Legal Statutes: North Carolina

UPDATED October 19, 2012

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• North Carolina General Statutes (select sections)
  • Chapter 1. Civil Procedure
    • Subchapter IV. Venue
      • Article 7. Venue
        • 1‑82. Venue in all other cases
  • Chapter 1A. Rules of Civil Procedure
    • Article 2. Commencement of Action; Service of Process, Pleadings, Motions, and Orders
      • Rule 4. Process
  • Chapter 5A. Contempt
    • Article 1. Criminal Contempt
      • 5A-12. Punishment; circumstances for fine or imprisonment; reduction of punishment; other measures
  • Chapter 7B. Juvenile Code
    • Subchapter IV. Parental Authority; Emancipation
      • Article 35. Emancipation
        • 7B-3500. Who may petition
        • 7B-3503. Hearing
        • 7B-3504. Considerations for emancipation
        • 7B-3509. Application of common law
  • Chapter 14. Criminal Law
    • Subchapter III. Offenses Against the Person
      • Article 7A. Rape and Other Sex Offenses
        • 14-27.1. Definitions
        • 14-27.2. First-degree rape
        • 14-27.3. Second-degree rape
        • 14-27.4. First-degree sexual offense
        • 14-27.5. Second-degree sexual offense
        • 14-27.5A. Sexual battery
        • 14-27.7. Intercourse and sexual offenses with certain victims; consent no defense
      • Article 8. Assaults
        • 14-32.4. Assault inflicting serious bodily injury; strangulation; penalties
        • 14-33. Misdemeanor assaults, batteries, and affrays, simple and aggravated; punishments
        • 14-33.1. Evidence of former threats upon plea of self-defense
        • 14-33.2. Habitual misdemeanor assault
        • 14-34. Assaulting by pointing gun
      • Article 10 - Kidnapping and Abduction
        • 14-39. Kidnapping
        • 14-43.3. Felonious restraint
      • Article 10A. Human Trafficking
        • 14-43.11. Human trafficking
        • 14-43.12. Involuntary servitude
        • 14-43.13. Sexual servitude
    • Subchapter IV. Offenses Against the Habitation and Other Buildings
      • Article 14. Burglary and Other Housebreakings.
        • 14-52. Punishment for burglary
        • 14-53. Breaking out of dwelling house burglary
        • 14-55. Preparation to commit burglary or other housebreakings
    • Subchapter VI. Criminal Trespass
      • Article 22B. First and Second Degree Trespass
        • 14-159.12. First degree trespass
        • 14-159.13. Second degree trespass
      • Article 23. Trespasses to Personal Property
        • 14-160. Willful and wanton injury to personal property; punishments
    • Subchapter VII. Offenses Against Public Morality and Decency
      • Article 26. Offenses Against Public Morality and Decency
        • 14-196. Using profane, indecent or threatening language to any person over telephone; annoying or harassing by repeated telephoning or making false statements over telephone
        • 14-196.3. Cyberstalking
    • Subchapter IX. Offenses Against the Public Peace
      • Article 35. Offenses Against the Public Peace
        • 14-277.1. Communicating threats
        • 14-277.3A. Stalking
    • Subchapter XI. General Police Regulations
      • Article 39. Protection of Minors
        • 14-320.1. Transporting child outside the State with intent to violate custody order
      • Article 40. Protection of the Family
        • 14-322. Abandonment and failure to support spouse and children
      • Article 53B. Firearm Regulation
        • 14-409.39. Definitions
  • Chapter 42. Landlord and Tenant
    • Article 5. Residential Rental Agreements
      • 42-42.2. Victim protection - nondiscrimination
      • 42-42.3. Victim protection - change locks
      • 42-45.1. Early termination of rental agreement by victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking
  • Chapter 50. Divorce and Alimony
    • Article 1. Divorce, Alimony, and Child Support, Generally
      • 50-5.1. Grounds for absolute divorce in cases of incurable insanity
      • 50-6. Divorce after separation of one year on application of either party
      • 50-7. Grounds for divorce from bed and board
      • 50-8. Contents of complaint; verification; venue and service in action by nonresident; certain divorces validated
      • 50-13.1. Action or proceeding for custody of minor child
      • 50-13.2. Who entitled to custody; terms of custody; visitation rights of grandparents; taking child out of State
      • 50-13.2A. Action for visitation of an adopted grandchild
      • 50-13.3. Enforcement of order for custody
      • 50-13.4. Action for support of minor child
      • 50-13.5. Procedure in actions for custody or support of minor children
      • 50-13.6. Counsel fees in actions for custody and support of minor children
      • 50-13.7. Modification of order for child support or custody
      • 50-13.7A. Custody and visitation upon military temporary duty, deployment, or mobilization
      • 50-13.9. Procedure to insure payment of child support
      • 50-13.11. Orders and agreements regarding medical support and health insurance coverage for minor children
      • 50-13.12. Forfeiture of licensing privileges for failure to pay child support or for failure to comply with subpoena issued pursuant to child support or paternity establishment proceedings
  • Chapter 50A Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
    • Article 2. Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act
      • 50A-102. Definitions
      • 50A-201. Initial child-custody jurisdiction
      • 50A-204. Temporary emergency jurisdiction
      • 50A-207. Inconvenient forum
  • Chapter 50B. Domestic Violence
    • 50B-1. Domestic violence; definition
    • 50B-2. Institution of civil action; motion for emergency relief; temporary orders; temporary custody
    • 50B-3. Relief
    • 50B-3.1. Surrender and disposal of firearms; violations; exemptions
    • 50B-4. Enforcement of orders
    • 50B-4.1. Violation of valid protective order
    • 50B-4.2. False statement regarding protective order a misdemeanor
    • 50B-5. Emergency assistance
    • 50B-5.5. Employment discrimination unlawful
    • 50B-6. Construction of Chapter
    • 50B-7. Remedies not exclusive
    • 50B-8. Effect upon prosecution for violation of sec. 14-184 or other offense against public morals
    • 50B-9. Domestic Violence Center Fund
  • Chapter 50C. Civil No-Contact Orders
    • 50C-1. Definitions
    • 50C-2. Commencement of action; filing fees not permitted; assistance
    • 50C-3. Process for action for no-contact order
    • 50C-4. Hearsay exception
    • 50C-5. Civil no-contact order; remedy
    • 50C-6. Temporary civil no-contact order; court holidays and evenings
    • 50C-7. Permanent civil no-contact order
    • 50C-8. Duration; extension of orders
    • 50C-9. Notice of orders
    • 50C-10. Violation
    • 50C-11. Remedies not exclusive
  • Chapter 52C. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act
    • Article 3. Civil Provisions of General Application
      • 52C-3-307. Duties of support enforcement agency
      • 52C-3-308. Representation of obligee
      • 52C-3-311. Nondisclosure of information in exceptional circumstances
      • 52C-3-312. Costs and fees
    • Article 5. Enforcement of Order of Another State Without Registration
      • 52C-5-507. Administrative enforcement of orders
    • Article 6. Enforcement and Modification of Support Order After Registration
      • Part 1. Registration and Enforcement of Support Order
        • 52C-6-602. Procedure to register order for enforcement
      • Part 3. Registration and Modification of Child Support Order
        • 52C-6-611. Modification of child support order of another state
  • Chapter 110. Child Welfare
    • Article 9. Child Support
      • 110-130.1. Non-Work First services

