Senate Bill 365 would expand North Carolina’s emergency looting and trespass law to create a new, more serious offense for stealing from or damaging another person’s temporary housing during a state of emergency in an emergency area. The bill amends G.S. 14-288.6 to add a new subsection covering conduct where a person unlawfully enters another’s premises and then obtains control of, damages, ransacks, or destroys temporary housing. Under the bill, that conduct would be a Class F felony unless another law already provides greater punishment.
The bill defines “temporary housing” broadly to include tents, trailers, mobile homes, transportable shelters, vehicular living quarters, and related equipment or power/heating/cooling attachments. It also preserves the existing misdemeanor trespass during emergency and Class H felony looting provisions for other property, while adding a civil remedy allowing victims to recover treble damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees. The act would take effect December 1, 2025, and apply only to offenses committed on or after that date.
Impact
The bill would amend North Carolina General Statute 14-288.6, increasing criminal penalties for emergency-related theft or destruction involving temporary housing in declared emergency areas. It would create a new Class F felony category for qualifying conduct, which is more severe than the existing Class H looting offense, and would specifically protect disaster-related shelter and mobile living arrangements. It would also expand civil liability by authorizing victims to sue for triple damages plus costs and attorney’s fees.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and disaster-protection bill aimed at preventing exploitation of vulnerable people during emergencies. The sponsor’s approach suggests support for stronger deterrence and harsher punishment for looting temporary shelters. No opposing arguments are documented in the provided materials, so the overall sentiment in the available record is neutral to favorable toward the bill’s protective purpose.
Contention
The main policy issue is the bill’s creation of a new Class F felony for conduct involving temporary housing during emergencies, which is a significant penalty increase compared with the existing looting statute. Potential points of contention could include whether the new offense is too broad, whether the definitions of temporary housing and emergency area are sufficiently precise, and whether the bill duplicates or overlaps with other criminal statutes that already punish theft, trespass, or property damage. Another possible issue is the civil treble-damages remedy, which could be viewed as strengthening victim compensation but also increasing litigation exposure for defendants.