North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 162 Sheriff

Article 1 - The Office.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-1. Election and term of office
In each county a sheriff shall be elected by the qualified voters thereof, as is prescribed for members of the General Assembly, and shall...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-2. Disqualifications for the office
No person shall be eligible for the office of sheriff who is not of the age of 21 years, or has not resided in...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-3. Sheriff may resign
Every sheriff may vacate his office by resigning the same to the board of county commissioners of his county; and thereupon the board may...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-4. Repealed by Session Laws 1979, c. 518
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-5. Vacancy filled; duties performed by coroner or chief deputy
If any vacancy occurs in the office of sheriff, the coroner of the county shall execute all process directed to the sheriff until the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-5.1. Vacancy filled in certain counties; duties performed by coroner or chief deputy
If any vacancy occurs in the office of sheriff, the coroner of the county shall execute all process directed to the sheriff until the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-6 through 162-7. Repealed by Session Laws 1973, c. 108, s. 99

Article 2 - Sheriff's Bond.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-8. Bond required
The sheriff shall furnish a bond payable to the State of North Carolina for the due execution and return of process, the payment of...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-9. County commissioners to take and approve bonds
The board of county commissioners in every county shall take and approve the official bond of the sheriffs, which they shall cause to be...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-10. Duty of commissioners when bond insufficient
Whenever the board of county commissioners finds that the sheriff has been unable to provide the bond prescribed by the board, the board shall...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-11. Repealed by Session Laws 1983, c. 670, s. 7
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-12. Liability of sureties
The sureties to a sheriff's bond shall be liable for all fines and amercements imposed on him, in the same manner as they are...

Article 3 - Duties of Sheriff.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-13. To receipt for process
Every sheriff or coroner shall, when requested, give his receipt for all original and mesne process placed in his hands for execution, to the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-14. Duty to execute process
Every sheriff, by himself or his lawful deputies, shall execute and make due return of all writs and other process to him legally issued...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-15. Imposition of penalty; procedure
In any case in which a person aggrieved seeks the imposition of penalties against a sheriff for failure or neglect to perform any duty...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-16. Execute summons, order or judgment
Whenever the sheriff may be required to serve or execute any summons, order or judgment, or to do any other act, he shall be...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-17. Duties of outgoing sheriff for unexecuted process
It shall be the duty of any sheriff who shall have received a precept, and shall go out of office before the return day...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-18. Payment of money collected on execution
In all cases where a sheriff has collected money upon an execution placed in his hands, if there be no bona fide contest over...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-19. Repealed by Session Laws 1953, c. 973, s. 3
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-20, 162-21. Repealed by Session Laws 1983, c. 670, ss. 12, 13
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-22. Custody of jail
The sheriff shall have the care and custody of the jail in his county; and shall be, or appoint, the keeper thereof. No law-enforcement...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-23. Prevent entering jail for lynching; county liable
When the sheriff of any county has good reason to believe that the jail of his county is in danger of being broken or...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-24. Delegation of official duties
The sheriff may not delegate to another person the final responsibility for discharging his official duties, but he may appoint a deputy or employ...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-25. Obligations taken by sheriff payable to himself
The sheriff or his deputy shall take no obligation of or from any person in his custody for or concerning any matter or thing...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-26. Sheriff may establish volunteer school safety resource officer program
(a) The sheriff may establish a volunteer school safety resource officer program to provide nonsalaried special deputies to serve as school safety resource officers...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-27. Reserved for future codification purposes
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-28. Reserved for future codification purposes
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-29. Reserved for future codification purposes
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-30. Reserved for future codification purposes

Article 4 - County Prisoners.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-31. Repealed by Session Laws 1975, c. 166, s. 26
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-32. Bond of prisoner committed on capias in civil action
Every bond given by any person committed in arrest and bail, or in custody after final judgment, shall be assigned by the sheriff to...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-33. Prisoner may furnish necessaries
With the sheriff's approval, prisoners shall be allowed to purchase and procure such necessaries, in addition to the diet furnished by the jailer, as...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-34. United States prisoners
When a prisoner is delivered to the keeper of the county jail by the authority of the United States, such keeper shall receive and...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-35. Arrest of escaped persons from penal institutions
Upon information received from the superintendent of any correctional or any penal institution, established by the laws of the State, that any person confined...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-36. Transfer of prisoners to succeeding sheriff
The delivery of prisoners, by indenture between the late and present sheriff, or the entering on record in court the names of the several...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-37. Repealed by Session Laws 1983, c. 670, s. 16
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-38. Where jail unfit or insecure, courts may commit to jail of adjoining county
Whenever there is an unfit or insecure jail in any county, the judicial officers of such county may commit any persons brought before them,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-39. Transfer of prisoners when necessary for safety and security; application of section to municipalities
(a) Whenever necessary for the safety of a prisoner held in any county jail or to avoid a breach of the peace in any...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-40. When jail destroyed, transfer of prisoners provided for
When the jail of any county is destroyed by fire or other accident, any judicial officer of such county may cause all prisoners then...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-40.1. Reimbursement for transfer of prisoners
The county receiving prisoners pursuant to G.S. 162-38, 162-39 and 162-40 shall be reimbursed at the usual jail fee rate for each 24 hours...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-41. Repealed by Session Laws 1977, c. 711, s. 33
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-42 to 162-44. Repealed by Session Laws 1983, c. 670, s. 20
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-45. Repealed by Session Laws 1977, c. 711, s. 33
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-46. Repealed by Session Laws 1979, c. 760, s. 4
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-47. Repealed by Session Laws 1977, c. 711, s. 33
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-48. Repealed by Session Laws 1983, c. 670, s. 20
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-49. Repealed by Session Laws 1977, c. 711, s. 33
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-50. Penalties
Upon a finding that the sheriff, personally or through his lawful deputies, has willfully failed or neglected to perform any duty imposed by this...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-51 through 162-54. Reserved for future codification purposes
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-55. Injury to prisoner by jailer
If the keeper of a jail shall do, or cause to be done, any wrong or injury to the prisoners committed to his custody,...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-56. Place of confinement
Persons committed to the custody of a sheriff shall be confined in the facilities designated by law for such confinement, and shall not be...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-57. Record to be kept; items of record
The superintendent or other person having charge of prisoners shall keep a record showing, the name, age, date of sentence, length of sentence, crime...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-58. Counties may work prisoners
The board of commissioners of the several counties may enact by resolution all necessary rules and regulations for work on projects to benefit units...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-59. Person having custody to approve prisoners for work
No prisoner shall perform work pursuant to G.S. 162-58 unless the prisoner has been approved for the work by the person having custody of...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-59.1. Person having custody to approve prisoners for participation in education and other programs
The person having custody of a prisoner convicted of a misdemeanor offense may approve that prisoner's participation in a general education development diploma program...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-60. Reduction in sentence allowed for work, education, and other programs
(a) A prisoner who has faithfully performed the duties assigned to the prisoner under G.S. 162-58 is entitled to a reduction in the prisoner's...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-61. Liability of county
The county working prisoners pursuant to G.S. 162-58 shall remain liable for emergency medical services for those prisoners pursuant to G.S. 153A-224 while the...
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 162-62. Legal status of prisoners
(a) When any person charged with a felony or an impaired driving offense is confined for any period in a county jail, local confinement...

Last modified: March 23, 2014