The yeast rDNA locus is a suitable model to study nucleotide excision repair (NER) in chromatin. A portion of rRNA genes is transcribed and largely depleted of nucleosomes, the remaining genes are not transcribed and folded in nucleosomes. In G1 arrested cells, most rRNA genes do not have nucleosomes. TC-NER removes UV induced DNA lesions from the transcribed strand of active genes. GG-NER is less efficient and removes DNA lesions from the non-transcribed strand of active genes and from the inactive genome. Different to mammalian cells, in yeast the rRNA gene-transcribed strand is repaired by RNA polymerase-I dependent TC-NER. The opposite non-transcribed strand is repaired faster than both strands of inactive rRNA genes. In log-phase cells, RNA polymerase-I are dislodged from the damaged transcribed strand and partially replaced by nucleosomes. Contrary to log-phase cells, in G1-phase cells few, if any histones are deposited on the open rRNA genes during NER. In this study we compared GG-NER efficiency in the rRNA-gene coding region: without nucleosomes, partially loaded or wholly loaded with nucleosomes. The results indicate that in log-phase cells histones obstruct GG-NER, whereas in G1-phase cells GG-NER is as efficient as TC-NER.