{"id":16170,"date":"2026-01-04T18:00:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T23:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/?p=16170"},"modified":"2026-01-01T10:33:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T15:33:23","slug":"state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"State v. Allison | NC Stand Your Ground Law | Dec. 12, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

As of 2026, the phrase \u201cstand your ground\u201d is the gateway term that most non-lawyers use when they are trying to understand North \"Illustration Carolina self-defense law.\u00a0 N.C.G.S. \u00a7 14-51.3 addresses when defensive force, including deadly force, may be used in a place where you have the lawful right to be and describes the absence of a duty to retreat in defined circumstances. The \u201ccastle doctrine\u201d is related, but it is not the same rule with a different label. It is a separate statutory framework, centered on N.C.G.S. \u00a7 14-51.2, that applies to defined protected locations. That changes the analysis by using legislative presumptions and immunity concepts rather than leaving everything to a free-form reasonableness debate.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court of North Carolina\u2019s decision in State v. Allison<\/strong><\/em>, No. 103PA24, filed December 12, 2025, addresses how trial courts must instruct juries when the defense seeks a castle-doctrine instruction under N.C.G.S. \u00a7 14-51.2. The opinion reinforces that the statute must be given as written, including its definitions, presumptions, and rebuttal structure, and that reverting to pre-statute reasonableness instructions is legal error.<\/p>\n

The Court reversed and remanded for a new trial because the jury instructions allowed jurors to decide reasonableness and necessity outside the statutory presumption framework and because the jury was not instructed that curtilage is part of the \u201chome\u201d under the statute.<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As of 2026, the phrase \u201cstand your ground\u201d is the gateway term that most non-lawyers use when they are trying to understand North Carolina self-defense law.\u00a0 N.C.G.S. \u00a7 14-51.3 addresses when defensive force, including deadly force, may be used in a place where you have the lawful right to be and describes the absence of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16175,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2827,2821,2807,2810,2818,2825,2811,2815,2820,2493,2808,2822,2814,2806,2828,2813,2817,2829,2823,2826,2812,2809,2819,2824,2816],"class_list":["post-16170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criminal-defense","tag-castle-doctrine-appellate-guidance","tag-castle-doctrine-instruction-framework","tag-castle-doctrine-jury-error-nc","tag-curtilage-definition-criminal-law-nc","tag-defense-instructions-reversal-nc","tag-defense-of-home-instruction-nc","tag-home-defense-jury-instructions-nc","tag-jury-charge-error-self-defense-nc","tag-nc-criminal-appeals-self-defense","tag-nc-criminal-law-commentary","tag-nc-supreme-court-castle-doctrine","tag-nc-supreme-court-plain-error","tag-nc-supreme-court-self-defense-cases","tag-north-carolina-stand-your-ground-law-2026","tag-north-carolina-use-of-force-statutes","tag-plain-error-criminal-instructions-nc","tag-rebuttal-of-presumption-nc-law","tag-self-defense-law-developments-nc","tag-self-defense-statutory-framework-nc","tag-stand-your-ground-analysis-nc","tag-stand-your-ground-vs-castle-doctrine-nc","tag-statutory-presumptions-jury-instructions","tag-statutory-sequencing-jury-instructions","tag-trial-court-instruction-error-nc","tag-unlawful-and-forceful-entry-nc"],"yoast_head":"\nState v. Allison | NC Stand Your Ground Law | Dec. 12, 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"State v. Allison clarifies North Carolina stand your ground and castle doctrine law, jury instructions, curtilage, and statutory presumptions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"State v. Allison | NC Stand Your Ground Law | Dec. 12, 2025\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"State v. Allison clarifies North Carolina stand your ground and castle doctrine law, jury instructions, curtilage, and statutory presumptions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NC-CASTLE-DOCRINE-2026.webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carolina Attorneys\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"State v. Allison | NC Stand Your Ground Law | Dec. 12, 2025","description":"State v. Allison clarifies North Carolina stand your ground and castle doctrine law, jury instructions, curtilage, and statutory presumptions.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"State v. Allison | NC Stand Your Ground Law | Dec. 12, 2025","twitter_description":"State v. Allison clarifies North Carolina stand your ground and castle doctrine law, jury instructions, curtilage, and statutory presumptions.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NC-CASTLE-DOCRINE-2026.webp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carolina Attorneys","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/"},"author":{"name":"Carolina Attorneys","@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7b1994a08a51b357b94c69492e786113"},"headline":"State v. Allison | NC Stand Your Ground Law | Dec. 12, 2025","datePublished":"2026-01-04T23:00:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/"},"wordCount":2747,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NC-CASTLE-DOCRINE-2026.webp","keywords":["Castle Doctrine Appellate Guidance","Castle Doctrine Instruction Framework","Castle Doctrine Jury Error NC","Curtilage Definition Criminal Law NC","Defense Instructions Reversal NC","Defense of Home Instruction NC","Home Defense Jury Instructions NC","Jury Charge Error Self Defense NC","NC Criminal Appeals Self Defense","NC Criminal Law Commentary","NC Supreme Court Castle Doctrine","NC Supreme Court Plain Error","NC Supreme Court Self Defense Cases","North Carolina Stand Your Ground Law 2026","North Carolina Use of Force Statutes","Plain Error Criminal Instructions NC","Rebuttal of Presumption NC Law","Self Defense Law Developments NC","Self Defense Statutory Framework NC","Stand Your Ground Analysis NC","Stand Your Ground vs Castle Doctrine NC","Statutory Presumptions Jury Instructions","Statutory Sequencing Jury Instructions","Trial Court Instruction Error NC","Unlawful and Forceful Entry NC"],"articleSection":["Criminal Defense"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/","name":"State v. Allison | NC Stand Your Ground Law | Dec. 12, 2025","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NC-CASTLE-DOCRINE-2026.webp","datePublished":"2026-01-04T23:00:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7b1994a08a51b357b94c69492e786113"},"description":"State v. Allison clarifies North Carolina stand your ground and castle doctrine law, jury instructions, curtilage, and statutory presumptions.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NC-CASTLE-DOCRINE-2026.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NC-CASTLE-DOCRINE-2026.webp","width":1312,"height":736,"caption":"North Carolina castle doctrine and stand your ground law explained after State v. Allison, illustrated with Charlotte skyline showing home defense, curtilage, and use of force statutes"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/state-v-allison-north-carolina-stand-your-ground\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"State v. Allison | NC Stand Your Ground Law | Dec. 12, 2025"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/","name":"Carolina Criminal Defense & DUI Lawyer Updates","description":"Published by Carolina Criminal Defense & DUI Lawyers \u2014 Carolina Attorneys","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7b1994a08a51b357b94c69492e786113","name":"Carolina Attorneys","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/203afd0750f8833a03d5e178d5110902866fdc6efa9739b9dab848a970ad1245?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/203afd0750f8833a03d5e178d5110902866fdc6efa9739b9dab848a970ad1245?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/203afd0750f8833a03d5e178d5110902866fdc6efa9739b9dab848a970ad1245?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Carolina Attorneys"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NC-CASTLE-DOCRINE-2026.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16170"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16185,"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16170\/revisions\/16185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carolinaattorneys.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}