03/21/2025
BURN BAN IN EFFECT for Nash County, NC
Effective March 21, 2025, at 5:00 pm, the Nash County Fire Marshal’s Office is prohibiting all open burning across Nash County, including within 100 feet of a dwelling. The ban applies to all open burning, regardless of whether a burning permit has been issued.
The open burn ban is authorized by the Nash County Fire Marshal’s Office pursuant with the 2018 North Carolina Fire Prevention Code Section 307 to prevent the potential for increased wildfires due to extremely dry weather conditions in Nash County, North Carolina. In particular, Nash County is currently designated as “abnormally dry” by the US Drought Monitor.
The local burn ban follows an open burning ban issued on March 21, 2025, by the North Carolina Forest Service. Due to increased fire risk, the North Carolina Forest Service has banned all open burning and canceled all burning permits for Nash County. The issuance of new burn permits has also been suspended.
Open burning includes burning leaves, branches and other plant material in addition to the use of recreational fires, bonfires, and outdoor fireplaces. The ban does not apply to cooking fires such as gas, pellet, charcoal grills, or outdoor cookers and smokers. In all cases, it is illegal to burn trash, lumber, tires, newspapers, plastics, or other non-vegetative materials.
The ban will remain in effect until further notice. Local fire departments are assisting the Nash County Fire Marshal’s Office and North Carolina Forest Service with enforcing the ban, which carries a civil fine for violations.
For more information about the North Carolina Forest Service’s statewide open burning ban, visit http://ncforestservice.gov/ and click on the News page.
