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Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina General Assembly creates permitting program for dry litter poultry operations and bans industrial facilities in 100-year floodplains
Last action · April 10, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Pricey Harrison and 8 others
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What This Bill Would Do
North Carolina House Bill 867 establishes new permitting requirements for poultry operations, bans the construction of industrial animal waste management systems in s, and requires large unpermitted poultry facilities to submit digital animal waste management plans annually starting January 1, 2026. The legislation also directs the Environmental Review Commission to conduct a comprehensive study on poultry waste impacts and appropriates $25,000 in nonrecurring funds to the Department of Environmental Quality for technical assistance.
Operators of poultry facilities face new permit applications, mandatory waste management planning, and restrictions on building in flood-prone areas, while the Department of Environmental Quality receives state funding to support compliance and oversight.
- Dry litter poultry operations in North Carolina were previously managed under a general assumption of compliance unless illicit discharges were documented. context
- The Environmental Review Commission is a joint legislative commission of the North Carolina General Assembly tasked with studying environmental and natural resource issues. context
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.
Owners and operators of dry litter poultry facilities
Must comply with new individual or general permit requirements, adhere to 100-year floodplain construction bans, and submit annual digital waste management plans.
Department of Environmental Quality
Receives an appropriation of $25,000, develops permitting systems, and receives annual digital waste management plans from qualifying poultry facilities.
Environmental Review Commission
Must conduct a comprehensive study on dry litter poultry waste and report findings and recommendations to the 2026 General Assembly.
Key Facts
- No components of an animal waste management system for an animal operation may be constructed within a 100-year floodplain.
- Owners or operators of dry litter poultry facilities required to be permitted under federal regulations must apply for individual or general permits at least 180 days prior to operation.
- Dry litter poultry facilities not subject to federal permitting but involving 30,000 or more birds must develop and annually submit a digital animal waste management plan to the Department of Environmental Quality.
- The Environmental Review Commission must conduct a study on the environmental and public health impacts of dry litter poultry waste and report its findings to the 2026 Regular Session.
Show all 7 facts
- The sum of $25,000 in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Environmental Quality for technical assistance and educational resources.
- Information collected by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from farm owners is generally confidential, except for the location, size, and ownership of an individual farm operation.
- Failure of the Commission to act on a notice of intent for a certificate of coverage under a general permit featuring a farm digester system within 90 days results in deemed approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new restrictions apply to building animal waste management systems in floodplains?
Are unpermitted poultry farms required to submit waste management plans?
What funding is provided by the bill for implementation?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 10, 2025HouseRef To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 10, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Apr 9, 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 →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.
Expansion of Agricultural Oversight
The bill shifts dry litter poultry operations from a traditionally assumed permitted status to mandatory individual or general permit requirements and digital waste planning.
Connected Entities
Sources
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
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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