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HB 926

Regulatory Reform Act of 2025.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Allen Chesser and 4 co-sponsors

North Carolina enacts the Regulatory Reform Act of 2025, a broad package to streamline licensing, inspections, surveying, zoning, and other regulatory rules.

Became Law W/o Signature
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Bill Summary · HB 926

Summary — HB 926: Regulatory Reform Act of 2025 (and related items filed as HB 926)

Status: Became law without signature (Session Law 2025‑94). Ratified 9/24/2025; enacted 10/06/2025. (Contains provisions enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly.)
Introduced: Various prefiling/filing dates shown (Nov 12, 2024 / early 2025 activity across jurisdictions).
Note: HB 926 is used for distinct bills in multiple states. This summary focuses on the North Carolina “Regulatory Reform Act of 2025” (the principal Act enacted as SL 2025‑94) and summarizes a separate Maryland bill (also numbered HB 926) included in the materials that amends the definition of “health care provider” for malpractice law and its fiscal note.

Purpose / Intent

  • North Carolina: Consolidate a package of regulatory relief and modernization measures across occupational licensing, land surveying, building inspection, local government development standards, on‑site wastewater processing, and other administrative reforms — broadly described as “regulatory relief.”
  • Maryland (separate bill text): Broaden the statutory definition of “health care provider” in the health‑care malpractice subtitle to expressly include hospital employees, agents, or contractors who are licensed/certified/authorized to render health care in Maryland.

Key Provisions (North Carolina Regulatory Reform Act of 2025)

Selected major provisions enacted (not exhaustive):
- Authorizes Authorized On‑Site Wastewater Evaluators to prepare and submit site denial letters for subsurface wastewater systems; directs the Environmental Management Commission to adopt corresponding permanent rules (with interim implementation and a sunset for the interim approach).
- Repeals G.S. 89C‑19.2 and adds limited right‑of‑entry authority for professional land surveyors to enter private land to perform surveying tasks (with exceptions for operating railroad property and critical infrastructure); provides limitations on civil liability and permits recovery of attorneys’ fees in related trespass/negligence suits.
- Prohibits building inspection departments from charging fees or failing an inspection when a permit holder cancels more than one business day before a scheduled inspection.
- Limits local zoning or development regulations from imposing (on covered projects) certain requirements such as minimum residential square footage, parking-space sizes above a 9×20 standard (with exceptions), extra fire‑access roads beyond code, or pavement design stricter than DOT minimums; effective Jan 1, 2026 (applies to projects initiated on/after that date).
- Expands the culinary ABC permit authorizations (kitchens, hotels, cooking schools, catering services) for possession/use/transport of limited quantities of fortified wine or spirits for culinary purposes.
- Multiple occupational licensing updates across iterations: permit distance education for massage/bodywork licensure, adjust continuing‑education exemptions (e.g., certain contractors), modify dental instructor qualification language, remove dual‑licensure requirements for some audiologists, require disclosures/recordkeeping for “locked” hearing aid software, exempt model homes from certain construction water‑supply requirements during construction, and other reforms.
- Additional chapters cover pedestrian/roadway maintenance coordination in extraterritorial jurisdictions, exceptions for model homes, and other technical changes.

Key Provision (Maryland HB 926 — Health Care Malpractice)

  • Amends Courts & Judicial Proceedings §3‑2A‑01(f) to explicitly define “health care provider” to include an employee, agent, or contractor of a hospital who is licensed, certified, registered, or otherwise authorized to render health care services in Maryland.
  • Effective Oct 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • North Carolina: licensed professionals and license applicants (massage/bodywork therapists, audiologists, physical therapists, dental instructors); local governments, developers, permitting/inspection departments, land surveyors, caterers, restaurants/hotels, homeowners/developers, and small businesses in regulated sectors.
  • Maryland: hospitals and their employees/agents/contractors who provide health care services; plaintiffs and defendants in medical malpractice claims; Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the State Insurance Trust Fund (SITF) for fiscal exposure.

Fiscal / Policy Impact

  • North Carolina: Many provisions change regulatory compliance or procedural duties; fiscal impacts vary by section and are largely administrative or regulatory — major budgetary impacts not specified in materials; effective dates vary by section (noted where provided).
  • Maryland fiscal note (for its HB 926): Potential increase in State Insurance Trust Fund expenditures if more claims are filed or paid because more individuals are defined as “health care providers.” This could raise assessments/premiums charged to agencies (notably MDH) and increase general‑fund costs for MDH if SITF losses rise. Impacts on Judiciary and HCADRO manageable within existing resources; revenues not affected. Small businesses potentially meaningfully affected.

Effective Dates & Procedural Notes

  • North Carolina Act: Multiple sections have specified effective dates; some sections effective immediately, others (e.g., municipal street limits) effective Jan 1, 2026. The Act was amended across multiple committee substitutes and passed both chambers; enrolled and ratified in Sept 2025.
  • Maryland HB 926: Text specifies an effective date of Oct 1, 2025. The Maryland fiscal note and committee referrals occurred in early 2025 (Health & Government Operations; Judiciary).

Additional

  • The materials include multiple versions and committee substitutes reflecting iterative change during the legislative process (NC: multiple editions; MD: bill prefiled Jan 2025 and referred to HCADRO processes).
  • Related/companion measures: NC bill had Senate committee substitutes; Maryland HB 926 lists SB 681 as a companion in the docket materials.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a section‑by‑section checklist of the NC Act with effective dates and affected statutes, or
- Prepare a short one‑page briefing tailored for a specific stakeholder group (e.g., local governments, licensed professionals, or hospital risk managers).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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