KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. (WAVY) — Balloon releases will no longer be allowed in Kill Devil Hills after its board of commissioners voted unanimously Monday to ban them.
Violators according to the town’s new policy will face a civil penalty of $25 per balloon released. The amendment to the town code will ban the “intentional release of lighter-than-air balloons” on town-owned property.
It is just the latest Outer Banks town to ban balloon releases. Several other municipalities have already voted recently to ban balloon releases, including Kitty Hawk, Duck, Nags Head and Southern Shores. There are bans in localities across the nation, citing harm to the environment and wildlife.
The Dare County Board of Supervisors is also considering a ban on balloon releases for unincorporated parts of the county. A public hearing there is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16.
Southern Shores resident Debbie Swick has been pushing for the bans, and spoke before the Kill Devil Hills board 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.”
The fine for violations in Kill Devil Hills is much lower than the $250 fines for Southern Shores, Duck and Kitty Hawk. Nags Head has a $50 fine.
