Greensboro, NC Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

Greensboro sits in the central Piedmont region of North Carolina, an area of mixed hardwood forests and developed land that does not carry the elevated wildfire risk of the states mountain or coastal plain pine forest regions. The city has no wildland-urban interface overlay zone, no mandatory defensible-space ordinance, and no wildfire hazard severity mapping requirements in its Land Development Ordinance. However, Greensboro does experience moderate seasonal fire danger during dry fall months (October through November) when leaf litter accumulates, and during dry spring periods. The NC Forest Service monitors fire danger statewide and may issue burn bans affecting Guilford County during high-risk conditions. North Carolina law under N.C.G.S. Chapter 106 Article 78 authorizes the NC Forest Service to regulate open burning and issue burn permits statewide. During declared burn bans, all outdoor burning is prohibited within the county. The Greensboro Fire Department recommends that homeowners maintain clear space around structures, remove dead vegetation, and keep gutters free of leaf debris as voluntary best practices even though no mandatory defensible-space clearance distances are codified.