Article 1. Criminal Contempt

back to top5A-12. Punishment; circumstances for fine or imprisonment; reduction of punishment; other measures

(a) A person who commits criminal contempt, whether direct or indirect, is subject to censure, imprisonment up to 30 days, fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), or any combination of the three, except that:

(1) A person who commits a contempt described in G.S. 5A-11(8) is subject to censure, imprisonment not to exceed 6 months, fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), or any combination of the three;

(2) A person who has not been arrested who fails to comply with a nontestimonial identification order, issued pursuant to Article 14 of Chapter 15A of the General Statutes is subject to censure, imprisonment not to exceed 90 days, fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), or any combination of the three; and

(3) A person who commits criminal contempt by failing to comply with an order to pay child support is subject to censure, imprisonment up to 30 days, fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), or any combination of the three. However, a sentence of imprisonment up to 120 days may be imposed for a single act of criminal contempt resulting from the failure to pay child support, provided the sentence is suspended upon conditions reasonably related to the contemnor's payment of child support.

(b) Except for contempt under G.S. 5A-11(5) or 5A-11(9), fine or imprisonment may not be imposed for criminal contempt, whether direct or indirect, unless:

(1) The act or omission was willfully contemptuous; or

(2) The act or omission was preceded by a clear warning by the court that the conduct is improper.

(c) The judicial official who finds a person in contempt may at any time withdraw a censure, terminate or reduce a sentence of imprisonment, or remit or reduce a fine imposed as punishment for contempt if warranted by the conduct of the contemnor and the ends of justice.

(d) A person held in criminal contempt under this Article shall not, for the same conduct, be found in civil contempt under Article 2 of this Chapter, Civil Contempt.

(e) A person held in criminal contempt under G.S. 5A-11(9) may nevertheless, for the same conduct, be found guilty of a violation of G.S. 14-225.1, but he must be given credit for any imprisonment resulting from the contempt.