Charlotte cannot set a citywide private-sector minimum wage. N.C.G.S. § 95-25.1(b) preempts local wage ordinances. North Carolina's state minimum wage matches the federal FLSA rate of $7.25/hour. Tipped wage: $2.13/hour cash + tips equaling $7.25.
North Carolina General Statute § 95-25.1(b) provides that 'no county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the State may enact local wage and hour requirements that exceed those established in this Article [Wage and Hour Act, N.C.G.S. Ch. 95, Article 2A], including, but not limited to, local minimum wage requirements.' This was added by 2017 N.C. Sess. Laws 4 (HB 142) as a follow-on to the bathroom-bill compromise, replacing the broader 2016 HB 2 preemption. The North Carolina state minimum wage in N.C.G.S. § 95-25.3 is set at $7.25/hour, identical to the federal FLSA rate. The City of Charlotte pays its own municipal workforce a higher living wage (currently $22.00/hour effective FY 2024-25 per City Council action), but this does not extend to private employers. The NC Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Bureau enforces state law; U.S. DOL enforces federal FLSA.
NC wage-claim remedies under N.C.G.S. § 95-25.22 include unpaid wages plus equal liquidated damages and attorney's fees. Claims may be filed with the NC Department of Labor or pursued in court within 2 years. Federal FLSA remedies (29 U.S.C. § 216(b)) apply in parallel.
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