(a) Upon its own motion or upon motion of either party, the court may order at any time that support payments be made to the State Child Support Collection and Disbursement Unit for remittance to the party entitled to receive the payments. For child support orders initially entered on or after January 1, 1994, the immediate income withholding provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 110-136.5(c1) apply.

(b) After entry of an order by the court under subsection (a) of this section, the State Child Support Collection and Disbursement Unit shall transmit child support payments that are made to it to the custodial parent or other party entitled to receive them, unless a court order requires otherwise.

(b1) In a IV-D case:

(1) The designated child support enforcement agency shall have the sole responsibility and authority for monitoring the obligor’s compliance with all child support orders in the case and for initiating any enforcement procedures that it considers appropriate.

(2) The clerk of court shall maintain all official records in the case.

(3) The designated child support enforcement agency shall maintain any other records needed to monitor the obligor’s compliance with or to enforce the child support orders in the case, including records showing the amount of each payment of child support received from or on behalf of the obligor, along with the dates on which each payment was received. In any action establishing, enforcing, or modifying a child support order, the payment records maintained by the designated child support agency shall be admissible evidence, and the court shall permit the designated representative to authenticate those records.

(b2) In a non-IV-D case:

(1) Repealed by Session Laws 2005, ch. 389, s. 1.

(2) The clerk of court shall maintain all official records and all case data concerning child support matters previously enforced by the clerk of court.

(3) Repealed by Session Laws 2005, ch. 389, s. 1.

(c) In a IV-D case, the parties affected by the order shall inform the designated child support enforcement agency of any change of address or other condition that may affect the administration of the order. The court may provide in the order that a party failing to inform the court or, as appropriate, the designated child support enforcement agency, of a change of address within a reasonable period of time may be held in civil contempt.

(d) Upon affidavit of an obligee, the clerk or a district court judge may order the obligor to appear and show cause why the obligor should not be subjected to income withholding or adjudged in contempt of court, or both. The order shall require the obligor to appear and show cause why the obligor should not be subjected to income withholding or adjudged in contempt of court, or both, and shall order the obligor to bring to the hearing records and information relating to the obligor’s employment, the obligor’s licensing privileges, and the amount and sources of the obligor’s disposable income. The order shall state:

(1) That the obligor is under a court order to provide child support, the name of each child for whose benefit support is due, and information sufficient to identify the order;

(2) That the obligor is delinquent and the amount of overdue support;

(2a) That the court may order the revocation of some or all of the obligor’s licensing privileges if the obligor is delinquent in an amount equal to the support due for one month;

(3) That the court may order income withholding if the obligor is delinquent in an amount equal to the support due for one month;

(4) That income withholding, if implemented, will apply to the obligor’s current payors and all subsequent payors and will be continued until terminated pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 110-136.10;

(5) That failure to bring to the hearing records and information relating to his employment and the amount and sources of his disposable income will be grounds for contempt;

(6) That if income withholding is not an available or appropriate remedy, the court may determine whether the obligor is in contempt or whether any other enforcement remedy is appropriate.

The order may be signed by the clerk or a district court judge, and shall be served on the obligor pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1A-1, Rule 4, Rules of Civil Procedure. On motion of the person to whom support is owed in a non-IV-D case, with the approval of the district court judge, if the district court judge finds it is in the best interest of the child, no order shall be issued.

(e) Repealed by Session Laws 2005, ch. 389, s. 1.

(f) Repealed by Session Laws 2005, ch. 389, s. 1.

(g) Nothing in this section shall preclude the independent initiation by a party of proceedings for civil contempt or for income withholding. ( 1983, c. 677, s. 1; 1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 949, ss. 3-6; 1989, c. 479; 1993, c. 517, s. 6; c. 553, s. 67.1; 1995, c. 444, s. 1; c. 538, s. 1.2; 1997-443, s. 11A.118(a); 1999-293, ss. 11-14; 2001-237, s. 7; 2005-389, s. 1; 2006-264, s. 97.)