North Carolina

North Carolina

Status of Legislation to Ban or Limit the Sale of Novelty and Toylike Lighters

North Carolina has passed the following legislation banning or limiting the sale of novelty and toylike lighters:

About the Law

Governor Beverly Perdue signed SB 652 into law on June 30, 2009. This law banning novelty (toylike) lighters goes into effect October 1, 2009 and applies to infractions committed on or after that date. Safe Kids North Carolina along with the Child Fatality Task Force and numerous fire service organizations came together to show strong support for this important legislation.

After the third reading, the bill passed the Senate on April 16, 2009. On this same day, a novelty lighter was to blame for a fire that occurred in a Dollar General Store in Guilford County. When SB 652 went to the House, the Judiciary III committee proposed an amendment that subjected a violator to a penalty of $500.00. However during the first year, no penalty will be imposed for a first violation.

This new law protects children from an attractive nuisance that has caused serious burn injuries and even death. Opposition to this legislation was very limited thanks to many of North Carolina's fire and life safety advocates who educated their representatives on the danger of these products. Thank you to the Child Fatality Task Force for introducing and pushing this important initiative to protect North Carolina’s children, and to the Safe Kids Coalitions, fire and life safety educators, and fire service members who worked so hard to contact legislators to help ensure this legislation passed.