01 NCAC 01B .0601. SUBJECTS OF DECLARATORY RULINGS

(a) Any person substantially affected by a statute or rule administered by the Department of Administration may request a declaratory ruling as to the validity of an agency rule or as to either the manner in which a statute or rule applies to a given factual situation. (b) A declaratory ruling issued by the agency: (1) is binding upon the agency and upon the person requesting it; (2) may be reviewed by the courts in the same manner as the final agency action in a contested case; and (3) may be altered by a subsequent declaratory ruling of the agency, but may not be altered retroactively.