department may deny an application for a dredge or fill permit upon finding: (1) that there will be significant adverse effect of the proposed dredging and filling on the use of the water by the public; or (2) that there will be significant adverse effect on the value and enjoyment of the property of any riparian owners; or (3) that there will be significant adverse effect on public health, safety, and welfare; or (4) that there will be significant adverse effect on the conservation of public and private water supplies; or (5) that there will be significant adverse effect on wildlife or fresh water, estuarine or marine fisheries. In the absence of such findings, a permit shall be granted. Such permit may be conditioned upon the applicant amending his proposal to take whatever measures are reasonably necessary to protect the public interest with respect to the factors enumerated in this subsection. Permits may allow for projects granted a permit the right to maintain such project for a period of up to 10 years. The right to maintain such project shall be granted subject to such conditions as may be reasonably necessary to protect the public interest. The Coastal Resources Commission shall coordinate the issuance of permits under this section and G.S. 113A-118 and the granting of variances under this section and G.S. 113A-120.1 to avoid duplication and to create a single, expedited permitting process. The Coastal Resources Commission may adopt rules interpreting and applying the provisions of this section and rules specifying the procedures for obtaining a permit under this section. Maintenance work as defined in this subsection shall be limited to such activities as are required to maintain the project dimensions as found in the permit granted. The Department shall act on an application for permit within 75 days after the completed application is filed, provided the Department may extend such deadline by not more than an additional 75 days if necessary properly to consider the application, except for applications for a special emergency permit, in which case the Department shall act within two working days after an application is filed, and failure to so act shall automatically approve the application.
(e1) The Secretary is empowered to issue special emergency dredge or fill permits upon application. Emergency permits may be issued only when life or structural property is in imminent danger as a result of rapid recent erosion or sudden failure of a man-made structure. The Coastal Resources Commission may elaborate by rule upon what conditions the Secretary may issue a special emergency dredge or fill permit. The Secretary may condition the emergency permit upon any reasonable conditions, consistent with the emergency situation, he feels are necessary to reasonably protect the public interest. Where an application for a special emergency permit includes work beyond which the Secretary, in his discretion, feels necessary to reduce imminent dangers to life or property he shall issue the emergency permit only for that part of the proposed work necessary to reasonably reduce the imminent danger. All further work must be applied for by application for an ordinary dredge or fill permit. The Secretary shall deny an application for a special dredge or fill permit upon a finding that the detriment to the public which would occur on issuance of the permit measured by the five factors in G.S. 113-229(e) clearly outweighs the detriment to the applicant if such permit application should be denied.
(e2) The Department shall not include any condition in a permit issued pursuant to subsection (e) of this section that restricts dredging activities to a specified time frame, except those time frames, or moratorium periods, that are required pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, regulations promulgated thereunder, or other applicable federal law.
(f) A permit applicant who is dissatisfied with a decision on his application may file a petition for a contested case hearing under G.S. 150B-23 within 20 days after the decision is made. Any other person who is dissatisfied with a decision to deny or grant a permit may file a petition for a contested case hearing only if the Coastal Resources Commission determines, in accordance with G.S. 113A-121.1(c), that a hearing is appropriate. A permit is suspended from the time a person seeks administrative review of the decision concerning the permit until the Commission determines that the person seeking the review cannot commence a contested case or the issuance of a final decision in a contested case, as appropriate, and no action may be taken during that time that would be unlawful in the absence of the permit.
(g) G.S. 113A-122 applies to an appeal of a permit decision under subsection (f).
(h) Repealed by Session Laws 1987, c. 827, s. 105.
(h1) Except as provided in subsection (h2) of this section, all construction and maintenance dredgings of beach-quality sand may be placed on the affected downdrift ocean beaches or, if placed elsewhere, an equivalent quality and quantity of sand from another location shall be placed on the downdrift ocean beaches.
(h2) Clean, beach quality material dredged from navigational channels within the active nearshore, beach or inlet shoal systems shall not be removed permanently from the active nearshore, beach or inlet shoal system. This dredged material shall be disposed of on the ocean beach or shallow active nearshore area where it is environmentally acceptable and compatible with other uses of the beach.
(i) Subject to subsections (h1) and (h2) of this section, all materials excavated pursuant to such permit, regardless of where placed, shall be encased or entrapped in such a manner as to minimize their moving back into the affected water.
(j) None of the provisions of this section shall relieve any riparian owner of the requirements imposed by the applicable laws and regulations of the United States.
(k) Any person, firm, or corporation violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. Each day's continued operation after notice by the Department to cease shall constitute a separate offense. A notice to cease shall be served personally or by certified mail.
(l) The Secretary may, either before or after the institution of proceedings under subsection (k) of this section, institute a civil action in the superior court in the name of the State upon the relation of the Secretary, for damages, and injunctive relief, and for such other and further relief in the premises as said court may deem proper, to prevent or recover for any damage to any lands or property which the State holds in the public trust, and to restrain any violation of this section or of any provision of a dredging or filling permit issued under this section. Neither the institution of the action nor any of the proceedings thereon shall relieve any party to such proceedings from the penalty prescribed by this section for any violation of the same.
