North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 150B. Administrative Procedure Act § 150B-25.1. Burden of proof

(a) Except as otherwise provided by law or by this section, the petitioner in a contested case has the burden of proving the facts alleged in the petition by a preponderance of the evidence.

(b) In a contested case involving the imposition of civil fines or penalties by a State agency for violation of the law, the burden of showing by clear and convincing evidence that the person who was fined actually committed the act for which the fine or penalty was imposed rests with the State agency.

(c) The burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence that a career State employee subject to Chapter 126 of the General Statutes was discharged, suspended, or demoted for just cause rests with the agency employer.