North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 160A. Cities and Towns § 160A-296. Establishment and control of streets; center and edge lines

(1) The duty to keep the public streets, sidewalks, alleys, and bridges in proper repair.

(2) The duty to keep the public streets, sidewalks, alleys, and bridges open for travel and free from unnecessary obstructions.

(3) The power to open new streets and alleys, and to widen, extend, pave, clean, and otherwise improve existing streets, sidewalks, alleys, and bridges, and to acquire the necessary land therefor by dedication and acceptance, purchase, or eminent domain.

(4) The power to close any street or alley either permanently or temporarily.

(5) The power to regulate the use of the public streets, sidewalks, alleys, and bridges.

(6) The power to regulate, license, and prohibit digging in the streets, sidewalks, or alleys, or placing therein or thereon any pipes, poles, wires, fixtures, or appliances of any kind either on, above, or below the surface. To the extent a municipality is authorized under applicable law to impose a fee or charge with respect to activities conducted in its rights-of-way, the fee or charge must apply uniformly and on a competitively neutral and nondiscriminatory basis to all comparable activities by similarly situated users of the rights-of-way. No fee or charge for activities conducted in the right-of-way shall be assessed on businesses listed in G.S. 160A-206(b), except the following:

(7) The power to provide for lighting the streets, alleys, and bridges of the city.

(8) The power to grant easements in street rights-of-way as permitted by G.S. 160A-273.