{"data":{"id":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-113a-232","jurisdiction":"us-nc","citation":"N.C. Gen. Stat. § 113A-232","heading":"Conservation Grant Fund.","body":"(a)\tFund Created. - The Conservation Grant Fund is created within the Department of Environmental Quality. The Fund shall be administered by the Department.\n(a1)\tFund Purpose. - The purpose of the Conservation Grant Fund is to stimulate the use of conservation easements, to steward properties held by deed or conservation easement by the State, to improve the capacity of private nonprofit land trust organizations to successfully accomplish conservation projects, to better equip real estate related professionals to pursue opportunities for conservation, to increase landowner participation in land and water conservation, and to provide an opportunity to leverage private and other public funds for conservation easements.\n(b)\tFund Sources. - The Conservation Grant Fund shall consist of any funds appropriated to it by the General Assembly and any funds received from public or private sources. Unexpended funds in the Fund that were appropriated from the General Fund by the General Assembly shall revert at the end of the fiscal year unless the General Assembly otherwise provides. Unexpended funds in the Fund from other sources shall not revert and shall remain available for expenditure in accordance with this Article.\n(c)\tRecodified as G.S. 113A-235(a) by Session Laws 2020-78, s. 7.4(a), effective July 1, 2020.\n(c1)\tGrant Eligibility. - Conservation properties, as described in G.S. 113A-235, State conservation land management agencies, local government conservation land management agencies, and private nonprofit land trust organizations are eligible to receive grants from the Conservation Grant Fund. Private nonprofit land trust organizations must be certified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to aid in managing the land.\n(d)\tUse of Revenue. - Revenue and investment income generated by the Conservation Grant Fund may be used only for the following purposes:\n(1)\tThe costs of the Department in administering the Fund and stewardship program operations.\n(2)\tExpenses related to grants, contracts, and agreements made in accordance with this Article, including any of the following:\na.\tReimbursement for total or partial transaction costs for a donation of real property or an interest in real property from an individual or corporation, when the Department determines either of the following:\n1.\tThe donor has insufficient financial ability to pay all costs or insufficient taxable income to allow these costs to be included in the donated value.\n2.\tThe donor has insufficient tax burdens to allow these costs to be offset by charitable deductions.\nb.\tManagement support, including initial baseline inventory and planning.\nc.\tMonitoring compliance of conservation easements, the related use of riparian buffers, natural areas, and greenways, and the presence of ecological integrity.\nd.\tEducation and studies on conservation properties, including information materials intended for landowners and education for staff and volunteers.\ne.\tStewardship of conservation properties.\nf.\tTransaction costs for recipients, including legal expenses, closing and title costs, and unusual direct costs, such as overnight travel.\ng.\tAdministrative costs.\nh.\tAward of grants under G.S. 113A-234.\ni.\tLegal expenses incurred in protecting and seeking remedies for damages to Department-held conservation properties.\nj.\tAcquisition of conservation properties and easements.\n(3)\tTo establish an endowment account, the interest from which will be used for a purpose described in this subsection. The principal of this account shall not be used for the purchase of real property or an interest in real property. (1997-226, s. 6; 1997-443, s. 11A.119(b); 2002-155, s. 2; 2003-340, s. 1.4; 2014-3, s. 14.14(d); 2015-241, s. 14.30(u); 2020-78, s. 7.4(a), (b).)","path":["Chapter 113A. Pollution Control and Environment.","Article 16. Conservation Easements Program."],"source_url":"https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_113A/GS_113A-232.html","current_through":"S.L. 2026-30","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T18:17:07Z","sha256":"ff473fc7c0f025c8acc8b3f28dc324c2b86af91c672e29f505713c8058bfaa1f","source_id":"us-nc","stale":false,"prev":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-113a-231","next":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-113a-233"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}