Brunswick County, NC Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Brunswick County, NC, also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance, set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Brunswick County Code § 1-11-47
- Default rule
- All open burning prohibited unless listed
- Never allowed
- Garbage, lumber, synthetic material
- Yard waste burning
- On-site residence only, no nuisance
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
In unincorporated Brunswick County, North Carolina, all open burning is prohibited unless it fits a narrow list of exceptions in the county code. Household garbage, lumber, and any synthetic material can never legally be burned, even under an otherwise-permitted fire.
(a)All open burning is prohibited except as provided herein. Any burning not specifically authorized by this article must be conducted in accordance with state law or regulation. This article does not relieve an operator from obtaining a permit where required by federal or state law or regulation. Non-vegetative materials, including, without limitation, garbage, refuse, household trash, lumber, or any synthetic material, may not be burned.(b)The following types of open burning are permissible:(1)Open burning of leaves, tree trimmings or yard waste, excluding logs and stumps, if all the following conditions are met:a.The material burned originated on the premises of a private residence and is burned on that premises;b.There are no public pick-up services available for the material identified for burning;c.The burning does not create a nuisance; andd.Material is not burned when any state agency has banned burning for that time or area.
Full Breakdown
Brunswick County Code Sec. " Anything not specifically authorized still has to comply with state open-burning law, and the county ordinance does not excuse anyone from a state or federal burning permit that would otherwise be required. Non-vegetative material, including garbage, refuse, household trash, lumber, or any synthetic material, may never be burned under this article. The only permissible categories are: leaves, tree trimmings, and yard waste (excluding logs and stumps) burned on the residential premises where it originated, only when no public pick-up service is available, only if it does not create a nuisance, and never when a state agency has issued a burning ban for that time or area; campfires and recreational or ceremonial fires that do not use refuse or synthetic material as fuel; firefighter training fires; state- and federally-compliant prescribed burns; and agricultural field burning on bona fide farms.
"Nuisance" is separately defined in Sec. 1-11-46 to include physical irritation, aggravation of a documented medical condition, noxious odors, visibility impairment, or soot/ash landing on a neighboring property. This chapter applies only to the unincorporated county; Leland, Southport, Oak Island, Shallotte, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Calabash, and Boiling Spring Lakes each enforce their own fire codes inside town limits.
Violations & Fines
Burning anything outside the permitted list, or burning permitted material without meeting all four conditions of Sec. 1-11-47(b)(1) (residential origin, no pickup service, no nuisance created, no active state ban), is a code violation the county can cite and require to be extinguished. Because the article does not relieve compliance with state law, a violation can also trigger enforcement under North Carolina's separate open-burning regulations administered by the NC Forest Service and NC DAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn yard waste in unincorporated Brunswick County?
Can I burn household trash outdoors?
Does the county rule apply inside Oak Island or Southport?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brunswick County
How Brunswick County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Brunswick County to another location·View the North Carolina fire regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.