North Carolina · AI compliance plan
What North Carolina’s AI laws require of you.
North Carolina has 3 enacted AI laws in our records. We have mapped 2 of them duty by duty: 8 duties in all, each with who it falls on, when it starts and the section of law it comes from.
The plan at a glance
Pro turns this plan into a spreadsheet for audit files and a calendar of every start date. The plan on this page stays open to everyone.
Already in effect 7 duties
These duties are in force today.
| Starts | Law | Who | What it requires | How often | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2021 | North Carolina neighborhood occupantless vehicles law (S.L. 2021-179, H.B. 814) | Neighborhood occupantless vehicle operator | Operate only on streets and highways with a posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour or less.Applies when: Any operation on public streets and highways. | Ongoing | G.S. 20-121.2(a)(1) |
| December 1, 2021 | North Carolina neighborhood occupantless vehicles law (S.L. 2021-179, H.B. 814) | Neighborhood occupantless vehicle operator | Use the right-hand lane or keep as close to the right edge as practicable, except when preparing to turn left.Applies when: Any operation on public streets and highways. | Ongoing | G.S. 20-121.2(a)(2) |
| December 1, 2021 | North Carolina neighborhood occupantless vehicles law (S.L. 2021-179, H.B. 814) | Neighborhood occupantless vehicle operator | On a two-lane highway, pull off to a controlled stop when five or more vehicles are behind and passing is unsafe.Applies when: Five or more vehicles queued behind on a two-lane highway. | Each time it happens | G.S. 20-121.2(a)(3) |
| December 1, 2024 | North Carolina AI-generated sexual images law (S.L. 2024-37, H.B. 591) | Person | Do not create, distribute, sell, receive or possess material made or modified, including with AI, to appear that an identifiable minor is engaged in sexual activity.Applies when: Covers first-, second- and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. | Ongoing | G.S. 14-190.16(a)(5); 14-190.17(a)(2); 14-190.17A(a) |
| December 1, 2024 | North Carolina AI-generated sexual images law (S.L. 2024-37, H.B. 591) | Person | Do not produce, distribute or possess obscene material depicting a minor in sexual activity, even if the minor does not exist.Applies when: Knowing conduct. | Ongoing | G.S. 14-190.17C |
| December 1, 2024 | North Carolina AI-generated sexual images law (S.L. 2024-37, H.B. 591) | Person | Do not disclose, without consent, a private intimate image of an identifiable person, including one created, adapted or modified to realistically depict them.Applies when: The elements of G.S. 14-190.5A(b) are met. | Ongoing | G.S. 14-190.5A(b) |
| December 1, 2024 | North Carolina AI-generated sexual images law (S.L. 2024-37, H.B. 591) | Person | Do not threaten to disclose, or refuse to delete, a private image, including an AI-made image, to extort more images or anything of value.Applies when: Threat aimed at the depicted person or an immediate family member. | Ongoing | G.S. 14-202.7(b) |
Triggered by an event 1 duty
These apply when something happens, such as a request, an incident or a decision about a person. Each row says what triggers it.
| Starts | Law | Who | What it requires | How often | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| When triggered | North Carolina AI-generated sexual images law (S.L. 2024-37, H.B. 591) | Entity receiving user reports | Report the information and the alleged offender's online identifier to the NCMEC CyberTipline when told a user may be posting or transmitting material violating G.S. 14-190.17, 14-190.17A or 14-190.17C.Applies when: The entity receives a report of such a violation by a user. | Each time it happens | G.S. 14-208.15A(e) |
Law by law
Who each law covers, who enforces it, the penalties, whether people can sue and what the text leaves open. Open a law to see it; every line cites its section.
North Carolina AI-generated sexual images law (S.L. 2024-37, H.B. 591)
5 duties · checked November 15, 2026
Session Law 2024-37 (H.B. 591); adds G.S. 14-202.7 and 14-190.17C; amends G.S. 14-190.5A, 14-190.13, 14-190.16, 14-190.17, 14-190.17A and 14-208.15A. Official text · Full law page
Who it covers
- Person. Any person who creates, distributes, possesses or discloses covered images, including images created, adapted or modified by algorithms or artificial intelligence. G.S. 14-190.13; 14-190.5A(a); 14-202.7(a)
Enforcement
- Enforcer: Criminal prosecution by the State; a person whose image is disclosed may also sue. No lawsuit challenging the law was found in this review.
