Fire Regulations in Richmond, VA (2026)
8 verified fire regulations for Richmond, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pit Rules
Richmond allows residential fire pits subject to Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code. Recreational fires must be under 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high, burn only clean seasoned wood, and stay 25 feet from any structure or combustible material.
Fire: Fire Pit Rules
Some RestrictionsFireworks
Consumer fireworks are prohibited in Richmond. Although Virginia Code 27-97 allows localities to permit fireworks, Richmond City Code prohibits possession, sale, and discharge of fireworks without a permit issued by the Fire Marshal. Only sparklers, fountains, and pharaohs serpents are allowed.
Fire: Fireworks
Heavy RestrictionsVa. Code § 27-97
The Fire Prevention Code shall prescribe regulations to be complied with for the protection of life and property from the hazards of fire or explosion and for the handling, storage, sale, and use of fireworks, explosives, or blasting agents, and shall provide for the administration and enforcement of such regulations. [...] The Fire Prevention Code shall prohibit any person, firm, or corporatio...
Brush Clearance
Richmond requires property owners to maintain vegetation to prevent fire hazards. Tall grass and weeds over 12 inches, dead trees, and accumulated brush must be removed under the Citys property maintenance code. Richmond is not a designated wildland-urban interface zone.
Fire: Brush Clearance
Some RestrictionsOutdoor Burning
Open burning is heavily restricted in Richmond. The Virginia 4 PM Burning Law (VA Code 10.1-1142) applies Feb 15 to April 30, prohibiting burning before 4 PM within 300 feet of woodland. Richmond additionally bans burning of yard waste and debris within city limits year-round.
Fire: Outdoor Burning
Heavy RestrictionsVa. Code § 10.1-1142
A. It shall be unlawful for any owner or lessee of land to set fire to, or to procure another to set fire to, any woods, brush, logs, leaves, grass, debris, or other inflammable material upon such land unless he previously has taken all reasonable care and precaution, by having cut and piled the same or carefully cleared around the same, to prevent the spread of such fire to lands other than th...
Wildfire Zones
Richmond is an urban jurisdiction and is not in a designated wildland-urban interface or wildfire hazard zone. The Virginia Department of Forestry tracks wildfire risk statewide, but Richmond's urban fabric means residential wildfire regulations focus on general brush clearance rather than defensible space mandates.
fire/wildfire-zones
Few RestrictionsSmoke Detectors
Richmond requires working smoke detectors in every dwelling under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code and Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code. Detectors are required on each level, inside each bedroom, and outside sleeping areas. Landlords must provide and maintain detectors in rentals.
Fire: Smoke Detectors
Heavy RestrictionsVa. Code § 55.1-1220(A)
A. The landlord shall: 1. Comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety; 2. Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition; [...] 8. Provide a certificate to the tenant stating that all smoke alarms are present, have been inspected, and are in good working order no more th...
Backyard Fires
Backyard recreational fires are allowed in Richmond under the Virginia SFPC. Fires must be contained in an approved pit or portable outdoor fireplace, under 3 feet diameter, burn only seasoned wood, and stay 25 feet from structures. Gas and propane fire pits are generally exempt from size rules.
Fire: Backyard Fires
Some RestrictionsPropane Storage
Richmond Fire Department enforces Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code limits on residential propane storage, capping aggregate cylinder capacity and requiring setback from buildings, ignition sources, and property lines.