2023 North Carolina General Statutes › Chapter 147 - State Officers › Article 3 - The Governor. › § 147-11.1 - Succession to office of Governor; Acting Governor.

§ 147-11.1. Succession to office of Governor; Acting Governor.
(a) Lieutenant Governor. –
(1) The Lieutenant Governor-elect shall become Governor upon the failure of the Governor-elect to qualify. The Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor upon the death, resignation, or removal from office of the Governor. The further order of succession to the office of Governor shall be prescribed by law. A successor shall serve for the remainder of the term of the Governor whom he succeeds and until a new Governor is elected and qualified.
(2) During the absence of the Governor from the State, or during the physical or mental incapacity of the Governor to perform the duties of his office, the Lieutenant Governor shall be Acting Governor. The further order of succession as Acting Governor shall be prescribed by law.
(b) President of Senate, Speaker of the House and Other Officers. –
(1) If, by reason of failure to qualify, death, resignation, or removal from office, there is neither a Governor nor a Lieutenant Governor to discharge the powers and duties of the office of Governor, then the President of the Senate shall, upon his resignation as President of the Senate and as Senator, become Governor.
(2) If, at the time when under subdivision (1) of this subsection the President of the Senate is to become Governor, there is no President of the Senate, or the President of the Senate fails to qualify as Governor, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall, upon his resignation as Speaker and as Representative, become Governor.
(3) If, at the time when under subdivision (2) of this subsection the Speaker of the House of Representatives is to become Governor, there is no Speaker of the House of Representatives, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives fails to qualify as Governor, then that officer of the State of North Carolina who is highest on the following list, and who is not under disability to serve as Governor, shall, upon his resignation of the office which places him in the order of succession, become Governor: Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor, and Commissioner of Insurance.
(c) Acting Governor Generally. –
(1) If, by reason of absence from the State or physical or mental incapacity, there is neither a Governor nor a Lieutenant Governor qualified to discharge the powers and duties of the office of Governor, then the President of the Senate shall become Acting Governor.
(2) If, at the time when under subdivision (1) of this subsection the President of the Senate is to become Acting Governor, there is no President of the Senate, or the President of the Senate fails to qualify as Acting Governor, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall become Acting Governor.
(3) If, at the time when under subdivision (2) of this subsection the Speaker of the House of Representatives is to become Acting Governor, there is no Speaker of the House of Representatives, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives fails to qualify as Acting Governor, then that officer of the State of North Carolina who is highest on the following list, and who is not under disability to serve as Acting Governor, shall become Acting Governor: Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Labor, and Commissioner of Insurance.
(d) Governor Serving under Subsection (c). – An individual serving as Acting Governor under subsection (c) of this section shall continue to act for the remainder of the term of the Governor whom he succeeds and until a new Governor is elected and qualified, except that:
(1) If his tenure as Acting Governor is founded in whole or in part upon the absence of both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor from the State, then he shall act only until the Governor or Lieutenant Governor returns to the State; and
(2) If his tenure as Acting Governor is founded in whole or in part upon the physical or mental incapacity of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor, then he shall act only until the removal of the incapacity of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor.
(e) Officers to Which Subsections (b), (c) and (d) Applicable. – Subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section shall apply only to such officers as are eligible to the office of Governor under the Constitution of North Carolina, and only to officers who are not under impeachment by the House of Representatives at the time they are to become Governor or Acting Governor.
(f) Compensation of Acting Governor. – During the period that any individual serves as Acting Governor under subsection (c) of this section, his compensation shall be at the rate then provided by law in the case of the Governor. (1961, c. 992, s. 1.)