North Carolina school and library book laws
North Carolina H805 requires public access to school library titles and lets a parent block specific books from their child.
North Carolina H805 (Prevent Sexual Exploitation of Women and Minors, SL 2025-84 § 3.3) was enacted after a veto override on July 29, 2025, and applies in 2025–26. Local boards must give public access to titles available in each school and let a parent identify books their child cannot borrow. “Library books” include print, electronic, and nonprint resources outside the standard course of study, including classroom collections. H595 (Parental Rights for Curriculum and Books) remained in committee and is not law; it would have gone further into public-library age-restricted sections.
Not legal advice. Confirm the enrolled text and any injunction before changing policy. LRS is informational and must not be the sole basis for removing books.
Bills and rules
| Measure | Year | Status | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| H805 SL 2025-84 § 3.3 school library access and opt-out Public access to titles in each school; parent may identify books their child cannot borrow; includes classroom collections outside the standard course of study. | 2025 | In force | School libraries |
| H595 Parental Rights for Curriculum and Books Would add selection criteria, public hearing, and public-library harmful-to-minors inaccessibility. Introduced 2025; not enacted as of August 2026. | 2025 | Pending | School and public libraries |
How BookLooky LRS addresses the concern
- Parent opt-out lists need a way for families to know what is in a book before they block it — free LRS lookup is built for that.
- Classroom collections are in scope; teachers can bulk-scan classroom libraries the same way school libraries do.
Story theme scores (including LGBTQ+ representation) measure presence in the plot. They are not warnings and are not a lawful stand-in for “harmful to minors.”