House Bill 22 revises North Carolina’s fire investigation laws to expand and clarify the investigatory authority of the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the State Bureau of Investigation in fire-related cases. The bill updates multiple sections of Article 79 of Chapter 58 to reflect current agency roles, including allowing the State Fire Marshal and SBI to supervise, direct, and conduct investigations into fires involving property damage, suspected arson, and related fraud. It also modernizes language throughout the statute and preserves existing powers to summon witnesses, administer oaths, enter premises, and pursue criminal charges where evidence supports arson or other willful burning.
The bill also strengthens information-sharing requirements between investigators and insurance companies. It authorizes certain fire and law-enforcement officials to request policy records, claim histories, and other materials relevant to a fire loss, and requires insurers to cooperate when incendiary causes are suspected. The bill includes confidentiality protections for information shared under these provisions and limits liability for insurers and their agents when they provide required information in good faith. The act takes effect October 1, 2025.
HB22 would amend North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 58, Article 79, primarily by expanding and clarifying the authority of the Office of the State Fire Marshal in fire investigations and aligning statutory language with current agency structure. It affects the SBI, the State Fire Marshal, local fire and police officials, county fire marshals, sheriffs, insurers, and insured parties involved in fire-loss claims. The bill also preserves and reinforces existing investigative tools, including witness subpoenas, scene access, and cooperation from insurance companies, while adding confidentiality and immunity provisions tied to information disclosure.
The available legislative record shows no recorded votes or committee testimony, so there is no direct evidence of organized support or opposition in the materials provided. The bill’s committee substitute favorable status and referral to the Insurance Committee suggest it advanced in a routine, noncontroversial posture at this stage. Overall, the measure appears to have been treated as a technical and law-enforcement-oriented update to fire investigation procedures rather than a highly contested policy change.
The main areas that could draw scrutiny are the expanded investigatory powers of the State Fire Marshal and SBI, especially authority to supervise investigations, enter premises, compel testimony, and obtain insurer records. Potential concerns may come from insurers, property owners, or civil-liberties advocates regarding privacy, confidentiality, and the breadth of information that can be shared in fire-loss investigations. On the other hand, public safety and law-enforcement interests are likely to support the bill’s stronger tools for investigating arson, fraud, and suspicious fires, particularly in cases involving deaths, serious injury, government buildings, schools, churches, or other sensitive properties.