An Overview of 2021 Criminal Law Legislation

Published for NC Criminal Law on September 07, 2021.

Each year the School of Government summarizes legislation enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly affecting criminal law and procedure and motor vehicle laws. We also explore selected legislation in more depth on this blog. Most criminal law legislation has an effective date of December 1 to allow the courts to prepare for the changes. What follows is a brief summary of the criminal law and related legislation with earlier effective dates enacted thus far during the 2021 legislative session. It isn’t everything the legislature has done, and by no means is it everything you need to know. Laws Effective Now S.L. 2021-24 (S 69) went into effect on May 24, 2021. This act amends G.S. 20-11 to require a person who is at least 16 years old but less than 18 years old to have held a limited learner's permit for at least six months to obtain a limited provisional license. Previously, the requirement was twelve months. This law is set to expire on December 31, 2021. Laws Effective October 1, 2021 The following laws have an effective date of October 1, 2021: S.L. 2021-33 (S 241) redefines modified utility vehicles, eliminating the requirement in G.S. 20-4.01(27) that they have an engine displacement greater than 2400 cubic centimeters and the requirement that they be equipped with windshields and windshield wipers. The driver of and all passengers on a modified utility vehicle that is not equipped with a windshield and windshield wipers must wear a safety helmet. The law also specifies [...]