This 2 hour online course will be held from 10:00am to noon, and will be recorded and available On-demand in late June.

Under North Carolina law, members of governing boards of cities, counties, local boards of education, unified governments, sanitary districts, and consolidated city-counties are required to receive at least two (2) clock hours of ethics training within twelve months after each election or appointment to office. The ethics training requirement is an ongoing obligation, triggered by each subsequent re-election or reappointment to office.       

This online training will satisfy the 2 clock hours of local ethics training required by state law for elected and appointed officials. This training MUST be completed within 12 months of election day and is required every time they are re-elected or appointed and reappointed to a local office. 

See further instructions below and in the Preparation Checklist. 

• Is your board attorney or a member of your board who is an attorney watching the webinar? The NC State Bar requires attorneys who wish to claim CLE (Continuing Legal Education) credit to purchase the webinar separately in their name. The attorney must self-report to the State Bar for CLE credit.   

What you need to know before you purchase:

A. If multiple incumbent board members need to receive their ethics training, you all should register via the group rates. Have your clerk or manager register you all as a group in a single transaction. If you need assistance, contact 

B. Who this training does NOT cover: 

Individuals serving on state boards subject to the State Government Ethics Act (SGEA): Local elected officials who also serve on a state board that is subject to the State Government Ethics Act (SGEA), including local community college boards, are required to take ethics training that is offered through the State Ethics Commission. The SOG ethics-training program for local elected officials does NOT satisfy the state ethics training, and the state ethics training does NOT satisfy the local elected official ethics-training which is offered through this page. Consequently, local elected officials who also serve on a state board subject to the SGEA, must take both the state and the local ethics training programs.  Officials who need to complete state ethics training should:

• Contact their board's ethics liaison for training, or
• Complete the online training available on State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement (formerly the State Ethics Commission) website: ethics.ncsbe.gov/education/eduOnline

Local ABC Boards: For individuals who serve on a local ABC board, separate training is required. The SOG ethics training program for local elected officials does NOT satisfy the local ABC Board training, and the local ABC Board training does NOT satisfy the local elected officials ethic training. Here is the link to the webinar page for local ABC Boards.

School Boards: Please contact the NC School Boards Association for further information.

C. Board notice of a public meeting:

Boards are advised to give public notice of a special meeting for ethics training sessions if a majority of the board might be in attendance at the event. This is in keeping with the spirit of the ethics law, and out of an abundance of caution concerning the legal requirements for board meetings.

Purchasing the Webinar 

A. Who should purchase from your unit:

• If you want to receive the group rate, have your clerk or manager register everyone in a single transaction.  
• Is your board attorney or a member of your board who is an attorney watching the webinar? The NC State Bar requires attorneys who wish to claim CLE (Continuing Legal Education) credit to purchase the webinar separately in their name, and to self-report to the State Bard for CLE credit. 
• Do you have to purchase the webinars for each person watching from your board?  Yes.   
• Adding no-reply@sog.unc.edu and lrich@sog.unc.edu to your contacts will increase the chance of the email getting through. 

Issues with purchasing? Simply email our registration department directly at registration@sog.unc.edu for issues with the registration/purchase process, passwords, or logging in. Provide your phone number and brief summary of your issue and someone from that department will contact you shortly. This is the fastest way to get assistance as there are multiple people in that department who can respond to you quickly.

LELA Level: This is a 101 Level course in the Local Elected Leaders Academy. Participating elected officials will earn 1 credit toward their Practitioner recognition certificate.