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North Carolina House Bill 913 authorizes courts to award attorneys' fees and punitive damages against local governments for intentional development delays and deceptive practices
Original title: Liability/Unfair/Deceptive Develop. Actions.
Last action · May 5, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate (Senate action)Sponsor: Mark Brody
Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law
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Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.
What This Bill Would Do
North Carolina local governments may be ordered by courts to pay reasonable attorneys' fees and up to 10 times actual damages in if they intentionally violate development laws, stall s, or act in a flagrantly unfair or deceptive manner. The legislation takes effect on October 1, 2025, and applies to causes of action arising on or after that date.
Why it matters
Property developers and local governments face new financial liabilities in court proceedings, altering the cost of legal disputes over zoning and permitting decisions.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Directly affected
Local governments
Local governments face mandatory attorneys' fees and punitive damages up to 10 times proven losses if found to have intentionally delayed or acted deceptively in development approvals.
Directly affected
Parties seeking recourse
Parties bringing development-related legal actions are granted statutory mechanisms to recover reasonable attorneys' fees and punitive damages under specific conditions.
Key Facts
- Courts may allow parties seeking recourse to recover reasonable attorneys' fees attributed to actions brought under Article 14 of Chapter 160D.
- Courts must award reasonable attorneys' fees if a party successfully shows the local government intentionally acted in violation of Chapter 160D.
- Courts must award reasonable attorneys' fees if a party successfully shows the local government intentionally delayed action on a development approval.
- Courts must award reasonable attorneys' fees if a party successfully shows the local government acted in a flagrantly unfair or deceptive manner with intent to cause a party to initiate an action.
Show all 8 facts
- Courts must award punitive damages up to 10 times the damages when a local government is found to have acted in a flagrantly unfair or deceptive manner.
- Damages are defined as loss of revenue, increases in costs due to delays caused by the local government, and any other proven damages.
- Courts are prohibited from awarding attorneys' fees against local governments if the local government acted in reasonable reliance on court judgments, appellate opinions, the North Carolina Business Court, the Trial Division of the General Court of Justice, or a written opinion from the Attorney General.
- The act becomes effective on October 1, 2025, and applies to causes of action arising on or after that date.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can a court award punitive damages against a local government under this bill?
A court must award up to 10 times the proven damages if it finds that the local government acted in a flagrantly unfair or deceptive manner with respect to a with the intent to cause a party to initiate an action.
Are there any exceptions where local governments are protected from paying attorneys' fees?
Yes. Courts shall not award attorneys' fees against a local government if the court finds the local government acted in reasonable reliance on applicable court judgments or orders, published appellate opinions, North Carolina Business Court orders, Trial Division final orders, or written opinions, decisions, or letters from the Attorney General.
How are damages calculated under this legislation?
Damages are defined as loss of revenue, increases in costs due to delays caused by the local government's actions, and any other damages proven by the plaintiff.
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
16 actions- May 5, 2025SenateRef To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
- May 5, 2025SenatePassed 1st Reading
- May 5, 2025SenateRegular Message Received From House
- May 1, 2025HouseRegular Message Sent To Senate
- May 1, 2025HousePassed 3rd Reading
- May 1, 2025HousePassed 2nd Reading
Show 10 earlier actions
- Apr 29, 2025HousePlaced On Cal For 05/01/2025
- Apr 29, 2025HouseCal Pursuant Rule 36(b)
- Apr 29, 2025HouseReptd Fav
- Apr 29, 2025HouseRe-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 29, 2025HouseReptd Fav Com Substitute
- Apr 17, 2025HouseRe-ref Com On State and Local Government
- Apr 17, 2025HouseReptd Fav
- Apr 14, 2025HouseRef to the Com on Housing and Development, if favorable, State and Local Government, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 14, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Apr 10, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
