North Carolina State Parks Commissioned Rangers

Jurisdiction and responsibilities

Commissioned state park rangers provide law enforcement for the State Parks system. The state classification describes patrol to prevent and detect violations, investigation participation and full police authority in assigned areas. Chapter 113’s special-peace-officer provisions connect authority to departmental parks, lakes and other lands or waters and authorize defined interagency cooperation. This is different from assuming every park employee has general police powers.

How the agency is organized

Rangers serve within the state parks organization alongside interpreters, maintenance staff, seasonal workers and other personnel. A park, recreation area, natural area or ranger station may have its own public contact while remaining a location within the same statewide system. Historical SBI roster rows for Morrow Mountain, Hanging Rock, Falls Lake and similar places should be indexed as facilities rather than counted as independent departments.

Agency history and local context

Official state announcements describe the commissioning process for rangers after required training. Individual parks have separate establishment histories; those dates should enrich local park context without becoming invented founding dates for distinct police agencies.

Official records and officer resources

NC Parks supplies park-specific alerts and contacts, while state personnel classifications explain qualifications and sworn responsibilities. Use the park’s official information for access or an incident location. Employment pages list both sworn and non-sworn opportunities, so job category and certification should be checked individually.

FBI data · 2025

No unambiguous match for this agency was made in the FBI 2025 agency tables used for this directory. This does not mean the agency had no crime, no officers or no reporting obligation.

Blank or unavailable values remain “Not published.” Participating agencies and reporting scope vary. Campus figures concern the reporting institution; a city name does not expand them to all local residents. Read the data definitions and limitations.

Sources and review date

Official agency, government and institutional sources are linked below. Contact details and organizational information were reviewed September 24, 2026. Published statistical years are identified separately.

• State park system and local contacts
• Park Ranger I official classification
• Commissioned special-peace-officer authority
• Park employment categories
• Dated commissioning example