Landowner Protection Act
Notice Regarding the Registered Land Program
Effective October 23, 2025, the NC Legislature repealed the law that created the Registered Land Program, which was burdensome and outdated. Therefore, please be aware that this Program no longer exists. However, the Landowner Protection Act (LPA) is in place and provides similar land protection with less processes to complete for the landowner. Under the LPA, if property is properly posted, then a person must have written permission to hunt, fish, or trap on the land of another person. The written permission must be carried on the person, signed by the landowner, lessee, or agent, and dated within the last 12 months.
There are two ways to properly post land under the LPA:
- Place notices, signs, or posters along the boundary of the property where people can see them. The notices, signs or posters cannot be less than 120 square inches and must be posted not more than 200 yards apart. At least one notice, sign, or poster must be posted on each side of the land, and one at each corner, as long as the corner can be reasonably determined. If the owner is posting property for the purpose of prohibiting fishing or taking fish on a stream, lake, or pond, then the signs, notices, or posters must be posted along the stream or shoreline of the water way no more than 200 yards apart; however, the LPA does not prevent the public from hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreating on navigable waters.
OR
Place purple paint marks on trees or posts around the land to be posted. Paint mark must be a vertical line, it must be at least eight inches in length, and the bottom of the mark must be between three to five feet from the base of the tree or post. The paint marks must be no more than 100 yards apart and must be readily visible to any person approaching the property. If the owner is posting property for the purpose of prohibiting fishing or taking fish on a stream, lake, or pond, then the signs, notices, or posters must be posted along the stream or shoreline of the water way no more than 100 yards apart; however, the LPA does not prevent the public from hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreating on navigable waters.
The LPA has stronger penalties for those found trespassing. Under the former Registered Lands Program, trespass violations were a class 3 misdemeanor, with a waivable court appearance and a fine of $35 and court costs. Whereas violations of the LPA are a class 2 misdemeanor that requires a mandatory court appearance, fines ranging from $250 to $500, court costs, and the potential of license revocations in some cases.