Regulations
Residents may burn on designated open burning days as reported daily by the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency. To find out if it is a burning day, call (828) 250-6767 for a daily recording, available 7 days a week. However, legal burning may not always be advisable. Please check the fire danger index on the right-hand side of this page. Open burning should be postponed on days identified as High, Very High, or Extreme. Even without a burning ban, the Forest Service or Fire Marshal may discourage burning due to dry and/or windy conditions. You are responsible for all fires you light and any damage they may cause.
Burning leaves, brush, and yard trimmings is permitted between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. However, burning household trash, building materials, asphaltic materials, tires, wire, shingles, furniture, cardboard, processed wood, and paper is prohibited at all times.
Burning any material is prohibited where there is public yard waste pickup. Burning is not allowed on days when the Buncombe County Air Quality Agency forecasts an Air Quality Action Day of “orange” or above. Open burning is also prohibited when banned by the North Carolina Forest Service or the Buncombe County Fire Marshal.
If burning within 500 feet of forestlands, a North Carolina Forest Service permit is required.
March 6, 2026
Current Fire Danger Index
Machine-Piled Brush Regulations
A permit is no longer required by the Buncombe County Air Quality Agency for burning machine-piled brush from land clearing. However, all land-clearing open burning must comply with regulations. Piles must be arranged to promote good combustion; no stumps, logs over 12 inches in diameter, or dirt should be included. The pile must be 500 feet from the nearest occupied structure. Exceptions require prior approval from the Buncombe County Air Quality Agency with appropriate documentation. Burning must be done on a designated burn day between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. It is recommended to burn piles early within the approved time frame to complete burning before evening inversions inhibit smoke dispersion.
Construction materials, processed woods, asphaltic materials, tires, plastic, cardboard, wire, furniture, or paper should never be burned. Violations may result in civil penalties of up to $25,000 imposed by Buncombe County Air Quality.