Outer Banks Times

Out-of-state property owners are suing a North Carolina county arguing that local leaders unconstitutionally restricted their access areas such as the Outer Banks.

Dare County officials restricted non-residential access to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus by limiting the number of people allowed on the barrier island, the Associated Press reported on April 8. 

Six non-North Carolina residents from Virginia, South Carolina and Maryland, who own rental properties in the region, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Eastern North Carolina and are calling for state borders to reopen immediately, which will allow the property owners to prepare their land for the spring and summer seasons, the Associated Press reported. 

The plaintiffs claim they should have access since residents from certain North Carolina counties do not face the same restriction, the Associated Press reported. The plaintiffs are from Maryland, South Carolina and Virginia. 

Community members from Dare, Currituck, Hyde or Tyrrell counties are allowed to enter the region, the Associated Press reported, however, access can be granted to non-residents for extreme hardship or an emergency. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit remain banned from entering the county since they aren't residents of North Carolina.