North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.85A. Recordation of oil or hazardous substance discharge sites
(a) The owner of the real property on which a site is located that is subject to current or future use restrictions approved as provided in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-215.84(f) shall submit to the Department a survey plat as required by this section within 180 days after the owner is notified to do so. The survey plat shall identify areas designated by the Department, shall be prepared and certified by a professional land surveyor, and shall be entitled “NOTICE OF OIL OR HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE DISCHARGE SITE”. Where an oil or hazardous substance discharge site is located on more than one parcel or tract of land, a composite map or plat showing all parcels or tracts may be recorded. The Notice shall include a legal description of the site that would be sufficient as a description in an instrument of conveyance, shall meet the requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47-30 for maps and plats, and shall identify:
(1) The location and dimensions of the disposal areas and areas of potential environmental concern with respect to permanently surveyed benchmarks.
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.85A
- Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
- Department: shall mean the Department of Environmental Quality. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.77
- Discharge: shall mean , but shall not be limited to, any emission, spillage, leakage, pumping, pouring, emptying, or dumping of oil or other hazardous substances into waters of the State or into waters outside the territorial limits of the State which affect lands, waters or uses related thereto within the territorial limits of the State, or upon land in such proximity to waters that oil or other hazardous substances is reasonably likely to reach the waters, but shall not include amounts less than quantities which may be harmful to the public health or welfare as determined pursuant to N. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.77
- Hazardous substance: shall mean any substance, other than oil, which when discharged in any quantity may present an imminent and substantial danger to the public health or welfare, as designated pursuant to N. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.77
- in writing: may be construed to include printing, engraving, lithographing, and any other mode of representing words and letters: Provided, that in all cases where a written signature is required by law, the same shall be in a proper handwriting, or in a proper mark. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Oil: shall mean oil of any kind and in any form, including, but specifically not limited to, petroleum, crude oil, diesel oil, fuel oil, gasoline, lubrication oil, oil refuse, oil mixed with other waste, oil sludge, petroleum related products or by-products, and all other liquid hydrocarbons, regardless of specific gravity, whether singly or in combination with other substances. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.77
- property: shall include all property, both real and personal. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Secretary: shall mean the North Carolina Secretary of Environmental Quality. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.77
- Transfer: shall mean the transportation, on-loading or off-loading of oil or other hazardous substances between or among two or more oil terminal facilities; between or among oil terminal facilities and vessels; and between or among two or more vessels. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-215.77
(2) The type, location, and quantity of oil or hazardous substances known to the owner of the site to exist on the site.
(3) Any restrictions approved by the Department on the current or future use of the site.
(b) After the Department approves and certifies the Notice, the owner of the site shall file the certified copy of the Notice in the register of deeds office in the county or counties in which the land is located within 15 days of the date on which the owner receives approval of the Notice from the Department.
(c) Repealed by Session Laws 2012-18, s. 1.20, effective July 1, 2012.
(d) In the event that the owner of the site fails to submit and file the Notice required by this section within the time specified, the Secretary may prepare and file the Notice. The costs thereof may be recovered by the Secretary from any responsible party. In the event that an owner of a site who is not a responsible party submits and files the Notice required by this section, he may recover the reasonable costs thereof from any responsible party.
(e) When an oil or hazardous substance discharge site that is subject to current or future land-use restrictions under this section is sold, leased, conveyed, or transferred, the deed or other instrument of transfer shall contain in the description section, in no smaller type than that used in the body of the deed or instrument, a statement that the property has been used as an oil or hazardous substance discharge site and a reference by book and page to the recordation of the Notice.
(f) A Notice of Oil or Hazardous Substance Discharge Site filed pursuant to this section may, at the request of the owner of the land, be cancelled by the Secretary after the hazards have been eliminated. If requested in writing by the owner of the land and if the Secretary concurs with the request, the Secretary shall send to the register of deeds of each county where the Notice is recorded a statement that the hazards have been eliminated and request that the Notice be cancelled of record. The Secretary’s statement shall contain the names of the owners of the land as shown in the Notice and reference the plat book and page where the Notice is recorded.
(g) If a site subject to the requirements of this section is remediated pursuant to the requirements of Part 8 of Article 9 of Chapter 130A of the N.C. Gen. Stat., a Notice of Restricted Use may be prepared and filed, with the approval of the Department and in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-310.71(e) in lieu of a Notice of Residual Contamination or a Notice of Oil or Hazardous Substance Discharge Site. (1997-394, s. 5; 1997-443, s. 11A.119(b); 1997-456, s. 55.6(a), (b); 2012-18, s. 1.20; 2015-286, s. 4.7(d); 2021-158, s. 7(b).)