Rep. Setzer files bill in North Carolina House on utility relocation costs

A new bill filed by State Rep. Mitchell S. Setzer in the North Carolina House seeks to assign relocation costs of utility facilities to the state or city requesting the move, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 849 on April 9 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Utility Forced Relocation Expenses.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that the expenses for relocating utility facilities required by the state, city, or public authority will be covered by the entity requesting the relocation. It amends existing statutes to ensure that when utility infrastructure such as telephone lines, broadband services, wireless facilities, or pipelines must be moved due to highway construction or city projects—especially those eligible for federal reimbursement—the cost will be borne by the state or city, not the utility owner, unless the project is in a city with fewer than 5,000 residents. The bill aims to relieve utility operators from relocation costs in such cases, thereby shifting the financial responsibility to the requesting governmental body. It becomes effective once enacted into law.

Of the four sponsors of this bill, Setzer proposed the most bills (40) 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.

Setzer graduated from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro in 1987 with a BA.

Setzer, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 1999 to represent the state’s 89th House district, replacing previous state representative Robert Brawley.