Stafford County, VA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Section 12-54(b) of the fire prevention chapter, Permissible open burning, sets the rules for recreational fires: bonfires, campfires and warming fires are permitted only where the fuel is seasoned dry firewood, ignited with a small quantity of paper, and conducted in accordance with the fire prevention code. The fire cannot be used for waste disposal and the fuel has to be chosen to minimize air contaminants, so trash, oil, and tires are barred outright. Large recreational burning such as a bonfire is capped at five feet by five feet in size and cannot burn longer than three hours; only the fire marshal can approve a larger or longer burn, and only after determining that fire-safety needs and the desired burn duration warrant it.

This sits inside the county's broader open-burning framework: Section 12-52 generally prohibits open burning of garbage, refuse, trash and other waste at all times, and Section 12-52(i) requires any open burning, recreational or otherwise, to be constantly attended by a competent adult at least eighteen years old until the fire is out, with a 4-A rated portable fire extinguisher or equivalent equipment such as dirt, sand, a water barrel or a garden hose on hand for immediate use. and 12:00 midnight.