Annexations

Wake Forest City Limit sign
New Way Sign

North Carolina State law establishes the basic framework for a municipality to expand through annexation of additional properties into its corporate limits. There are two methods of annexation permitted by the North Carolina General Statues: Voluntary Annexation & Statutory Law Annexations.

The Town of Wake Forest uses two types of annexation: contiguous annexation and non-contiguous annexation. Contiguous annexations are for properties currently adjacent to land located within the Town of Wake Forest corporate limits and are 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.

The Town of Wake Forest is exempt from the 10% rule based on approved special legislation.

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 plat.

 

Annexations
Location

Wake Forest Town Hall
Third Floor
301 S. Brooks St.
Wake Forest, NC 27587