Surgical Smoke Legislation Enacted in North Carolina

North Carolina Becomes 19th State to Pass Surgical Smoke-Free Law

Governor Stein’s signature on HB 67 makes North Carolina the 19^th state to go surgical smoke-free.

On Tuesday, July 1, Governor Josh Stein signed HB 67, an omnibus healthcare workforce reforms bill which included surgical smoke evacuation language, into law. The new North Carolina law requires facilities to adopt and implement policies to filter and evacuate surgical smoke during smoke-generating procedures and goes into effect January 1, 2026.

In March, HB 390 was introduced by Rep. Carla Cunningham, a registered nurse serving her fifth term in the North Carolina House. The bill moved quickly through the House and was approved unanimously on April 16, 2025. From there, the bill was sent to the Senate and assigned to the Senate Health Committee. In late May, that committee amended HB 67 into an omnibus bill of healthcare workforce reforms, including the surgical smoke language from HB 390.

The success in North Carolina was a collaboration between AORN and the North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA) for more than four years. “NCNA’s leadership and AORN’s grassroots support were key to getting this legislation enacted with overwhelming bipartisan support,” said Jennifer Pennock, MS, AORN associate director of government affairs. “Congratulations to North Carolina for being the 19^th state to go surgical smoke-free. AORN is excited to help members implement and comply with this new law.”