Bill Banning Foreign Farmland Ownership Passes North Carolina Senate Hurdle

By Christine Zhu

The North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill that would ban certain foreign groups from purchasing farmland in the state.

Senate Bill 394, “Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land,” passed without discussion after the panel approved a technical amendment. The legislation now moves to the Senate Rules Committee.

The bill comes at the same time that tensions between the U.S. a several other nations have been on the rise as the result of the Trump administration’s economic tariffs and other foreign policy shifts.

Sens. Bob Brinson (R-Beaufort, Craven, Lenoir), Bobby Hanig (R-Bertie, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell), and Timothy Moffitt (R-Henderson, Polk, Rutherford) serve as the primary sponsors for SB 394.

The bill would prohibit the “adversarial” nations of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from making claims to land that is agricultural, situated within a 25-mile radius of a military installation, or underneath special use airspace as designated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Lawmakers on the same committee reviewed SB 394 during a meeting on April 16, prior to taking a one-week recess. During that session, legislators discussed the bill but did not vote.

“This bill essentially acknowledges that food security is national security and it’s a state effort to protect our military bases,” Brinson said during that meeting.

Entities falling under the bill’s stipulations who own the land prior to the legislation becoming law, if it happens, would need to register with the secretary of state and attorney general.

Twelve states have already enacted similar measures, according to Brinson.

Sen. Sophia Chitlik (D-Durham) asked if the bill would apply to dual citizens and prohibit them from owning farmland in North Carolina.

Legislative staff responded that individuals holding U.S. citizenship, permanent residence, or other forms of lawful presence would not be subject to the measure.

Chitlik also asked if the bill would pose challenges to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing due to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability.

Brinson said the legislation was modeled after language in Florida, where it did not run into issues.

“It doesn’t mention nationality, it mentions citizenship,” Brinson said. “There is a distinction and a difference.”

A similar bill in the lower chamber, House Bill 133 — “NC Farmland and Military Protection Act,” was approved 111-0 on April 16 and currently resides in the Senate Rules Committee.

NC Newsline is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations. NC Newsline retains full editorial independence.