{"id":489,"date":"2026-06-17T22:08:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T22:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=489"},"modified":"2026-06-17T22:08:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T22:08:04","slug":"senators-okay-repeal-of-ncs-hardened-structure-ban-dismiss-buyouts-for-threatened-coastal-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=489","title":{"rendered":"Senators okay repeal of NC\u2019s hardened structure ban, dismiss buyouts for threatened coastal homes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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North Carolina\u2019s longstanding prohibition of hardened structures like jetties and seawalls to control coastal erosion appears to be washing away in the waning days of the 2026 legislative session.<\/p>\n

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On Wednesday, members of the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environment committee advanced legislation that would eliminate the ban on such structures, and require the North Carolina Collaboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill to update the state\u2019s beach and inlet management plan.<\/p>\n

Sen. Bob Brinson (R-Beaufort), a lead sponsor on Senate Bill 1009, said policy made 40 years ago to protect North Carolina\u2019s shoreline should not be immune from review.<\/p>\n

\u201cErosion rates have increased. The number of threatened structures has grown. Technology and our understanding of engineered stabilization have advanced,\u201d said Brinson.<\/p>\n

Brinson said the legislation was in no way an effort to let every property owner build a seawall or fast-track them for widespread construction.<\/p>\n

If the bill passes, Brinson said, the Coastal Resources Commission would be tasked with adopting rules to regulate the placement of future seawalls or similar structures.<\/p>\n

The debate over upending a policy that has been in place since the late 1970s comes after 32 privately owned structures have collapsed along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore over the past six years.\u00a0 Homes in Rodanthe, North Topsoil and Figure Eight Island are also threatened.<\/p>\n

Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake) questioned whether the bill sponsors had explored other options that would not involve repealing the hardened structure ban, like beach nourishment..<\/p>\n

\u201cBeach nourishment is not appropriate in all situations,\u201d Brinson said. \u201cBeach nourishment also is getting more and more expensive and not lasting as long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Major beach nourishment projects are taking place this summer in Avon, Buxton and Nags Head. While tens of millions of dollars will be spent to stabilize the coast and widen those beaches, experts say the renourishment effort is only designed to last about five years.<\/p>\n

Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe) said the problem with allowing seawalls is that stopping erosion in some places worsens erosion in others, so some coastal properties will win and others will lose.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just science. I don\u2019t know how the Coastal Management Commission is going to thread that balance in developing these rules,\u201d said Mayfield.<\/p>\n

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Sen. Michael Lazzara (R-Onslow) told Mayfield what they were seeking for homeowners was not dissimilar to what property owners in western North Carolina requested in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre we saying that we should not allow those structures to go back up in the way that they were because of what took place? It\u2019s the same thing on the coast,\u201d said Lazzara. \u201cYou know, we\u2019re losing a lot of homes due to erosion. Anything that we could do to mitigate that is just responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayfield said while she could appreciate Lazzara\u2019s analogy, the reality is that thousands of homes in western North Carolina will not be rebuilt post-Helene because the land that they were on doesn\u2019t exist anymore.<\/p>\n

Mayfield reminded her colleagues that Mother Nature remains undefeated. And just like in western North Carolina, she said it would be more appropriate to create a permanent buyout fund.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ones whose houses are literally standing in the water right now and at risk of falling in, this conflict between insurance won\u2019t pay to move and the state won\u2019t buy out,\u201d said Mayfield. \u201cThose folks are completely left in limbo. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s fair either.\u201d<\/p>\n

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