Theft of Temporary Housing During Emergency.
SB 164 creates a new Class F felony offense for entering someone's property without legal justification during a declared emergency in an emergency area and taking, damaging, or destroying *temporary shelter* - such as tents, trailers, mobile homes, or vehicles used as living quarters. It directly affects individuals who might loot temporary housing following disasters like floods or storms, where standard security is compromised. The law specifies that victims can sue offenders for triple their actual damages plus legal fees. This amendment to North Carolina law (effective December 2025) targets the specific act of stealing or damaging emergency housing, not general property crimes.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 25, 2025
Last action May 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
Edition 2
→
Edition 3
·
2 edits
MINOR
This bill updates the legal definition of 'temporary housing' to include vehicles and their attached utilities, ensuring they are protected under looting laws. It also clarifies that looting property from temporary housing is a more serious felony offense than looting other property.
Scope change
The scope of protected property was expanded to explicitly include vehicles used as living quarters and their connected equipment.
DEFINITION
The definition of 'temporary housing' was changed to specify that structures must not be 'permanently' attached to the ground, and 'vehicle' replaced 'vehicular unit' to clarify protection for mobile living spaces.
ENFORCEMENT
The penalty for looting was updated to explicitly state that stealing from temporary housing (or taking it from such housing) is punishable as a Class F felony, whereas looting other property remains a Class H felony.
Floor votes · Senate May 7, 2025
How they voted
48–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 51
May 7, 2025
D
Democratic20
90% Yea
R
Republican31
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
21
Key actions
5
Committee
10
May 12, 2026
Committee
Re-ref to the Com on Education - K-12, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
lower
Jun 3, 2025
Committee
Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
lower
Jun 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reptd Fav Com Substitute
lower
May 29, 2025
Committee
Re-ref to the Com on Judiciary 2, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
lower
May 8, 2025
Committee
Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
lower
May 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed 3rd Reading
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reptd Fav
upper
May 6, 2025
Committee
Re-ref Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Com Substitute Adopted
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reptd Fav Com Substitute
upper
Apr 14, 2025
Committee
Re-ref to Judiciary. If fav, re-ref to Rules and Operations of the Senate
upper
Feb 26, 2025
Committee
Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
upper
Feb 25, 2025
Introduced
Filed
upper
2 primary · 6 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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