Burn Ban Lifted in New Hanover County
New Hanover County, NC – New Hanover County officials have lifted the ban on open burning in the unincorporated areas of the county as of today, Monday, November 26.
“With the first pass of debris collection from Hurricane Florence nearing completion, fire risks have decreased and we have lifted the burn ban,” said New Hanover County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Frank Meyer. “We encourage our residents to practice fire safety and be aware of rules and regulations, like notifying neighbors of plans to burn and keeping watch over the fire, if they choose to burn vegetative debris.”
The City of Wilmington and the towns of Carolina, Kure, and Wrightsville Beach each have their own restrictions on open burning, and the lifting of the burn ban only applies to the unincorporated areas of New Hanover County.
Residents who plan to burn vegetative debris should adhere to the following:
- Only the open burning of vegetative debris, such as leaves, tree limbs and trimmings is permitted. Burning of household garbage, construction debris, furniture or any other material is prohibited at all times.
- Burning of vegetative debris is permitted on the property where the debris originated. Residents may not burn debris hauled from other locations.
- Burning must take place at least 50 feet from structures, like homes, fences or storage buildings, unless debris piles are smaller than three feet wide and two feet high. These smaller debris piles may be burned 25 feet from structures.
- Open burning must be attended to at all times by a person able to control and extinguish the fire.
A permit is required for open burning of vegetative debris outside of a fire pit or similar structure. Permits are free of charge and available at all county fire stations, Hanover Hardware at 3508 North Kerr Ave., and on the NC Forest Services website. To report smoke concerns, contact the NC Division of Air Quality local office at 910-350-2004.
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Release Contact:
Kate Murphy
Communications & Outreach Coordinator
910-798-7422