Heating Bill Assistance: Applications Open for Eligible Households
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Applications are now open for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) for households with:
Someone age 60 or older
A person with a disability receiving services through the Division of Aging
LIEAP provides a one-time payment to your heating vendor to help cover winter heating costs.
If your household received LIEAP last year and gets SNAP benefits, your payment may have been sent automatically in November. Check your mail—no need to reapply if you got a notice.
Didn’t get a notice? Apply starting today at epass.nc.gov
Starting Jan. 2, all other eligible households can apply. Applications are open through March 31, 2026, or until funds run out.
Need help? Call 828-250-5500 or visit 40 Coxe Ave., Asheville, Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm.
New Mass Notification System (Rave) Message Sent to Subscribers of BC Alerts Buncombe County is transitioning to a new mass notification system, Rave, to improve the County’s ability to send timely emergency alerts and important public safety messages to residents. This comes after the previous provider experienced a cyber-attack to its system. As part of the transition process, Buncombe County recently completed a data update in an effort to transfer contacts that registered to receive BC Alerts into the new mass notification system using data from the previous system. During that process, an automatic notification may have been sent to duplicate entries contained within the prior CodeRED database.
As a result, some individuals may have received the same message more than once or may have received a message with an incorrect contact name. We want to assure the community that this message is from a legitimate provider.
Buncombe County is reviewing the data to remove duplicate entries and ensure residents receive alerts accurately moving forward. Additional information about the Rave system and how to sign up will be shared through Buncombe County’s website and official communication channels soon.
First Day of Early Voting- 2026 Primary Election
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Early Voting locations and schedule for the 2026 Primary Election.
Early Voting Sites:
1. Black Mountain Library – 105 N. Dougherty St, Black Mountain 28711
2. East Asheville Library– 3 Avon Rd, Asheville 28805
3. Enka-Candler Library – 1404 Sand Hill Rd, Candler 28715
4. Fairview Library – 1 Taylor Rd, Fairview 28730
5. Leicester Community Center – 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester 28748
6. North Asheville Library – 1030 Merrimon Ave, Asheville 28804
7. South Buncombe Library – 260 Overlook Rd, Asheville 28803
8. Upper Hominy Fire Station – 1795 Pisgah Hwy, Candler 28715
9. Weaverville Community Center – 60 Lakeshore Dr, Weaverville 28787
10. Wesley Grant Southside Center (in lieu of BOE) – 285 Livingston St, Asheville 28801
11. West Asheville Library – 942 Haywood Rd, Asheville 28806
Early Voting Dates: February 12 through February 28
Thursday, Feb. 12: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 14: Closed
Sunday, Feb. 15: Closed
Monday, Feb. 16: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 17: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 18: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 19: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 20: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 21: All Sites 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 22: All Sites 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 23: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 24: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 25: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 26: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 27: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb, 28: All Sites 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.