Do You Have to Live Apart (in Separate Homes) to be Legally Separated in NC?

The quick and easy answer is YES! What if you have been living under the same roof but have literally divided the house in half and you each live on separate sides and never interact? Unless those halves happen to have separate mailing addresses - doesn't count. What if you sleep in separate bedrooms and are never intimate? Still doesn't count. In North Carolina, the simple rule is that you must live physically apart for at least one year with the intent to remain separate and apart for the purposes of acquiring a Divorce. The clock for that one year does not start ticking until one of you actually moves out.