North Carolina General Statutes 20-30. Violations of license, learner’s permit, or special identification card provisions
It shall be unlawful for any person to commit any of the following acts:
(1) To display or cause to be displayed or to have in possession a driver’s license, learner’s permit, or special identification card, knowing the same to be fictitious or to have been canceled, revoked, suspended or altered.
Attorney's Note
Under the N.C. Gen. Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class I felony | between 3 and 12 months | |
| Class 1 misdemeanor | up to 120 days |
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 20-30
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
(2) To counterfeit, sell, lend to, or knowingly permit the use of, by one not entitled thereto, a driver’s license, learner’s permit, or special identification card.
(3) To display or to represent as one’s own a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card not issued to the person so displaying same.
(4) To fail or refuse to surrender to the Division upon demand any driver’s license, learner’s permit, or special identification card that has been suspended, canceled or revoked as provided by law.
(5) To use a false or fictitious name or give a false or fictitious address in any application for a driver’s license, learner’s permit, or special identification card, or any renewal or duplicate thereof, or knowingly to make a false statement or knowingly conceal a material fact or otherwise commit a fraud in any such application, or for any person to procure, or knowingly permit or allow another to commit any of the foregoing acts. Any license, learner’s permit, or special identification card procured as aforesaid shall be void from the issuance thereof, and any moneys paid therefor shall be forfeited to the State. Any person violating the provisions of this subdivision shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
(6) (Effective until July 1, 2024) To make a color photocopy or otherwise make a color reproduction of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card, unless such color photocopy or other color reproduction was authorized by the Commissioner or is made to comply with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-230.2 It shall be lawful to make a black and white photocopy of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card or otherwise make a black and white reproduction of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card. This subdivision does not apply to: (i) a lender that is licensed or otherwise authorized to engage in the lending business in this State; (ii) a licensed motor vehicle dealer creating, storing, or receiving, in the ordinary course of business, a color image of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card of a borrower or loan applicant; or (iii) a federally insured depository institution or its affiliates creating, storing, or receiving, in the ordinary course of business, a color image of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card of a consumer.
(6) (Effective July 1, 2024) To make a color photocopy or otherwise make a color reproduction of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card, unless such color photocopy or other color reproduction was authorized by the Commissioner or is made to comply with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-230.2 It shall be lawful to make a black and white photocopy of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card or otherwise make a black and white reproduction of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card. This subdivision does not apply to any of the following:
a. A lender that is licensed or otherwise authorized to engage in the lending business in this State.
b. A licensed motor vehicle dealer creating, storing, or receiving, in the ordinary course of business, a color image of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card of a borrower or loan applicant.
c. A federally insured depository institution or its affiliates creating, storing, or receiving, in the ordinary course of business, a color image of a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card of a consumer.
d. Performance of a remote notarization act under Part 4A of Article 2 of Chapter 10B of the N.C. Gen. Stat..
(7) To sell or offer for sale any reproduction or facsimile or simulation of a driver’s license, learner’s permit, or special identification card. The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to agents or employees of the Division while acting in the course and scope of their employment. Any person, firm or corporation violating the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a Class I felony.
(8) To possess more than one commercial drivers license or to possess a commercial drivers license and a regular drivers license. Any commercial drivers license other than the one most recently issued is subject to immediate seizure by any law enforcement officer or judicial official. Any regular drivers license possessed at the same time as a commercial drivers license is subject to immediate seizure by any law enforcement officer or judicial official.
(9) To present, display, or use a drivers license, learner’s permit, or special identification card that contains a false or fictitious name in the commission or attempted commission of a felony. Any person violating the provisions of this subdivision shall be guilty of a Class I felony. (1935, c. 52, s. 24; 1951, c. 542, s. 4; 1967, c. 1098, s. 1; 1973, c. 18, s. 2; 1975, c. 716, s. 5; 1979, c. 415; c. 667, ss. 27, 41; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1316, s. 22; 1989, c. 771, s. 8; 1991, c. 726, s. 13; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 1007, s. 29; 1993, c. 539, s. 1247; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1999-299, s. 1; 2001-461, s. 1.1; 2001-487, s. 50(b); 2011-381, s. 4; 2019-239, s. 1.3(c); 2021-134, s. 3; 2022-54, s. 5; 2023-57, s. 2.)