North Carolina § 20-174.1 Standing, sitting or lying upon highways or streets prohibited; obstruction of emergency vehicles; civil liability

North Carolina Statutes

§ 20-174.1 — Standing, sitting or lying upon highways or streets prohibited; obstruction of emergency vehicles; civil liability

North Carolina § 20-174.1

Ch. 20Motor Vehicles

Art. 3Motor Vehicle Act of 1937

This text of North Carolina § 20-174.1 (Standing, sitting or lying upon highways or streets prohibited; obstruction of emergency vehicles; civil liability) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-174.1 (2026).

Text

(a)A person who willfully stands, sits, or lies upon the highway or street in such a manner as to impede the regular flow of traffic is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.

(b)Repealed by Session Laws 2024-16, s. 4(a), effective December 1, 2024, and applicable to offenses committed and causes of action arising on or after that date.

(c)A person who violates subsection (a) of this section while participating in a demonstration intended to prohibit or impede the use of the highway or street is guilty of a Class A1 misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class H felony for a second or subsequent offense.

(d)A person who violates subsection (a) of this section and obstructs an emergency vehicle, as defined in G.S. 14-34.1A, from accessing the highway or street is guilty of a Class A1 misdemeano

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(a) A person who willfully stands, sits, or lies upon the highway or street in such a manner as to impede the regular flow of traffic is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
(b) Repealed by Session Laws 2024-16, s. 4(a), effective December 1, 2024, and applicable to offenses committed and causes of action arising on or after that date.
(c) A person who violates subsection (a) of this section while participating in a demonstration intended to prohibit or impede the use of the highway or street is guilty of a Class A1 misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class H felony for a second or subsequent offense.
(d) A person who violates subsection (a) of this section and obstructs an emergency vehicle, as defined in G.S. 14-34.1A, from accessing the highway or street is guilty of a Class A1 misdemeanor.
(e) Any person who organizes a demonstration that prohibits or impedes the use of a highway or street is civilly liable for injury to or death of any person resulting from delays caused by the obstruction of an emergency vehicle in violation of subsection (d) of this section. An action may be brought under this subsection regardless of whether a criminal action is brought or a criminal conviction is obtained for the conduct alleged in the civil action. (1965, c. 137; 1969, c. 1012; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 761, s. 17; 2024-16, s. 4(a).)