New Hanover County, NC Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in New Hanover 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 section
- Code of Ordinances § 26-1
- Trigger
- Declared hazardous forest-fire or air pollution episode
- Penalty
- Up to $500.00 fine or 30 days jail
- Fire-training burns
- Require prior fire marshal approval (§ 26-2)
- Coverage
- Unincorporated county plus opt-in municipalities
Summary
New Hanover County bans starting fires, brush pile burning and other debris burning during declared hazardous forest fire conditions or air pollution episodes under Code of Ordinances Sec. 26-1. A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500.00 in fines or 30 days in jail, and fire-training burns need the fire marshal's prior approval.
Sec. 26-1. - Burning regulations. ... (b)Restrictions. It shall be unlawful for any person to start or cause to be started any fire or ignite any material, to engage in brush pile burning, the burning of other debris and the starting of any fires within the county during periods of hazardous forest fire conditions or during air pollution episodes as declared by the secretary of the department of natural and economic resources for the county for any of the counties adjoining this county pursuant to G.S. 14-149 or any other applicable statute, rule or regulation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 15 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. S. 14-149 or another applicable statute or rule. The stated purpose is to protect residents' health and safety during those declared conditions rather than to impose a year-round burn ban. The section applies inside the corporate limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction of any municipality in the county that agrees by resolution to be covered, in addition to the unincorporated area. A companion rule, Sec. 26-2, separately makes it unlawful to start a fire for fire training purposes without the county fire marshal's prior approval, and requires any approved training burn to comply with all other local, state and federal law; that rule applies in the unincorporated county and in any municipality that opts in by resolution.
S. , with Sec. S. 24 et seq. The fire marshal's office, created under Article II of the same chapter, separately enforces the state fire prevention code and investigates the cause and origin of fires in the unincorporated county under Sec. 26-33.
Violations & Fines
Violating either the general burning restriction in Sec. 26-1 or the unauthorized fire-training burn rule in Sec. 26-2 is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $500.00, imprisonment of not more than 30 days, or both, in the court's discretion, as provided by G.S. 14-4.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is open burning illegal in New Hanover County?
Can I do a controlled burn for firefighter training in New Hanover County?
What is the penalty for illegal burning in New Hanover County?
Does the New Hanover County burn ban apply inside Wilmington or the beach towns?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Hanover County
How New Hanover County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare New Hanover County to another location·View the North Carolina fire regulations overview
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