KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. (WAVY) — Kill Devil Hills is poised to be the latest Outer Banks town to ban balloon releases.
The town’s board of commissioners is set to vote on an amendment to town code to ban the “the intentional release of lighter-than-air balloons” on town-owned property.
Several other municipalities on the Outer Banks have already voted recently to ban balloon releases, including Kitty Hawk, Duck, Nags Head and Southern Shores. The Dare County Board of Supervisors is also considering a ban for unincorporated parts of the county, with a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, July 16.
Southern Shores native Debbie Swick has been advocating for the bans, and spoke before Kill Devil Hills’ board back in May.
“There’s just so many impactful things that come from these balloon releases,” she recently told 10 On Your Side. “Whether it be in the environment as litter, or in the ocean or on the fields, the forest, it’s everywhere and it is impacting our wildlife as well.”
Violators in Kill Devil Hills would have to pay a civil penalty of $25, which is much lower than the $250 fines for Southern Shores, Duck and Kitty Hawk. Nags Head has a $50 fine.
Swick says she’s also been working with State Sen. Bobby Honig on getting a ban passed at the state level.
Virginia passed a ban on balloon releases back in 2021.
