Fire Regulations in Frederick County, VA (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Frederick County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Frederick County allows cooking and recreational fires, including campfires, as an explicit exception to its open-burning ban under § 45-6(C)(4) of the County Code. The exception is not unconditional: like every other exception in the section, it disappears automatically the instant an air pollution alert is declared.
Campfires and Fire Pits in Frederick County
Light RestrictionsFrederick County Code § 45-6
Except as noted below, no owner shall kindle an open fire in any public or private place outside any building. ... During the existence of an air pollution alert, as may be declared by appropriate authority, all exceptions are void and no open fires shall be kindled. ... The foregoing prohibitions against open burning are not intended to apply to the following: ... Open burning for the cooking ...
Fireworks
Anyone selling fireworks or explosives from a temporary stand in Frederick County must first clear the Fire Marshal's office and the Zoning Administrator's office, then take out a 30-day itinerant merchant's license under Code § 155-96C(4)(a). The license costs $500, cannot be prorated, and the sign-off is a precondition of the license itself.
Frederick County Fireworks Dealer License
Some RestrictionsFrederick County Code § 155-96C(4)(a)
(4) For itinerant merchants or peddlers, $500 per year. (See limitation § 58.1-3717, Code of Virginia.) This license is nonproratable and nontransferable. For limitations for dealers in fireworks or explosives, see Subsection C(4)(a) below. Detailed explanation of itinerant and distressed vendors is found later in this article. (a) Each person dealing in the sale of fireworks or explosives and ...
Outdoor Burning
Frederick County bans open burning outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown: no owner may kindle an open fire in any public or private place outside a building unless a listed exception applies, and every exception disappears the moment an air pollution alert is declared. Salvage burning by fire is separately and flatly prohibited under § 45-6.
Open Burning Rules in Frederick County
Some RestrictionsFrederick County Code § 45-6
Except as noted below, no owner shall kindle an open fire in any public or private place outside any building. Such exceptions shall not allow the burning of rubber tires, asphaltic materials, used crankcase oil or similar materials which produce dense smoke. During the existence of an air pollution alert, as may be declared by appropriate authority, all exceptions are void and no open fires sh...
Smoke Detectors
In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, every dwelling or manufactured home operated as short-term lodging must carry a working multipurpose fire extinguisher, smoke detectors and, when the unit has a fireplace or gas service, carbon monoxide detectors, under § 165-702.08.C(3)(c) of the Zoning Ordinance. The requirement is a condition of the short-term lodging permit, not a separate fire-code filing.
Frederick County Short-Term Rental Detectors
Some RestrictionsFrederick County Code § 165-702.08.C(3)(c)
C. Use regulations. ... (3) A dwelling or manufactured home used for short-term lodging shall comply with the following standards: (a) Be available for inspection by the County during reasonable hours and in accordance with Article II, Administration, of this chapter; ... (c) Have a working multipurpose fire extinguisher, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors (when required for a firepl...
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