Outcome not reportedOfficial roll call ↗
Second Reading
Total
115
- Yes
- 63
- No
- 38
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 14
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (115)
Laura BuddParty not recordedno
Jimmy DixonParty not recordedyes
Jeff McNeelyParty not recordedyes
Celeste CairnsParty not recordedyes
Brian EchevarriaParty not recordedyes
Deb ButlerParty not recordedabsent
William BrissonParty not recordedyes
Carson SmithParty not recordedyes
Tricia CothamParty not recordedabsent
Dean ArpParty not recordedyes
Howard PennyParty not recordedyes
Garland PierceParty not recordedabsent
Matthew WinslowParty not recordedyes
Cody HuneycuttParty not recordedyes
Donna WhiteParty not recordedyes
Eric AgerParty not recordedno
Alan BransonParty not recordedyes
Julia GreenfieldParty not recordedno
Kyle HallParty not recordedyes
Monika Johnson-HostlerParty not recordedno
Tim LongestParty not recordedno
John TorbettParty not recordedyes
Gloristine BrownParty not recordedno
Wyatt GableParty not recordedabsent
91 more members
Stephen RossParty not recordedabsent
Donny LambethParty not recordedyes
Aisha DewParty not recordedno
Allison DahleParty not recordedno
Blair EddinsParty not recordedyes
Carla CunninghamParty not recordedno
Harry WarrenParty not recordedyes
Phil ShepardParty not recordedyes
James RobersonParty not recordedno
Julia HowardParty not recordedyes
Joe PikeParty not recordedyes
Tim ReederParty not recordedyes
Mark PlessParty not recordedyes
Dante PittmanParty not recordedyes
Ya LiuParty not recordedno
Reece PyrtleParty not recordedyes
Sam WatfordParty not recordedabsent
Heather RhyneParty not recordedyes
Larry StricklandParty not recordedyes
Amber BakerParty not recordedno
Nasif MajeedParty not recordedyes
Brenden JonesParty not recordedyes
Amos QuickParty not recordedno
Frances JacksonParty not recordedno
Mitchell SetzerParty not recordedyes
Karl GillespieParty not recordedabsent
Ben MossParty not recordedyes
Chris HumphreyParty not recordedyes
Mary BelkParty not recordedno
Sarah CrawfordParty not recordedno
Lindsey PratherParty not recordedno
Allen BuansiParty not recordedno
Ray PickettParty not recordedyes
Donnie LoftisParty not recordedyes
Ted DavisParty not recordedyes
Neal JacksonParty not recordedabsent
Maria CervaniaParty not recordedno
John BellParty not recordedyes
Rodney PierceParty not recordedno
Steve TysonParty not recordedyes
John SaulsParty not recordedabsent
Renée PriceParty not recordedno
Charlie MillerParty not recordedyes
Vernetta AlstonParty not recordednot voting
Kelly HastingsParty not recordedyes
Abe JonesParty not recordedno
Frank IlerParty not recordedyes
Jake JohnsonParty not recordedyes
Brian TurnerParty not recordedno
Robert ReivesParty not recordedno
Bill WardParty not recordedyes
Marcia MoreyParty not recordedno
Allen ChesserParty not recordedyes
Dudley GreeneParty not recordedyes
Jennifer BalkcomParty not recordedyes
David WillisParty not recordedyes
Brandon LoftonParty not recordedno
von HaefenParty not recordedno
Becky CarneyParty not recordedno
Beth Gardner HelfrichParty not recordedno
Ray JeffersParty not recordedabsent
Zack HawkinsParty not recordedno
Charles SmithParty not recordedyes
Jordan LopezParty not recordedabsent
Terry BrownParty not recordedno
Paul ScottParty not recordedyes
Brian BiggsParty not recordedyes
Hugh BlackwellParty not recordedyes
Dennis RiddellParty not recordedyes
Carolyn LoganParty not recordedno
Bryan CohnParty not recordedabsent
Larry PottsParty not recordedyes
Jay AdamsParty not recordedno
Jeff ZengerParty not recordedyes
Ed GoodwinParty not recordedyes
Todd CarverParty not recordedyes
Erin ParéParty not recordedyes
Kanika BrownParty not recordedabsent
Grant CampbellParty not recordedyes
Jonathan AlmondParty not recordedyes
Mike SchietzeltParty not recordedyes
Pricey HarrisonParty not recordedno
John BlustParty not recordedyes
Cynthia BallParty not recordedno
Tracy ClarkParty not recordedno
Mark BrodyParty not recordedyes
Keith KidwellParty not recordedyes
Shelly WillinghamParty not recordedyes
Mike ColvinParty not recordedno
Diane WheatleyParty not recordedyes
Phil RubinParty not recordedno
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
policy shift95% confidence
Expansion of Municipal Financial Liability in Zoning Disputes
The bill establishes explicit statutory grounds for imposing both mandatory attorneys' fees and up to 10 times damages against local governing bodies for intentional administrative delays.
Connected Entities
OrganizationGeneral Court of Justice“Trial Division referenced for local government reliance standards”Map →
OrganizationNorth Carolina Business Court“Appellate or trial court referenced for local government reliance standards”Map →
PersonAttorney General“State official whose written opinion, decision, or letter serves as a legal reli”Map →
Sources
Open source document
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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