(m) This section shall apply to all persons, firms, or corporations, their employees, agents, or contractors proposing excavation or filling work in the estuarine waters, tidelands, marshlands and State-owned lakes within the State, and the work to be performed by the State government or local governments. Provided, however, the provisions of this section shall not apply to the activities and functions of the Department and local health departments that are engaged in mosquito control for the protection of the health and welfare of the people of the coastal area of North Carolina as provided under G.S. 130A-346 through G.S. 130A-349. Provided, further, this section shall not impair the riparian right of ingress and egress to navigable waters.
(n) Within the meaning of this section:
(1) "State-owned lakes" include man-made as well as natural lakes.
(2) "Estuarine waters" means all the waters of the Atlantic Ocean within the boundary of North Carolina and all the waters of the bays, sounds, rivers, and tributaries thereto seaward of the dividing line between coastal fishing waters and inland fishing waters agreed upon by the Department and the Wildlife Resources Commission, within the meaning of G.S. 113-129.
(3) "Marshland" means any salt marsh or other marsh subject to regular or occasional flooding by tides, including wind tides (whether or not the tidewaters reach the marshland areas through natural or artificial watercourses), provided this shall not include hurricane or tropical storm tides. Salt marshland or other marsh shall be those areas upon which grow some, but not necessarily all, of the following salt marsh and marsh plant species: Smooth or salt water Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), Black Needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), Glasswort (Salicornia spp.), Salt Grass (Distichlis spicata), Sea Lavender (Limonium spp.), Bulrush (Scirpus spp.), Saw Grass (Cladium jamaicense), Cattail (Typha spp.), Salt-Meadow Grass (Spartina patens), and Salt Reed-Grass (Spartina cynosuroides). (1969, c. 791, s. 1; 1971, c. 1159, s. 6; 1973, c. 476, s. 128; c. 1262, ss. 28, 86; c. 1331, s. 3; 1975, c. 456, ss. 1-7; 1977, c. 771, s. 4; 1979, c. 253, ss. 1, 2; 1983, c. 258, ss. 1-3; c. 442, s. 2; 1987, c. 827, s. 105; 1989, c. 727, s. 107; 1993, c. 539, s. 844; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 777, s. 6(a), (b); 1995, c. 509, s. 55.1(a)-(c); 2000-172, ss. 3.1, 3.2; 2002-126, ss. 29.2(h)-(j); 2011-398, s. 36; 2013-413, s. 55; 2014-115, s. 17; 2023-137, s. 10.5.)
§ 113-230. Orders to control activities in coastal wetlands.
(a) The Secretary, with the approval of the Coastal Resources Commission, may from time to time, for the purpose of promoting the public safety, health, and welfare, and protecting public and private property, wildlife and marine fisheries, adopt, amend, modify, or repeal orders regulating, restricting, or prohibiting dredging, filling, removing or otherwise altering coastal wetlands. In this section, the term "coastal wetlands" shall mean any marsh as defined in G.S. 113-229(n)(3), as amended, and such contiguous land as the Secretary reasonably deems necessary to affect by any such order in carrying out the purposes of this section.
(b) The Secretary shall, before adopting, amending, modifying or repealing any such order, hold a public hearing thereon in the county in which the coastal wetlands to be affected are located, giving notice thereof to interested State agencies and each owner or claimed owner of such wetlands by certified or registered mail at least 21 days prior thereto.
(c) Upon adoption of any such order or any order amending, modifying or repealing the same, the Secretary shall cause a copy thereof, together with a plan of the lands affected and a list of the owners or claimed owners of such lands, to be recorded in the register of deeds office in the county where the land is located, and shall mail a copy of such order and plan to each owner or claimed owner of such lands affected thereby.
(d) Any person, firm or corporation that violates any order issued under the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
(e) The superior court shall have jurisdiction in equity to restrain violations of such orders.
(f) Any person having a recorded interest in or registered claim to land affected by any such order may, within 90 days after receiving notice thereof, petition the superior court to determine whether the petitioner is the owner of the land in question, and in case he is adjudged the owner of the subject land, whether such order so restricts the use of his property as to deprive him of the practical uses thereof and is therefore an unreasonable exercise of the police power because the order constitutes the equivalent of a taking without compensation. If the court finds the order to be an unreasonable exercise of the police power, as aforesaid, the court shall enter a finding that such order shall not apply to the land of the petitioner; provided, however, that such finding shall not affect any other land than that of the petitioner. The Secretary shall cause a copy of such finding to be recorded forthwith in the register of deeds office in the county where the land is located. The method provided in this subsection for the determination of the issue of whether any such order constitutes a taking without compensation shall be exclusive, and such issue shall not be determined in any other proceeding.
(g) After a finding has been entered that such order shall not apply to certain land as provided in the preceding subsection, the Department of Administration, upon the request of the Coastal Resources Commission, shall take the fee or any lesser interest in such land in the name of the State by eminent domain under the provisions of Chapter 146 of the General Statutes and hold the same for the purposes set forth in this section.
(h) This section shall not repeal the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Department under the provisions of G.S. 113-229. (1971, c. 1159, s. 7; 1973, c. 1262, ss. 28, 86; 1977, c. 771, s. 4; 1979, c. 253, s. 4; 1989, c. 727, s. 108; 1993, c. 539, s. 845; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)
§§ 113-231 through 113-240. Reserved for future codification purposes.