Sec.17-311-28. Participation by persons other than parties

(a) Permission to participate. At any time prior to the commencement of oral testimony in any hearing on a contested case, any person may request that the commissioner permit that person to participate in the hearing. Any person not a party that is so permitted to participate in the hearing will be identified as an intervenor for the purposes of these regulations and will participate in those portions of the contested case that the commissioner shall expressly authorize.

(b) Status of a non-party that has been admitted to participate. No grant or leave to participate in the hearing as an intervenor or in any other manner shall be deemed to be an admission by the commissioner that the person he has permitted to participate is a party in interest that may be aggrieved by any final decision, order, or ruling of the commissioner unless such grant of leave to participate expressly so states. An intervenor is a party of record for the limited purposes described in 4-183 G.S.

(Effective March 17, 1983)