GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 833*

Short Title:  Certify Property Mappers.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senator Gulley.
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Referred to:  Local Government and Regional Affairs.
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April 13, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE CERTIFICATION OF PROPERTY MAPPERS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. Article 4 of Chapter 147 of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new section to read:
"§ 147-54.4. Property mappers certification program established; purpose; definitions; program requirements.
(a)	The Department of the Secretary of State shall establish a certification program for local government property mappers.  The purpose of this program is to protect and enhance the State's investment in local government property maps.
(b)	As used in this section, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the term:
(1)	'Cadastre' or 'cadastral' means a map, regardless of the medium on which it is created and maintained, that depicts or displays the boundary lines of the owners of real property; for the purposes of this statute, 'cadastre' or 'cadastral' shall be considered as representing real property boundaries as a tool for taxation, planning, and other general purposes, but shall not be construed as the determination, definition, or survey of boundaries of real property.
(2)	'Department' means the Department of the Secretary of State.
(3)	'Local government' means a county as defined in G.S. 153A-10 and a city as defined in G.S. 160A-1.
(4)	'Property mapper' means any person employed by a local government who has responsibility for the creation and maintenance of large-scale cadastral maps for the purpose of parcel identifier indexing, ad valorem tax assessment, or the enforcement of zoning and subdivision ordinances or building codes.
(c)	The Department shall establish certification requirements for property mappers consisting of mapping experience, courses of instruction, examinations, and continuing education designed to develop and maintain the minimum level of skills necessary for the creation and maintenance of cadastral maps.  In establishing the certification requirements, the Department may consult with the advisory committee appointed pursuant to G.S. 147-54.3(f), the North Carolina Property Mappers' Association, and other relevant professional groups.  To be certified as a property mapper an applicant must meet the following minimum requirements:
(1)	Be at least 18 years of age;
(2)	Hold a high school diploma or certificate of equivalency;
(3)	Achieve a passing score in courses of instruction approved by the Department covering the following topics:
a.	The principles and techniques of property mapping; and
b.	The laws of North Carolina governing the listing, appraisal, and assessment of real property for taxation.
To retain certification, a certified property mapper must attend every two years 24 hours of continuing education approved by the Department.  The Department shall publish a list of courses acceptable for meeting this requirement and shall establish reporting requirements for certified property mappers.  The Department shall adopt rules, pursuant to Chapter 150B of the General Statutes, for certification requirements of this section.
(d)	The Department shall charge a fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) to cover the processing of applications for certification and the monitoring of continuing education credit requirements.
(e)	Persons who have attained certification as a property mapper through the North Carolina Property Mappers' Association as of the effective date of this act may apply to the Department for certification at any time prior to January 1, 1994, and, upon payment of the required fee, shall be certified by the Department without meeting additional requirements for initial certification.
(f)	Not later than July 1, 1995, every local government that maintains large-scale cadastral maps for the purpose of parcel identifier indexing, ad valorem tax assessment, or the enforcement of zoning and subdivision ordinances or building codes, shall employ at least one certified property mapper with primary responsibility for creating and maintaining the maps.
(g)	Effective July 1, 1995, the Department may decline to award any matching grants for cadastral mapping to a local government that does not meet the requirements of subsection (f) of this section."
Sec. 2. This act becomes effective January 1, 1994.