Originally published April 25, 2026, by Elevation Strategies
Reprinted with permission from Elevation Strategies

The NC General Assembly passes a regulatory reform bill practically every session, and we expect this year will be no different. These bills usually contain a myriad of policies that make changes to regulations regarding a wide variety of industries.

One issue that has generated much discussion is the down-zoning law that passed in 2024, placing limits on the ability of local governments to amend zoning ordinances, which also broadens the definition of down-zoning to include actions that result in nonconformity of land use.

SB 587 - Clarify Nonconforming Uses - contains a section (reference Section 10 on the last page) that would restore certain zoning ordinance authorities to local governments. The bill has passed the Senate and is pending in the House. Our sources tell us that the future of this bill -- or any bill related to down-zoning -- is currently to be determined.