Buncombe County Offices, Courts Close Friday for Good Friday Holiday

Good Friday shuttered Buncombe County courts and all county administrative offices April 3, but federal courts, the U.S. Postal Service, and many banks operated normally throughout the day. The distinction matters more in North Carolina than in most states: North Carolina is one of only about 12 states that still observe Good Friday as an official paid government holiday, a fact reflected in the North Carolina State Board of Elections confirming its Raleigh office also closed. Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Tennessee share that status; the other 38 states do not.

In Henderson County, the closures extended further. The courthouse shut down for the full long weekend and will not reopen until Monday, April 6. The Henderson County Public Library moved its closure up to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 2, the day before the holiday.

Anyone with pending court filings, permit applications, tax payments, or public-record requests at Buncombe County offices faced a delay until Monday. Some banks observed a half-day Friday; residents uncertain about their branch's schedule should call ahead before making a trip. The county's Holiday Closings page at buncombenc.gov is the authoritative source for confirmed closures. Emergency services, law enforcement, and hospital emergency departments operated on full schedules throughout.

For the more than 100 Buncombe County residents still without stable housing as of late March 2026, a single day of closed government offices carries outsized weight. A 2026 North Carolina Housing Coalition study found that Hurricane Helene damaged 11,488 homes and destroyed 372 in the county. The storm generated an estimated 10 million cubic yards of debris; 2.3 million cubic yards have been removed in Asheville and Buncombe County, with full debris-removal operations projected to wrap by June 30. The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners adopted a five-year Helene Recovery Plan on November 18, 2025, launching 114 projects in partnership with the county's six municipalities. The county has also applied for a $225 million HUD grant for longer-term rebuilding, with 43 lives lost to the storm acknowledged by county leaders.

Residents with Helene recovery questions can reach the One Buncombe Call Center at (828) 250-6100. Normal county office hours, including the Henderson County courthouse, resume Monday, April 7.