title
Resolution Opposing House Bill 437
body
Department:
City Council
Meeting Date:
6/16/2026
Contact Name:
Mayor Bill Saffo
Public Hearing:
No
Contact Phone:
910-341-7815
Advertising Date/Advertised By:
N/A
Attachments:
Attachment #1: Resolution
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this resolution is to express City Council's opposition to House Bill 437 in the 2026 session of the North Carolina General Assembly.
BACKGROUND:
HB 437 Drug-Free Zones/Unauthorized Public Camping is currently being considered in the North Carolina General Assembly and includes two sections.
Section one would:
* Increase the punishment for the offense of manufacture, sale, delivery, or possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a controlled substance, if the offense occurs in a drug-free homeless service zone.
Section two would:
* Define "public camping or sleeping" as "lodging or residing overnight in a temporary outdoor habitation used as a dwelling or living space and evidenced by the erection of a tent or other temporary shelter, the presence of bedding or pillows, or the storage of personal belongings or lodging or residing overnight in an outdoor space without a tent or other temporary shelter." The term would not include (i) lodging or residing overnight in a motor vehicle that is registered, insured, and located in a place where it may be lawfully used or (ii) camping for recreational purposes on property designated for those purposes.
* Prohibit a local government from authorizing or otherwise allowing any person to regularly engage in public camping or sleeping on any public property.
* Permit, by majority vote of the local government's governing board, the designation of property owned by the local government to be used for a continuous period of no longer than one year for the purposes of public camping or sleeping. The local government would be required to establish and maintain minimum standards and procedures for the purposes of:
o Ensuring the sa...
Click here for full text