RALEIGH, N.C. (March 18, 2025) – A bill filed in the North Carolina Senate would help multigenerational family farmers and other landowners maintain control of their land and access important assistance programs, from disaster relief to agricultural and conservation funding. Senate Bill 317—filed by Senators Benton Sawrey, Eddie Settle, and Paul Lowe—is called the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act and addresses specific problems faced by these family landowners. 

Heirs’ property is family-owned land passed down through generations and owned by many descendants with an undivided interest in the land. This kind of land ownership occurs across North Carolina, and creates numerous problems for family landowners.  

When family land is held as heirs’ property, it discourages investment and reduces the wealth and productivity of the local community, all of which negatively impact farmers and their ability to both preserve their farms and build wealth over time.  

Heirs’ property also puts family land at greater risk of forced sales. In North Carolina, anyone who inherits or purchases even a small interest of heirs’ property can potentially force other owners to sell against their will, often for well below fair market value. 

The bill helps families by giving them a fair shot at holding onto their land and, in the event of a sale, provides greater assurances that a fair price is reached.  

Senator Sawrey said, “This bill provides family farms and other landowners with commonsense private property protections and the due process they deserve. Along the way, it will help address one of the most pressing issues facing North Carolina’s top industry: agricultural land loss." 

Zach Wallace, Policy Director at Audubon North Carolina, a state office of the National Audubon Society stated, “This bill will go a long way toward helping family farmers maintain control of their land and access important conservation programs. We’re grateful to Senators Sawrey, Settle, and Lowe for their leadership.”