8 rules for unincorporated Prince William County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Small recreational fires (three feet or less across, two feet or less high) in a backyard fire pit need no permit but must stay 25 feet from any structure. Larger bonfires (up to 5x5x5 feet) require a Fire Marshal permit.
PWC Fire Marshal Burning Regulations (SFPC)
Recreational fires shall not be conducted within 25 ft. of a structure or combustible material. A recreational fire is an outdoor fire with a total fuel area of three feet or less in diameter and two feet or less in height. A bonfire shall not exceed 5 ft. by 5 ft. by 5 ft. in dimension and shall not burn longer than three hours.
Only Virginia "permissible fireworks" (sparklers, fountains, ground spinners) may be used by the public. Anything that explodes, rises into the air, travels laterally, or fires projectiles is illegal countywide. Public displays need a Fire Marshal operational permit.
VA Code § 27-95
"Permissible fireworks" means any fountains that do not emit sparks or other burning effects to a distance greater than five meters (16.4 feet); wheels that do not emit a flame radius greater than one meter (39 inches)... and sparkling devices or other fireworks devices that (i) do not explode or produce a report, (ii) do not travel horizontally or vertically under their own power, (iii) do not...
On residential or commercial lots of two acres or less, grass and weeds over 12 inches tall are not allowed. Owners get 14 days after notice to cut; otherwise the county cuts it and bills the owner, placing a tax lien for unpaid costs.
PWC Tall Grass & Weeds (VA Code § 15.2-901)
On residential and commercial properties with two acres or less, grass and weeds of more than 12 inches in height are not permitted. "Tall Grass & Weeds" is defined as grass, weeds, bushes, vines, poison ivy, poison oak, or any other foreign growth, other than trees, ornamental shrubbery, flowers and garden vegetables.
Open burning requires a Fire Marshal permit, applied for at least 72 hours ahead. From February 15 to April 30, burning is only allowed between 4 p.m. and midnight under Virginia's forest-fire law. May through September, only recreational fires and bonfires are allowed due to DEQ air rules.
VA Code § 10.1-1142
It shall be unlawful, in any county or city or portion thereof organized for forest fire control... for any person to set fire to... any brush, leaves, grass, debris or field... located in or within 300 feet of any woodland, brushland, or field containing dry grass or other inflammable material, except between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight.
Prince William County is not in a state-designated wildfire (WUI) zone, so there is no California-style defensible-space mandate. Wildfire risk is managed through Virginia's spring 4 p.m. burn law, DEQ open-burning limits, and the county's tall-grass ordinance.
Virginia's Statewide Fire Prevention Code and Uniform Statewide Building Code require working smoke alarms in dwellings. Landlords must install and maintain them and certify annually; tenants may not disable them. Alarms may be battery-powered or AC-powered.
VA Code § 55.1-1227
The tenant shall... not remove or tamper with a properly functioning smoke alarm installed by the landlord, including removing any working batteries, so as to render the alarm inoperative, and shall maintain the smoke alarm in accordance with the uniform set of standards for maintenance of smoke alarms established in the Statewide Fire Prevention Code.
Small backyard recreational fires (three feet or less across, two feet or less high) are allowed without a permit but must stay at least 25 feet from any structure or combustible material. Only clean firewood may be burned — no trash, leaves, or debris.
9VAC5-130-40
Open burning is permitted for camp fires or other fires that are used solely for recreational purposes, for ceremonial occasions, for outdoor noncommercial preparation of food, and for warming of outdoor workers provided the materials specified in subsections B and C of 9VAC5-130-30 are not burned.
Propane storage follows Virginia's Statewide Fire Prevention Code (adopted IFC). On combustible balconies and within 10 feet of combustible construction, LP-gas containers are limited to one pound or less; larger cylinders must be stored and used outdoors, away from buildings.
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