North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 160A. Cities and Towns § 160A-479.15. Removal and relocation of utility structures

(a) An authority may require any public utility, railroad, or other public service corporation owning or operating any installations, structures, equipment, apparatus, appliances or facilities in, upon, under, over, across or along any land or facility where an authority has the right to own, construct, operate or maintain its facilities to remove or relocate such installation, structures, equipment, apparatus, appliances or facilities from their location.

(b) If the owner or operator thereof fails or refuses to remove or relocate them, an authority may proceed to do so.

(c) An authority may provide the necessary new locations or an authority may also acquire the necessary new locations by purchase or otherwise, but not by eminent domain.

(d) An authority shall reimburse the public utility, railroad or other public service corporation, for the cost of relocations which shall be the entire amount paid or incurred by the utility properly attributable thereto after deducting the cost of any increase in the service capacity of the new installations, structures, equipment, apparatus, appliances or facilities and any salvage value derived from the old installations, structures, equipment, apparatus or appliances.