NORTH CAROLINA AGENCY GUIDES
North Carolina Forest Service Law Enforcement
Jurisdiction, organization, official contacts, history and published law-enforcement data for North Carolina Forest Service Law Enforcement.
- Agency or unit type
- State forestry enforcement function
- Official website
- Visit the official agency website
- Published contact
- 919-857-4801
- Forest Service headquarters (parent agency)
- 512 North Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27604
This is the parent Forest Service headquarters, not a separately verified public law-enforcement or investigative office.
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Jurisdiction and responsibilities
Forest Service enforcement supports North Carolina’s forest-protection mission, including investigation and enforcement related to forest fires and applicable departmental laws. G.S. 106-900 authorizes appointed Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services law-enforcement officers and permits designated officers to exercise forest-ranger duties. The legal roles of a forestry employee, forest ranger and sworn law-enforcement officer should not be treated as interchangeable.
How the agency is organized
The Forest Service is part of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Its official organization includes statewide sections, three regional offices, 13 districts and county ranger or forester personnel. These local offices provide forestry services within one state organization. The agency’s wildfire program includes prevention, preparedness, suppression and enforcement follow-up; forestry assistance and fire response do not turn each county office into an independent police department.
Agency history and local context
An official 2021 review describes the conclusion of serial fire-setting investigations, demonstrating the specialist enforcement role. It does not establish current case volume or staffing. The March 2026 agency overview describes the contemporary organizational framework; no law-enforcement founding year is inferred.
Official records and officer resources
Use Forest Service contacts and wildfire information for the relevant program. Its official statewide headquarters is 512 North Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27604, with main telephone 919-857-4801. That is the Forest Service headquarters, not a separately verified walk-in investigative office. Current burning restrictions and permits should be checked at their official source.
FBI data · 2025
The following figures are from the FBI’s 2025 published agency tables. They describe a reporting period, not current staffing or an assessment of agency performance.
| Personnel category | Published count |
|---|---|
| Sworn officers | 16 |
| Civilian employees | 0 |
| Total full-time employees | 16 |
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer downloads, table 81; published agency label: North Carolina Division of Forestry. Table_81_Full_time_Law_Enforcement_Employees_by_State_by_State_Tribal_and_Other_Agencies_2025.xlsx
Blank or unavailable values remain “Not published.” Participating agencies and reporting scope vary. Campus figures concern the reporting institution; a city name does not expand them to all local residents. Read the data definitions and limitations.
NC SBI data · 2024
The NC SBI record is published under NC Division of Forestry. Its 2024 reporting-status table lists: Reporting. These earlier figures are presented separately from the FBI’s 2025 tables.
| Personnel category | Published count |
|---|---|
| Sworn officers | 15 |
| Civilian employees | 2 |
| Total full-time employees | 17 |
Sources: SBI agency reporting status · SBI law-enforcement personnel.
Personnel are a dated full-time payroll snapshot. Civilian classifications can include jail employees without outside police powers. These are not authorized-position or vacancy counts. Index-crime totals cover selected categories and are not totals of all crime.
Sources and review date
Official agency, government and institutional sources are linked below. Contact details and organizational information were reviewed September 24, 2026. Published statistical years are identified separately.
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