The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) is charged with enforcing Virginia’s forest fire laws. Agency Commissioned Special Forest Wardens share this responsibility with numerous other agency duties, and are unique in the fact that they are both firefighters and law enforcement officials.
Virginia law holds outdoor burners responsible for their fires and the impacts of those fires. Burners must stay with their fire at all times and totally extinguish the fire before leaving the area.
4 PM Burning Law
The 4 Pm Burning Law is in effect February 15 to April 30, restricting open air burning until after 4:00 p.m.
Read more about the 4 PM Burning Law.
Local Burning Restrictions
Local counties and cities may impose their own restrictions, such as bans on burning during high fire danger weather and drought. We report any bans that we are aware of on the following map, but always check with your local officials about any restrictions that may be in place before burning.
Learn about any current county burn restrictions, view VDOF’s Burn Ban Map.
Additional Resources
Learn more about the specific laws related to fire in the Code of Virginia.
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