NOAA to rebuild historic science lab in Beaufort, North Carolina

NOAA to rebuild historic science lab in Beaufort, North Carolina New North Carolina facility will continue to provide world-class NOAA science nationwide August 27, 2026 NOAA's Beaufort Laboratory moved to its current location on Pivers Island, North Carolina, in 1902. This aerial image of the laboratory complex was taken in 2014. (Image credit: NOAA's Beaufort Lab in 2014) Download Image Today, NOAA announced plans to fund the reconstruction of a new laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina. This new lab will replace the former building that was permanently closed in 2024 due to significant hurricane-related structural damage. The project will be funded using $64 million from the 2025 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act . Design and preconstruction work is expected to begin in early 2027. Established in 1899, the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory is the nation’s second-oldest federal marine science laboratory, predating NOAA by more than 70 years. Following a routine inspection, NOAA determined the laboratory sustained foundational damage that made building occupancy unsafe. The new facility will be built above the floodplain and designed to withstand storm and flooding events. “