G.S. 130A-310.35

§ 130A-310.35. Notice of Brownfields Property; land-use restrictions in deed.

(a) In order to reduce or eliminate the danger to public health or the environment posed by a brownfields property being addressed under this Part, a prospective developer who desires to enter into a brownfields agreement with the Department shall submit to the Department a proposed Notice of Brownfields Property. A Notice of Brownfields Property shall be entitled "Notice of Brownfields Property", shall include a survey plat of areas designated by the Department that has been prepared and certified by a professional land surveyor and that meets the requirements of G.S. 47-30, shall include a legal description of the brownfields property that would be sufficient as a description of the property in an instrument of conveyance, and shall identify all of the following:

(1) The location and dimensions of the areas of potential environmental concern with respect to permanently surveyed benchmarks.

(2) The type, location, and quantity of regulated substances and contaminants known to exist on the brownfields property.

(3) Any restrictions on the current or future use of the brownfields property or, with the owner's permission, other property that are necessary or useful to maintain the level of protection appropriate for the designated current or future use of the brownfields property and that are designated in the brownfields agreement. These land-use restrictions may apply to activities on, over, or under the land, including, but not limited to, use of groundwater, building, filling, grading, excavating, and mining. Where a brownfields property encompasses more than one parcel or tract of land, a composite map or plat showing all parcels or tracts may be recorded.

(b) After the Department approves and certifies the Notice of Brownfields Property under subsection (a) of this section, a prospective developer who enters into a brownfields agreement with the Department shall file a certified copy of the Notice of Brownfields Property in the register of deeds' office in the county or counties in which the land is located. The prospective developer shall file the Notice of Brownfields Property within 15 days of the prospective developer's receipt of the Department's approval of the notice or the prospective developer's entry into the brownfields agreement, whichever is later.

(d) When a brownfields property 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 brownfields property has been classified and, if appropriate, cleaned up as a brownfields property under this Part.

(e) A Notice of Brownfields Property 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.

(f) Any land-use restriction filed pursuant to this section shall be enforced by any owner of the land. Any land-use restriction may also be enforced by the Department through the remedies provided in Part 2 of Article 1 of this Chapter or by means of a civil action. The Department may enforce any land-use restriction without first having exhausted any available administrative remedies. A land-use restriction may also be enforced by any unit of local government having jurisdiction over any part of the brownfields property by means of a civil action without the unit of local government having first exhausted any available administrative remedy. A land-use restriction may also be enforced by any person eligible for liability protection under this Part who will lose liability protection if the land-use restriction is violated. A land-use restriction shall not be declared unenforceable due to lack of privity of estate or contract, due to lack of benefit to particular land, or due to lack of any property interest in particular land. Any person who owns or leases a property subject to a land-use restriction under this section shall abide by the land-use restriction.

(g) This section shall apply in lieu of the provisions of G.S. 130A-310.8 for brownfields properties remediated under this Part. (1997-357, s. 2; 1997-443, s. 11A.119(b); 2012-18, s. 1.19.)