Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes > Chapter 146 > Article 1 - General Provisions

• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• property: shall include all property, both real and personal. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• State agency: includes every agency, institution, board, commission, bureau, council, department, division, officer, and employee of the State, but does not include counties, municipal corporations, political subdivisions of the State, county or city boards of education, or other local public bodies. See North Carolina General Statutes 146-64
• Submerged lands: means State lands which lie beneath

  North Carolina General Statutes 146-64

• Vacant and unappropriated lands: means all State lands title to which is vested in the State as sovereign, and land acquired by the State by virtue of being sold for taxes, except swamplands. See North Carolina General Statutes 146-64