Virginia Burn Permit: Do You Need One and When
Virginia issues no statewide burn permit and leaves permits to your city or county, but it does set one statewide rule every spring: from February 15 through April 30 you may not burn in the open before 4 p.m. if the fire is within 300 feet of woods or dry grass.
Do you need a burn permit in Virginia?
Yes, and your town or county issues it
Virginia leaves the permit to your town, county or fire district, and the season it sets, Feb 15 to Apr 30, closes the daylight hours rather than the days.
- Who issues it
- Virginia Department of Forestry
- Issued by
- no statewide burn permit; your city or county issues one if it requires one
Call before you burn yard debris. Check with your local fire department, the Virginia Department of Forestry office, or the Air Protection Authority (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) to learn if there are any burning restrictions and if a permit is required.Before You Burn, Virginia Department of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
Where you get one
- Local fire department
- Virginia Department of Forestry office
- Air Protection Authority (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality)
That makes your town, county or fire district the office with the answer, and it is usually a short call: they say whether a permit is being issued at all right now, what it covers and what it costs. What Virginia itself publishes is below, and it is worth having in hand before you ring.
When you may burn in Virginia
Virginia is one of the states where a pair of dates on its own gives the wrong answer. What follows is the rule in the agency's own words, with the shape of the season named above it.
Hours, not days
From February 15 through April 30 the state closes only the daylight hours: open air burning within 300 feet of woods or dry grass is banned before 4 p.m. and allowed from 4 p.m. to midnight, and outside those dates the state sets no seasonal window at all.
- Who sets it
- Virginia Department of Forestry
- Checked against
- 4 PM Burning Law, Virginia Department of Forestry
Virginia's 4 PM Burning Law is in effect from February 15 through April 30 each year.4 PM Burning Law, Virginia Department of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
From February 15 through April 30 the state closes only the daylight hours: open air burning within 300 feet of woods or dry grass is banned before 4 p.m. and allowed from 4 p.m. to midnight, and outside those dates the state sets no seasonal window at all.
The hours are part of the rule and are the piece most often missed: Virginia allows burning while the 4 PM Burning Law is in effect, only between 4 p.m. and midnight when the fire is within 300 feet of woods or dry grass.
What you may and may not burn in Virginia
What the state names as burnable
- yard debris
- yard trimmings
- leaves
What it names as off the pile
- tires
- other hazardous materials
- any material that creates dense smoke or noxious odors
Burn only yard debris. State regulations prohibit the open burning of any material that creates dense smoke or noxious odors. No one in Virginia may burn tires or other hazardous materials at any time.Before You Burn, Virginia Department of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What Virginia asks of the weather and the site
Setbacks, wind limits and what has to be on hand. These are written into the rule rather than offered as advice.
- never burn on dry or windy days
- clear at least 15 feet around a burn barrel and at least 25 feet around a burn pile, with nothing overhead
- keep a charged hose, a bucket of water, a shovel and dirt or sand on site
- stay with the fire from start to finish until it is completely out
- recheck old burn piles, which hold heat for weeks and can rekindle
Stay with the fire. Virginia law requires that you monitor a debris burn continually from start to finish, until the fire is completely out.Before You Burn, Virginia Department of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What to check before you light in Virginia
A permit or a season says you may burn in general. What says you may burn today is separate, it changes daily on a wind and humidity forecast, and it overrides a permit already in hand. In Virginia it is published here.
a statewide daily fire danger rating table by forecast zone, plus a call to your locality for any temporary burn ban
Virginia Department of Forestry
This daily fire danger rating is also one factor to consider for anyone who may be thinking about burning debris.Virginia Department of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What your town can add in Virginia
Cities and counties may set stricter outdoor burning rules than the state law, and may impose temporary burn bans during drought or high fire danger.
It is important to note that some localities may have even more restrictive regulations on outdoor burning than the state's 4 PM Burning Law. All burners are encouraged to check with their locality before starting any outdoor burning.Before You Burn, Virginia Department of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
Virginia burn permit questions
Burn permits in other states
Virginia rules read September 23, 2026 from Before You Burn, Virginia Department of Forestry. Rules change, a county or town may be stricter than the state, and a burn ban issued today overrides a season that is otherwise open. Every state is on the burn permit hub.