Revises GS 14-4, making it an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $50 to violate a local ordinance or ordinance of a metropolitan sewerage district (currently a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to $500, or $50 if the ordinance does not specify a greater fine, except violations of ordinances regulating the operation or parking of vehicles are an infraction punishable by fine of up to $50). Adds that the statute does not restrict local authority or the authority of a metropolitan sewerage district from imposing stricter civil penalties for violation of any ordinance pursuant to their respective authority under GS 153A-123, GS 160A-175, or GS 162A-81. Makes conforming changes. Applies to violations on or after December 1, 2021.

Enacts GS 14-4.2 to bar criminal convictions unless the offense is a common-law offense or appears in the following GS Chapters: 14 (Criminal Law), 20 (Motor Vehicles), or Article 5 of GS Chapter 90 (Controlled Substances Act). Excludes persons who have actual knowledge that the behavior constitutes a crime. Applies to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2021. 

Provides a savings clause for prosecutions for offenses committed before December 1, 2021.

Effective December 1, 2021.