Section 160B-16 - Applicability of this Article(a) This Article applies to any county that has (i) a population over 120,000 according to the most recent federal decennial census and (ii) an area of less than 200 square miles.(b) If this section is declared unconstitutional or invalid by the courts, it does not affect the validity of the Article as a whole or any part other than the part so declared to be unconstitutional or invalid.N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160B-16