GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION LAW 2001-93
AN ACT TO MAKE IT UNLAWFUL TO TAKE SEA OATS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1. G.S. 14-129 reads as rewritten:
"§ 14-129. Taking, etc., of certain wild plants from land of another.
No person, firm or corporation shall dig up, pull up or take
from the land of another or from any public domain, the whole or any part of
any Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), trailing arbutus, Aaron's Rod
(Thermopsis caroliniana), Bird-foot Violet (Viola pedata), Bloodroot
(Sanguinaria canadensis), Blue Dogbane (Amsonia tabernaemontana), Cardinal-flower
(Lobelia cardinalis), Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Dutchman's Breeches
(Dicentra cucullaria), Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum), Walking Fern
(Camptosorus rhizophyllus), Gentians (Gentiana), Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium),
Ground Cedar, Running Cedar, Hepatica (Hepatica americana and acutiloba), Jack-in-the-Pulpit
(Arisaema triphyllum), Lily (Lilium), Lupine (Lupinus), Monkshood (Aconitum
uncinatum and reclinatum), May Apple (Podophyllum peltatum), Orchids (all
species), Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia), Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata), Shooting
Star (Dodecatheon meadia), Oconee Bells (Shortia galacifolia), Solomon's Seal
(Polygonatum), Trailing Christmas (Greens-Lycopodium), Trillium (Trillium),
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), and Fringe Tree (Chionanthus
virginicus), American holly, white pine, red cedar, hemlock or other coniferous
trees, or any flowering dogwood, any mountain laurel, any rhododendron, or any
ground pine, or any Christmas greens, or any Judas tree, or any leucothea, or
any azalea, without having in his possession a permit to dig up, pull up or
take such plants, signed by the owner of such land, or by his duly authorized
agent. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section shall
be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor only punished by a fine of not less than ten
dollars ($10.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00) for each offense. The
provisions of this section shall not apply to the Counties of Cabarrus,
Carteret, Catawba, Cherokee, Chowan, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin,
Edgecombe, Franklin, Gaston, Granville, Hertford, McDowell, Pamlico, Pender, Person,
Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan and Swain."
SECTION 2. Article 22 of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 14-129.2. Unlawful to take sea oats.
(a) It is unlawful to dig up, pull up, or take from the land of another or from any public domain the whole or any part of any Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) without the consent of the owner of that land.
(b) Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200.00) for each offense."
SECTION 3. This act becomes effective December 1, 2001, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 10th day of May, 2001.
s/ Beverly E. Perdue
President of the Senate
s/ James B. Black
Speaker of the House of Representatives
s/ Michael F. Easley
Governor
Approved 12:44 p.m. this 18th day of May, 2001