A frequent request we get at the Legislative Library is for a certified copy of a statute, session law, or other document. This means a document whose contents can be relied upon as truly and genuinely created by a North Carolina agency.

Some documents we can certify, and some we can’t. Here are the best contacts for document certification.

GENERAL STATUTES
The General Assembly passes bills into law. These are called session laws. The session laws that are public laws–i.e., they apply to everyone in North Carolina–are then integrated into the General Statutes, which consist of the general and permanent laws enacted by the General Assembly.

Anyone needing a certified copy of a statute (not a session law) should contact the Legislative Drafting Division of the General Assembly at 919-733-6660.

SESSION LAWS OR RATIFIED BILLS
After a bill is ratified–i.e., the General Assembly passes it and the Governor signs it–that bill becomes a session law. These original signed documents are then transmitted to the North Carolina Secretary of State.

Anyone needing a certified copy of a ratified bill or session law (not a statute) should contact the Secretary of State at 919-814-5400.

NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION
The Secretary of State is also the statutory custodian of the North Carolina Constitution.

Anyone needing a certified copy of the Constitution should contact the Secretary of State at 919-814-5400.

COMMITTEE MINUTES
The official record of a legislative committee meeting is that meeting’s written minutes. The minutes from 1997 forward can be found here. Older minutes (back to the early 1970s) are available on microfilm in the Legislative Library.

Anyone who comes to the library to locate minutes on microfilm can ask for a certification of those minutes from a librarian.

EXECUTIVE ORDERS
These are orders issued by the Governor of North Carolina. They do not come from the General Assembly.

Anyone needing a certified copy of an executive order should contact the Governor’s office at 919-814-2000.