North Carolina proposal would test shoreline barriers at endangered coastal homes

The proposal would allow a limited number of shoreline stabilization projects at selected locations. Projects could be placed statewide where oceanfront homes face imminent danger of being lost to the ocean. The North Carolina Collaboratory would choose locations based on the severity of erosion, possible effects on nearby properties and shorelines, scientific value, local willingness to follow monitoring rules, and potential community losses if no action is taken. Before construction, the Division of Coastal Management and the Collaboratory would set monitoring rules and a monitoring period. Monitoring rules must be set before construction. The proposed exemption from certain shoreline limits would apply while the structure is in place and active monitoring is underway, subject to the end points described below.

The local government or homeowners association responsible for a site would pay the full project cost, obtain required permits, and post financial assurance for removal. These duties would apply to the local government or homeowners association with authority over the project location. State money could pay for construction only if the General Assembly specifically sets aside money for that project. During the permitted life of the structure, it would be exempt from limits in G.S. 113A-115.1. The exemption would end when the structure is removed, its permit expires or is revoked, or an agency makes a final decision requiring removal, whichever happens first. The responsible entity must post financial assurance before construction. The exemption would last for the permitted life of the structure, including any required monitoring period.

The proposal would set aside $850,000 for the North Carolina Collaboratory to study shoreline projects and update the state’s beach and inlet plan. The money would go to the North Carolina Collaboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The plan would catalog erosion concerns, assess inlet and channel dredging needs, and recommend a prioritized schedule of maintenance dredging with suitable beach material placed beneficially. The Collaboratory would work with the Division of Coastal Management, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other coastal authorities, and include study findings in the final plan. The money is for fiscal year 2026–2027. The updated plan would be due by December 1, 2027.

The Department of Environmental Quality would revise the state’s coastal management program and seek federal approval. The duty would apply to North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality and its coastal management program. The revision would make the state program consistent with the proposed shoreline pilot rules. The department would have to seek approval within six months after the act takes effect.