Lee County, NC Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Lee County's solid waste chapter, rewritten by the county's ordinance of September 15, 2025, lists the only lawful ways to get rid of solid waste in Section 22-76: an approved landfill or transfer station, a permitted incinerator, the county's own solid waste collection facility, or another method approved by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, such as recycling. Section 22-82 shuts the door on the alternative some residents might otherwise reach for: burning it. The section reads simply that open burning of solid waste and/or recyclable materials is prohibited.

Section 22-3 defines open burning as combustion whose products are emitted directly into the atmosphere without passing through a stack, chimney or a permitted air pollution control device, so a backyard burn barrel or open pit used to torch household trash or recyclables falls squarely inside the ban. The solid waste division of the county's Department of General Services is charged with administering and enforcing the whole chapter, including this section, under Section 22-168. Enforcement carries real teeth: Section 22-169 makes any violation of the chapter a misdemeanor under G.S. § 14-4, punishable by a fine of up to $500.00 or up to 30 days in jail, with each day of continued burning treated as a separate offense. The county may also pursue equitable remedies, including injunctions and orders of abatement.