Guilford County, NC Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Guilford 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
- What may be burned
- Yard vegetation grown on-site only
- Legal hours
- 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Permit
- NC Forest Service burn permit required
- Always illegal
- Trash, lumber, plastics, tires
- City yard-waste burn ban
- Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown, Gibsonville
Summary
Open burning in unincorporated Guilford County is limited to leaves and yard vegetation, burned only between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. A North Carolina Forest Service permit is required. Burning garbage, lumber, plastics, tires, or any man-made material is always illegal. Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown, and Gibsonville ban yard-waste burning
Burning yard waste is restricted to between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The fire must be attended, and no new material can be added after 6:00 PM.
Full Breakdown
Open burning is governed by NC air-quality rule 15A NCAC 02D .1900 and the NC Forest Service. Only vegetation grown on the property (leaves, limbs, plant matter) may be burned, and only between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, with no new material added after 6:00 PM. It is always illegal to burn 'garbage, paper or cardboard, tires, building materials including lumber and wood scraps, wire, plastics and other synthetic materials, shingles, paint and household chemicals.' A burn permit from the NC Forest Service (free, available online or from a local ranger) is required, and the fire must be attended with tools on hand.
Violations & Fines
The NC Forest Service and Guilford County Environmental Services enforce open-burning rules; illegal burning can bring civil penalties and, for serious or repeat violations or escaped fires, fines that can reach $25,000 or more plus liability for suppression costs and
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to burn leaves in Guilford County?
Can I burn household trash or old lumber?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Guilford County
How Guilford County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Guilford County to another location·View the North Carolina fire regulations overview
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