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North Carolina Current Fire Restrictions (2026)

Info: No state-issued burn ban in effect: the statewide ban issued March 28, 2026 was fully lifted — 81 counties on May 3 and the final 19 effective 8 a.m. May 8 — and none has been issued since (no ban is posted on the NCFS open-burning page or on the NCFS online burn-permit system, which lists all 100 counties for permit applications). A burn ban can only be enacted by the Commissioner of Agriculture. Baseline: between midnight and 4 p.m. a permit is required to burn in or within 500 ft of NCFS-protected woodland, and only natural vegetation may be burned. PERMIT-RULE CHANGE: effective June 22, 2026 New Hanover and Pender counties became "high hazard" counties (S.B. 401 / N.C. Farm Act), bringing the total to 21 — in a high-hazard county a permit is ALWAYS required for burns under five acres, and a special permit with added safety conditions for land clearing over five acres. The state system does not cover fires within 100 ft of an occupied dwelling, where local government has jurisdiction.

InfoVerified Nov 12, 2026

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Official source: ncagr.gov →

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Current Fire Restrictions in states bordering North Carolina

How each neighboring state LawLert has verified classifies the same rule, with its own official source and the date it was last checked. The wording is on that state’s page.

GeorgiaInfo
Verified Nov 12, 2026 · Source: epd.georgia.gov · Full Georgia rule →
South CarolinaInfo
Verified Nov 13, 2026 · Source: scfc.gov · Full South Carolina rule →
TennesseeInfo
Verified Nov 12, 2026 · Source: tn.gov · Full Tennessee rule →
VirginiaInfo
Verified Nov 13, 2026 · Source: dof.virginia.gov · Full Virginia rule →

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