Formal Ethics Advisory Opinions
Following is a list of formal advisory opinions issued by the State Ethics Commission in response to a written request from:
- A public servant or legislative employee subject to the State Government Ethics Act (“Ethics Act”) or their legal counsel.
- An Ethics Liaison for a State agency or board.
- An individual responsible for appointing a public servant to a State board or the supervisor of a public servant or legislative employee.
Under the Ethics Act, formal advisory opinions are strictly confidential. Formal advisory opinions are therefore published in an edited format to protect the requester's identity. If the requester authorized the publication of an unedited version of the opinion, it will have an * beside it.
Because the Commission's recommended advisory opinions to legislators are published at another location on this website upon being accepted, modified, or replaced by the Legislative Ethics Committee, there are gaps in the numbering of the Commission's "Ethics" Formal Advisory Opinions.
These opinions are arranged according to the issues addressed in the opinion.
**Please note that the General Assembly recodified the Ethics Act in 2019, renumbering G.S. 138A-32(d1) to (e) and the gift ban exceptions from G.S. 138A-32(e) to G.S. 138A-32(f)**