What Changed on January 1st: A Look at New North Carolina Laws and What They Mean for Residents
New NC laws effective January 1st touch schools, families, healthcare, housing, and development, reshaping daily life while quietly changing how local government works.
Holly Springs, NC, Jan. 5, 2026 — A dozen new laws took effect last week in North Carolina. Some will bring immediate, noticeable changes for families, patients, renters, homeowners, and online users. Others reshape how state and local government functions, changes that residents may not feel right away, but that will influence growth, costs, and decision-making over time.
Taken together, the January 1st laws reflect a consistent direction from the North Carolina General Assembly: more uniform statewide rules, fewer procedural hurdles, and more explicit statutory definitions, often narrowing the discretion historically exercised by local governments and agencies.
Here’s a complete, resident-focused look at everything that became active law on January 1, 2026, and what it means locally.
Laws Residents Are Most Likely to Notice
Families, Schools, and Online Life (HB 805)
The most far-reaching change comes from House Bill 805 (document), portions of which took effect January 1st.
HB 805 codifies definitions of biological sex for use in state law and policy. It also expands parental access to and involvement in schools, including access to school library materials, the ability to request that students be excused from certain classroom discussions or activities due to religious objections, and requirements governing sleeping arrangements during school-sponsored overnight activities.
The same law establishes extensive new rules for online platforms that host explicit content. Operators must verify performers’ age and obtain explicit written consent for distribution, maintain records, and remove content upon request within specified timeframes. Violations can trigger significant daily civil penalties.
For families, the law means increased parental visibility and control in school settings. For school systems, it introduces new policy and compliance obligations. For online platforms and users, it creates a new legal environment around adult content distributed in or accessible from North Carolina. These provisions are among the most legally complex enacted this year and are widely expected to face court scrutiny.
Healthcare Access and Workforce (HB 67)
Another change residents may feel sooner rather than later stems from House Bill 67 (document), which includes healthcare workforce reforms.
HB 67 reduces licensure and coverage barriers for certain healthcare services by requiring health benefit plans to cover services provided by pharmacists when those services are otherwise covered and provided within the lawful scope. Supporters say the changes are intended to expand access points for care and reduce bottlenecks as communities continue to grow.
For patients, the practical effect may be faster access to certain routine services in more locations, including pharmacies. Critics caution that scope-of-practice expansions raise questions about oversight and consistency, issues that will likely be monitored as implementation unfolds.
Everyday Costs, Permits, and Inspections (HB 926)
A broad set of changes to routine interactions with government is outlined in House Bill 926 (document), the Regulatory Reform Act of 2025, with key sections effective January 1st.
HB 926 touches zoning and development rules, inspection fees, alcohol permitting, food-service regulation, utilities, and other regulatory processes. One example residents may notice: inspection departments may not charge a fee if a residential inspection is canceled with sufficient advance notice.
Individually, many of these changes are modest. Collectively, they aim to reduce delays, fees, and administrative friction for homeowners, contractors, and small businesses. The trade-off is reduced flexibility for local governments to impose requirements beyond state-defined limits.
Changes That Shape Growth, Housing, and Utilities Over Time
Housing, Parking, and Development Standards (HB 74 & HB 40)
Several new laws affect how communities grow, often in ways that are not immediately visible.
House Bill 74 (document) limits local governments’ authority to impose certain development standards, including minimum parking-space dimensions that exceed state thresholds and other design requirements. House Bill 40 (document), a General Statutes Commission recommendations bill, limits agencies’ ability to repeatedly reopen permit reviews after applications are deemed complete and also includes technical statutory updates.
Supporters argue that these changes will lower development costs and accelerate housing delivery, potentially improving affordability over time. Opponents counter that they restrict local governments’ ability to respond to site-specific concerns related to traffic, neighborhood character, or infrastructure capacity.
Electric Utilities and Long-Term Contracts (SB 690)
Senate Bill 690 (document) authorizes joint municipal power agencies to extend or renew long-term power contracts beyond prior statutory limits.
Residents are unlikely to see immediate changes on their utility bills. Over time, however, the law may influence rate stability, energy sourcing, and long-term infrastructure investment decisions made by municipal electric providers serving local communities.
The same bill also makes changes to real estate transactions, including allowing buyer-agent compensation to be included directly in an offer to purchase and clarifying certain landlord expense-recovery rules. These changes affect how deals are structured and negotiated.
Other Laws Now in Effect January 1
Prescription Drug Transparency (SB 479)
Under Senate Bill 479 (document), often referred to as the SCRIPT Act, manufacturers of certain prescription drugs must report significant price increases, generally 15 percent or more in a prior calendar year, and provide specified disclosures. The law establishes a framework for data collection and public transparency, subject to confidentiality protections.
While the law does not cap prices, it is intended to shed light on pricing trends and inform policymakers and the public.
Birth Certificates for Persons Adopted (SB 248)
Senate Bill 248 (document) makes access to new birth certificates for adopted persons more similar to that for non-adopted persons. The change is intended to simplify and standardize the process for adopted individuals to obtain birth records.
CPA Licensing Changes (SB 321)
Senate Bill 321 (document) modifies the educational and experience requirements for certification as a Certified Public Accountant. The new law changes how candidates qualify for licensure, modernizing pathways into the profession and addressing workforce needs.
Insurance and Rental-Housing Rules (HB 737)
Under House Bill 737 (document), an omnibus Department of Insurance bill, new rules apply to leases that require renters’ insurance. Tenants are not required to purchase insurance from a designated carrier or agent, and, in certain situations, landlord charges are limited to the actual cost plus a capped administrative fee.
Business, Probate, and Notary Law Updates (HB 388)
House Bill 388 (document) includes a range of updates, including provisions affecting business law and probate practice. Among them are changes related to the probate of certain electronically stored wills and adjustments to the sunset of emergency remote notarization provisions.
State Investment Governance (HB 506)
Finally, House Bill 506 (document) restructures how state investment decisions are made by shifting authority to a multi-member investment body. While largely procedural and not immediately visible to residents, the change has long-term implications for pension management and state finances.
The Bottom Line for Local Residents
January’s new laws have activated a broad package of changes, some highly visible, others quietly procedural, that collectively recalibrate how North Carolina governs growth, healthcare access, family-school relationships, online content, and regulatory oversight.
Families and students are most likely to notice changes tied to HB 805. Patients may see expanded access points under HB 67. Homeowners, renters, and small businesses may encounter fewer fees and faster processes under HB 926, HB 74, and HB 40. Longer-term impacts, from utility rates to housing form, will be shaped by SB 690 and related development reforms.
As with any significant set of statutory changes, how these laws are implemented and how courts interpret them will matter as much as the language itself.
HSU will continue tracking how these new laws play out across South Wake County and how local governments, schools, and agencies respond in the months ahead.