Who will adopt North Carolina’s abandoned roads?
North Carolina’s orphan roads issue has long been brewing under the radar, but the state's rapid population growth is shedding light on this problem. Orphan roads, lacking clear owners and not maintained by municipalities, exist in subdivisions with homeowners' associations or road maintenance agreements, causing confusion and financial burdens for homeowners. The lack of road turnover to cities or counties results in roads not meeting required standards, making them ineligible for state takeover. Many potential homebuyers are now aware of this situation, as the North Carolina Real Estate Commission's disclosure forms do not include this information. The North Carolina Department of Transportation imposes density requirements and specific conditions for road maintenance, disqualifying many orphan roads from meeting these criteria. Consequently, hundreds of miles of rural roads and streets across the state are left unattended and unclaimed, earning the moniker "orphan roads." Notably, North Carolina is one of five states where most non-city local governments do not have their own road departments, worsening the challenges of addressing the orphan roads issue. As the state's population continues to grow, the urgency to find solutions to this problem escalates.