North Carolina House bill seeks reduced development fees for affordable housing in Winston-Salem

Rep. Kanika Brown has introduced new legislation intended to provide Winston-Salem with the authority to lower or waive certain development fees tied to affordable housing projects, according to the North Carolina State House.

The measure, designated as HB 1224 and filed on May 5 during the 2025 regular session, is officially titled: ‘Local Gov. Assisting Affordable Housing.’

The following is a summary based on our read of the actual bill text, with some explanatory interpretation of its provisions.

This bill would give local government units or joint agencies the ability to either reduce or waive system development fees for water and sewer services for affordable housing builds, provided they adopt standards to determine when to grant those breaks. The proposed amendment adds this option within the existing system development fee law, retaining other required conditions and limitations. The scope is limited to Winston-Salem, and the changes would become effective if and when enacted.

Brown is among two primary sponsors for HB 1224 and had the highest bill sponsorship count—41—during the 2025 regular session.

In North Carolina, legislative measures go through a detailed legislative process. It begins once a lawmaker files a bill, after which committee review, multiple readings in both chambers, and reconciliation of amendments must take place. If both chambers give their approval, the measure is delivered to the governor, who then has 10 days (or 30, if the legislature is out of session) to sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without action.

Details on all bills and related activity for 2025 can be found here.

Brown, a Democrat, entered the North Carolina State House in 2023 to serve the 71st House district following the tenure of above predecessor Evelyn Terry.