Senate Bill 756 revises North Carolina law governing the limited right of entry for licensed professional land surveyors. The bill recodifies the existing surveyor entry statute from Chapter 89C to Chapter 14 and rewrites the provision to clarify that a licensed professional land surveyor, and those working under the surveyor’s supervision, may enter private property when necessary to perform surveying work such as locating property corners, boundary lines, rights-of-way, and easements. The bill states that, whenever practicable, surveyors should notify landowners before entering, and it preserves the surveyor’s ability to carry customary equipment and vehicles while conducting the work.
The bill also specifies important limits on that right of entry. It preserves landowner protections by stating that surveyors may not destroy, damage, injure, or move anything on the property without written permission, and it does not eliminate civil liability for such damage. It further bars surveyors from entering railroad property or lands containing critical infrastructure or critical infrastructure facilities. The bill also provides that surveyors and their personnel generally may not bring a civil cause of action against a landowner or lessee for injuries or property damage incurred while on the property for surveying purposes, except where the harm was willfully or deliberately caused by the landowner or lessee.
In terms of state law, the bill amends and reorganizes existing statutes governing land surveying practice and trespass-related entry rights. It updates G.S. 89C-2 to expressly recognize a limited right of entry for licensed professional land surveyors and creates/recodifies the operative entry provision as G.S. 14-159.15. The practical effect is to make the surveyor access rule more explicit within the criminal code/trespass framework while preserving the licensing-based regulation of surveying practice.
The general sentiment reflected by the bill text is supportive of professional surveyors’ need to access land to perform lawful surveying work, while also balancing private property rights and sensitive-site protections. Although there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, the structure of the bill suggests an effort to clarify and standardize surveyor access rather than expand it broadly. The inclusion of notice language, damage limitations, and exclusions for railroads and critical infrastructure indicates a cautious, compromise-oriented approach.
The main points of contention likely concern the scope of surveyors’ access to private property and the extent to which landowners must accommodate entry without prior permission. Landowners may be concerned about privacy, liability, and unauthorized access, while surveyors and their professional associations would likely support the bill as necessary to complete boundary and easement work efficiently. The carve-outs for railroads and critical infrastructure suggest sensitivity to security concerns and potential opposition from owners or operators of those properties if access rights were broader.
Impact
The bill amends North Carolina’s statutes governing professional land surveyors by recodifying the limited right of entry provision into Chapter 14 and revising related language in Chapter 89C. It clarifies that licensed surveyors may enter land when necessary to perform surveying tasks, but it preserves restrictions on damage, requires reasonable or practicable notice, and excludes railroad property and critical infrastructure sites. It also limits civil claims by surveyors and their personnel for injuries or property damage sustained during lawful surveying entry, except in cases of willful or deliberate harm by the landowner or lessee.
Sentiment
No committee debate or vote record is provided, so there is no documented opposition or support from the legislative process in the materials supplied. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears generally favorable to professional surveyors and aimed at clarifying existing access rights, while also signaling respect for property rights and security concerns through explicit limitations and exemptions. The overall tone is regulatory and balancing rather than controversial.
Contention
The likely contention centers on whether licensed surveyors should have a statutory right to enter private land without prior permission when necessary for surveying, and how far that right should extend. Property owners may object to entry without consent or worry about liability and disturbance, while surveyors may argue that access is essential to perform boundary and easement work accurately. Separate concerns may arise around the bill’s exclusions for railroads and critical infrastructure, which reflect security and safety sensitivities and could be important to affected owners and operators.