Articles and News

New To Lincoln County? Read this!

By: Laura C. Manfreda

Well, you have packed your possessions, sold your home, and scheduled your moving van to bring you and your family to beautiful North Carolina. You arrive and spend the next few weeks unpacking and getting acclimated with the Lincoln County area. Most likely you have come from a state that has six long months of winter so you spend your days enjoying our beautiful Carolina blue skies. But there are some additional matters that you need to take care of when you arrive in Lincoln County.

1. Your Motor Vehicle

In North Carolina, you have 60 days after establishing residency to obtain a North Carolina license or learners permit. If you hold a commercial drivers license from another jurisdiction and wish to maintain a commercial license, you must apply for and receive a North Carolina commercial license within 30 days after becoming a resident. There are some additional license procedures and we recommend that you either go on the web site for the Department of Motor Vehicles in North Carolina (www.ncdot.org/dmv) or visit one the branch offices for the Department of Motor Vehicles.

As for your vehicle registration, if you are bringing a vehicle registered in another state you have a limited amount of time before you must register your car here in North Carolina. Depending on your former state of residence and its agreement with North Carolina, this is usually 30 days or when you secure gainful employment, whichever is sooner. Again, we recommend that you either go to the web site for the Department of Motor Vehicles or visit a branch location.

There are several Department of Motor Vehicles offices in the area and you should check with any of these offices to determine which location is most convenient for you.

2. Insurance

North Carolina is a contributory fault state which is one of only 2 states that has contributory fault. Therefore, obtaining insurance for your automobile will be quite different than the state you are coming from. It will be necessary to have your insurance agent in Lincoln County go over your options in purchasing your new automobile policy.

3. Last Will and Testament

If you have an existing Last Will and Testament from your former state of residence, you will want to contact an attorney to review the will to make certain it complies with the North Carolina General Statutes. This is also true of a Power of Attorney and Health Care Power of Attorney. If you do not have a current will, you may want to contact a lawyer with any questions you have regarding preparing and executing a valid will.

4. Education

If you have college age children and they are planning on attending a North Carolina school of higher education, you must be a North Carolina resident for one year to obtain residency tuition rates. You will want to check with the college they are planning on attending to obtain specific information for that college.

5. Relocation with Children

If you are separated from your spouse, you have children relocating with you to North Carolina, and your spouse is remaining in your former state of residency, jurisdiction for custody and child support is determined based on the child’s "home state." A child’s home state is the state in which the child lived with a parent for at least six consecutive months immediately before the initiation of a proceeding for custody or child support.

6. Register to Vote

You may obtain registration forms in Lincoln County at the Lincoln County Board of Elections, Room 202, in Lincolnton, at any of Lincoln County’s public libraries or the Department of Motor Vehicles. The registration deadline to vote is 25 days before each election.

7. Medical Provider

It is often said that when selecting a doctor, you should first consult with your family members and friends for a reference. When relocating to a new state, that may not be as easy for you if you do not have any friends or family here. However, if you are moving to a new development they may have a homeowners association, which can provide a wealth of information about the community. Lincoln County offers its own hospital, several urgent care facilities and doctors of many specialties.

And last but not least…..Welcome to North Carolina!

Laura C. Manfreda is an attorney with Knox, Brotherton, Knox and Godfrey. The firm’s website is www.KnoxBrothertonKnoxGodfrey.com.  She can be reached at (704) 372-1360 or at lmanfreda@knoxlawcenter.com.