North Carolina State law establishes the basic framework for a municipality to expand through annexation of additional properties into its corporate limits. The various methods and procedures by which annexation may be accomplished as well as the qualification criteria an area must meet in order to be considered for annexation are set forth in the State annexation statutes. The laws recognize towns as the basic provider of essential governmental services needed to support urbanized areas. In return for the ability to annex, municipalities must extend local urban services such as police and fire protection, water and sewer lines, recreational services, solid waste collection, etc.
The Town of Wake Forest uses two basic methods of annexation: contiguous annexation and non-contiguous annexation. Contiguous annexations are properties currently adjacent to land located within the Town of Wake Forest corporate limits and is the most common form of annexations. Non-contiguous annexations allow a town or city to annex an area not adjacent to its primary corporate limits when certain standards as set forth in the North Carolina General Statues. A noncontiguous area proposed for annexation must meet all of the following standards:
The nearest point on the proposed satellite corporate limits must be not more than three miles from the primary corporate limits of the annexing city.
No point on the proposed satellite corporate limits may be closer to the primary corporate limits of another city than to the primary corporate limits of the annexing city.
The area must be so situated that the annexing city will be able to provide the same services within the proposed satellite corporate limits that it provides within its primary corporate limits.
If the area proposed for annexation, or any portion thereof, is a subdivision as defined in G.S. 160A‑376, all of the subdivision must be included.
The area within the proposed satellite corporate limits, when added to the area within all other satellite corporate limits, may not exceed ten percent (10%) of the area within the primary corporate limits of the annexing city.
All annexation petitions shall be signed by the property owner and shall be accompanied by a legal metes and bounds description of the site as well as a survey.
Staff Contact
Chad Sary, Assistant Planning Director
(919) 435-9514
csary@wakeforestnc.gov
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