GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
1991 SESSION

CHAPTER 285
HOUSE BILL 356

AN ACT MAKING A QUALIFIED EXCEPTION FROM THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT FOR CERTAIN GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  Geographical information systems databases and data files developed and operated by counties and cities are public records within the meaning of Chapter 132 of the General Statutes.  The county or city shall provide public access to such systems by public access terminals and other output devices.  Upon request, the county or city shall furnish copies, in documentary or electronic form, to anyone requesting them at reasonable cost.  As a condition of furnishing an electronic copy, whether on magnetic tape, magnetic disk, compact disk, or photo-optical device, a county or city may require that the person obtaining the copy agree in writing that the copy will not be resold or otherwise used for trade or commercial purposes.  For purposes of this section, publication or broadcast by the news media shall not constitute a resale or use of the data for trade or commercial purposes.
Sec. 2.  This act applies to Catawba and Lincoln Counties and the Cities of Conover, Hickory, Lincolnton, and Newton only.
Sec. 3.  This act is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 13th day of June, 1991.

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James C. Gardner
President of the Senate

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Daniel Blue, Jr.
Speaker of the House of Representatives