Statewide Burn Ban Lifted For All Counties

MOORESVILLE, NC — The remaining counties that did not see their burn ban lifted on Dec. 8 can breathe a sign of relief today.

The N.C. Forest Service has lifted a ban on all open burning for the following counties in North Carolina: Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Granville, Guilford, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Orange, Person, Polk, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Transylvania, Vance, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey.

The ban, which went into effect Nov. 29 due to hazardous forest fire conditions, was lifted for 67 other counties on Dec. 8.

“We saw some much-needed rain during the weekend, and that has thankfully helped bring fire danger down, allowing us to lift burn ban restrictions statewide,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Still, I’d caution residents to remain vigilant about burning responsibly and safely. Make sure you have a valid burn permit and contact your NCFS county ranger for wildfire prevention and fire safety tips.”

Residents can obtain a burn permit from any authorized permitting agent or online at www.ncforestservice.gov/burnpermit. All burn permits granted before the statewide burn ban were canceled when the ban became effective. A valid permit must be obtained.