77-37. Regulations for Lake Wylie and shoreline area.

(a) Except as limited in subsection (b) of this section, by restrictions in any joint ordinance and by other supervening provisions of law, the Commission may make regulations applicable to Lake Wylie and its shoreline area concerning all matters relating to or affecting the use of Lake Wylie. These regulations may not conflict with or supersede provisions of general or special acts or of regulations of state agencies promulgated under the authority of general law. No regulations adopted under the provisions of this section may be adopted by the Commission except after public hearing, with publication of notice of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the three counties at least 10 days before the hearing. In lieu of or in addition to passing regulations supplementary to state law and regulations concerning the operation of vessels on Lake Wylie, the Commission may, after public notice, request that the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the South Carolina Department of Wildlife and Marine Resources pass local regulations on this subject in accordance with the procedure established by appropriate state law.

(b) Violation of any regulation of the Commission commanding or prohibiting an act is a Class 3 misdemeanor.

(c) The regulations promulgated under this section take effect upon passage or upon such dates as may be stipulated in the regulations except that no regulation may be enforced unless adequate notice of the regulation has been posted in or on Lake Wylie or its shoreline area. Adequate notice as to a regulation affecting only a particular location may be by a sign, uniform waterway marker, posted notice, or other effective method of communicating the essential provisions of the regulation in the immediate vicinity of the location in question. Where a regulation applies generally as to Lake Wylie or its shoreline area, or both, there must be a posting of notices, signs, or markers communicating the essential provisions in at least three different places throughout the area and it must be printed in a newspaper of general circulation in the three counties.

(d) A copy of each regulation promulgated under this section must be filed by the Commission with the following persons:

(1) The Secretaries of State of North and South Carolina;

(2) The clerk of superior court of Mecklenburg and Gaston Counties and the clerk of court of York County;

(3) The Executive Directors of the Wildlife Resources Commission of North Carolina and South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department.

(e) Any official designated in subsection (d) above may issue certified copies of regulations filed with him under the seal of his office. These certified copies may be received in evidence in any proceeding.

(f) Publication and filing of regulations promulgated under this section as required above is for informational purposes and is not a prerequisite to their validity if they in fact have been duly promulgated, the public has been notified as to the substance of regulations, a copy of the text of all regulations is in fact available to any person who may be affected and no party to any proceeding has been prejudiced by any defect that may exist with respect to publication and filing. Rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission under the provisions of other sections of this article relating to internal governance of the Commission need not be filed or published. Where posting of any sign, notice, or marker or the making of other communication is essential to the validity of a regulation duly promulgated, it is presumed in any proceeding that prior notice was given and maintained and the burden lies upon the party asserting to the contrary to prove lack of adequate notice of any regulation.