Restore Wetlands Protections.

HB 738 restores specific definitions for wetland protections in North Carolina by repealing prior legislative changes and reinstating the 2010 North Carolina Wetland Assessment Manual definitions. It explicitly defines "isolated wetlands" to include those confirmed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before June 2020 and wetlands classified as basins or bogs under the state's 2010 manual (excluding man-made stormwater features). The bill also clarifies that "wetlands" include waters meeting federal definitions (33 C.F.R. § 328.3 and 40 C.F.R. § 230.3) and the reinstated isolated wetland category. This directly affects developers, landowners, and local governments by determining which projects require wetland permits under state law. The policy change reinstates pre-2020 regulatory boundaries without creating new restrictions.