- Penalty: Class D felony, creating, for sale or pecuniary gain, AI-made or modified material appearing to show an identifiable minor in sexual activity. G.S. 14-190.16(a)(5), (d)
- Penalty: Class E felony, distributing, receiving or soliciting such material; producing or distributing obscene depictions of a minor; aggravated sexual extortion of a minor or disabled person by an adult. G.S. 14-190.17(d); 14-190.17C(a); 14-202.7(c)
- Penalty: Class F felony (adult); Class 1 misdemeanor for a minor's first offense, sexual extortion. G.S. 14-202.7(b)
- Penalty: Class H felony (adult); Class 1 misdemeanor for a minor's first offense, disclosure of private images; possession offenses under 14-190.17A and 14-190.17C(b) are also Class H felonies. G.S. 14-190.5A(c); 14-190.17A(d); 14-190.17C(b)
- Penalty: Actual damages, but not less than liquidated damages of $1,000 per day of violation or $10,000, whichever is higher; plus punitive damages, attorney's fees and costs, a civil action by a person whose image was disclosed or used in violation of G.S. 14-190.5A. G.S. 14-190.5A(g)
- Can people sue? Yes G.S. 14-190.5A(g) (within one year of discovery and no more than seven years after the last disclosure)
- Time to fix before enforcement: The law does not say
Exemptions
- Disclosure of private images offense: voluntary exposure in public or commercial settings, disclosures in the public interest such as reporting unlawful conduct, and interactive computer service providers for images provided by others. G.S. 14-190.5A(d)
- For the obscene visual representation offense, the depicted minor need not actually exist. G.S. 14-190.17C(c)
What the text leaves open
- G.S. 14-208.15A(e) applies to an entity that receives such a complaint or report from a user of its services; how the rest of that section defines the entity was not read.
- Whether these sections were amended after 2024 was not checked.
North Carolina neighborhood occupantless vehicles law (S.L. 2021-179, H.B. 814)
3 duties · checked November 15, 2026
Session Law 2021-179 (H.B. 814); amends G.S. 20-4.01 and adds G.S. 20-121.2. Official text · Full law page
Who it covers
- Neighborhood occupantless vehicle operator. Anyone operating a neighborhood occupantless vehicle: a low-speed, fully autonomous vehicle built to run without an occupant and carry cargo. G.S. 20-4.01; G.S. 20-121.2(a)
Enforcement
- Enforcer: The law does not name one
- Penalty: the law does not set an amount.
- Can people sue? The law does not say S.L. 2021-179
- Time to fix before enforcement: The law does not say
Exemptions
- A vehicle designed to be run only by an automated driving system is exempt from state equipment, maintenance and inspection rules for human-driver equipment the system does not need. G.S. 20-121.2(b)
What the text leaves open
- The act does not say who is the operator of an occupantless vehicle; G.S. 20-400, which may address this, was not opened.
- General Chapter 20 penalty provisions that may apply were not opened.
Other enacted laws to check
These 1 enacted AI law is in the states you chose, but it is not yet mapped duty by duty, so it is not in the plan above. Each page has a summary and the official source.
- North Carolina S257: 2026 Appropriations Act. (effective July 1, 2026)
How the plan is built
Each law in the plan was read from its official text, on the legislature’s or state’s own website. 265 of the 326 have also been read a second time to confirm every date, threshold, penalty and enforcer; the rest have had one full read, and each shows the date it was last checked. Each duty is written in plain English in 30 words or fewer and carries the section it comes from, with a link.
Where a law is silent, the plan says so. It does not borrow a penalty from another statute or guess at a deadline. A law that is repealed or replaced on a known date shows that end date, and its duties leave the plan once the date passes. The date each law was last checked appears with it.
The plan is built fresh from these records every time the page loads, so it changes as soon as a law is added or re-checked. To report an error, use the corrections page. For how we find laws and decide what counts as an AI law, see our methodology. If you are not sure which laws touch your business at all, start with Am I Affected?
Common questions
What does an AI compliance plan cover?
Each duty an enacted state AI law places on a business or other regulated party: who it applies to, what it requires, when it starts, how often it recurs, who enforces it, the penalties and whether people can sue. The builder covers 1,235 duties in 326 enacted laws across 50 states, and every duty links to the section of law it comes from.
Where does the information come from?
From the official text of each law: the enrolled bill, session law or codified statute, opened on the legislature's or state's own website. 265 of the 326 laws have also been read a second time to confirm every date, threshold, penalty and enforcer, and the date each law was last checked is shown with it. Where a law is silent on a point, such as a penalty amount, the plan says the law does not say rather than filling the gap. Law firm summaries and news reports are never used as sources.
Does the plan include every AI law in a state?
Not yet. It includes the enacted laws we have mapped duty by duty. When you choose a state, its other enacted AI laws are listed separately with links, so nothing is left out of view. New laws are added as they are read. When a law is repealed or replaced on a set date, its duties show that end date and leave the plan once it passes.
How do I know which duties apply to my company?
Start with the 'who it covers' entry for each law: many apply only above a size or revenue threshold, only to developers or only to deployers, or only in one industry. The plan quotes those conditions from the text. Whether your company meets them depends on facts only you and your counsel know.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is information drawn from official legal texts, organized so you can see what each law requires. Use it to brief your team and your lawyers, not in place of them.
What does Pro add?
The same plan as a CSV file for spreadsheets and audit files, and as a calendar file (.ics) with every dated duty as an event that links back to the law. Both are built from the states and uses you pick. The plan on this page, and printing it, are open to everyone.