A new bill filed by State Sen. Britt seeks to allow property owners to rebuild structures damaged by historic floods without meeting new floodplain rules, aiming to ease restoration efforts, according to the North Carolina State Senate.
The bill, filed as SB 266 on March 11 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Historic Flood Event Bldg. Code Exemption.’
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill establishes exemptions from certain floodplain requirements for the replacement or reconstruction of structures damaged by historic flood events. Specifically, property owners can replace or rebuild their buildings or structures within the base floodplain as they existed before the flood event, without complying with new state or local regulations enacted after the original construction. However, this exemption does not cover any reconstruction that increases the structure’s size within the floodplain unless hydrologic and hydraulic analysis show that it will not raise the base flood elevation. A historic flood event is defined as one that meets or exceeds a 200-year flood, which has a 0.5% probability of occurring in a given year. This act is effective when it becomes law.
Of the three sponsors of this bill, Timothy D. Moffitt proposed the most bills (30) during the 2025 regular session.
Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
Britt graduated from University of Oklahoma with a JD.
Britt, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 24th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Amy Galey.
| Authors | Bill Number | Date Filed | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr., Timothy D. Moffitt, and Warren Daniel | SB 266 | 03/11/2025 | Historic Flood Event Bldg. Code Exemption. |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr., Michael A. Lazzara, and Todd Johnson | SB 265 | 03/11/2025 | Protecting Our Community Act. |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr., Buck Newton, and Warren Daniel | SB 254 | 03/10/2025 | Establish Offense for Poss. of Explosive. |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr., Amy S. Galey, and Vickie Sawyer | SB 250 | 03/06/2025 | Celebrate America’s 250th-Let Freedom Ring!. |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr., Bill Rabon, and Tom McInnis | SB 220 | 02/27/2025 | Protect Private Property Rights.-AB |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr. | SB 127 | 02/21/2025 | Lower Taxes for Scotland County. |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr., Amy S. Galey, and Buck Newton | SB 117 | 02/18/2025 | GSC Uniform Comm. Code/Emerging Technologies. |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr., Eddie D. Settle, and Warren Daniel | SB 50 | 02/04/2025 | Freedom to Carry NC. |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr., Eddie D. Settle, and Todd Johnson | SB 51 | 02/04/2025 | Maintain NAIC Accreditation of DOI.-AB |
| Danny Earl Britt, Jr. | SB 52 | 02/04/2025 | 24th Senatorial District Local Act-1. |
