Many people think of LAND SEIZURES in the U.S. as a governing practice from a distant past, but the truth is that it is still a common occurence that affects families to this day. North Carolina has seen a sizable uptick in eminent domain cases as the Department of Transportation aims to spend its massive $5Billion annual budget on comprehensive roadway widening and overpriced, long overdue projects such as the I-440 Project in Raleigh, which has ballooned to almost $500,000,000 dollars for the project.

The Right of Way Division of the NCDOT has also found a way to add to its monstrous budget by implemented a new program of selling near-worthless remnant properties at hugely inflated values through high-bidder auctions. These bidding practices are hugely unregulated and unknowing purchasers often get stuck with unusable properties. Laws upholding the rights of the Department of Transportations eminent domain and controlled access positions effectively allow the NCDOT to operate with impunity and do not require the DOT to offer access to the properties they dispose of.

While hundreds of cases of eminent domain abuse are being settled by law firms statewide, hundreds of more potential cases are being turned a blind-eye to because of a long “holding period” and the complexity of the laws protecting the rights of the NCDOT. 

One such case, a man whom purchased a remnant property in Eastern North Carolina in 2021 via a phone call high-bidder auction by lawyers of the NCDOT, has resulted in financial ruin for the man when the NCDOT realized the property was attached to an animal corridor and subsequently blocked the purchaser from obtaining a driveway permit accessing his own property. “I lost everything and nobody in the NCDOT will even respond back to update me.”, said Daniel R., a Pasquotank County resident and new father of a baby girl. “My family had to move into my in-laws basement out of state because I cannot support them anymore after this huge financial loss. It’s like a living nightmare… laws protect the Department of Transportation and not the land owner and there is nothing I can do about it.” The NCDOT promised to do a remnant property swap with the man within a “reasonable time,” but nearly 4 years later, the man is still paying land taxes on a parcel he cannot access or dispose of- essentially “locking up” the property and placing it on the back-burner for future NCDOT projects. “It’s like a living nightmare. I never thought I’d lose my families money buying property from the State. They are supposed to protect us.”

The animal corridors, like the one Daniel’s parcel attaches to, are a NCDOT program in partnership with the Wildlife Resources Commission, designed to protect wildlife by giving them a safe passage under the busy highways. But many instances of hunter abuse have been reported. Unspecific laws regarding remnant properties allow for a loophole to adjacent land owners to hunt and sell hunting leases around the areas of the animal corridors- effectively funneling game animals right into hunters crosshairs. These private lands do not follow the same hunting guidelines and laws as other designated hunting areas, and allow for a huge increase in illegal poaching. 

Stricter oversight of the Department of Transportation and their handling of remnant properties and eminent domain is crucial to ensure fair treatment for all. We ask for transparency, accountability, and respect for the rights of individuals like myself who have been unjustly affected. It's time we make our voices heard. Please sign this petition to support our call for change.