North Carolina No Chase Law
Agency discretion
Does North Carolina have a no-chase law? No — North Carolina has no statewide law restricting police pursuits. Each department sets its own chase policy.
What governs pursuits in North Carolina
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-141.5
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-141.5 requires every law enforcement agency to adopt its own written pursuit policy addressing when to initiate/terminate a chase, and directs the state Attorney General to develop a model policy agencies may use — but the statute itself does not impose a statewide substantive restriction on when officers may pursue; that is left to each agency's adopted policy. A related statute, § 20-145, governs emergency-vehicle exemptions (speed, signals) and requires reasonable care.
Will police chase a motorcycle in North Carolina?
No statewide rule addresses motorcycles specifically; it's agency-by-agency discretion under each department's own pursuit policy, factoring in road/traffic conditions and risk, same as for any vehicle.
No US state has a literal law forbidding officers from chasing motorcycles. What riders call a "no-chase law" is nearly always a department policy that tells officers to break off a pursuit when the danger to the public outweighs the arrest — and fleeing remains a crime in North Carolina regardless. See the state-by-state motorcycle guide for how this works everywhere.
Sources
- law.justia.com/codes/north-carolina/chapter-20/article-3/section-20-141-5/
- ncleg.gov/Laws/GeneralStatuteSections/Chapter20
Verified as of August 2026. Department policies can change without notice — check the agency's published policy for current break-off criteria.