Hanover County, VA Outdoor Cooking: Smoker Rules (2026)

" Because a fire built inside a barbeque grill or barbeque pit falls outside that definition, backyard grilling and smoking in a contained grill or pit is not treated as "open burning" subject to the county's burn prohibitions at all; it is the loose campfire-style cooking fire, capped at 3 by 2 feet, that the definition and size limit reach. 1(a)(1) separately authorizes open burning "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," in accordance with any restrictions the fire marshal imposes, without requiring a permit.

1(d) requires that a recreational fire be attended at all times until extinguished, with the attendant keeping extinguishing equipment, such as a portable fire extinguisher, dirt, sand, a water barrel, a garden hose or a water truck, on hand throughout. Section 9-13(b) requires a permit only for a "bonfire," a larger pile up to 5 feet in diameter and 5 feet in height, so the smaller recreational cooking fire and grill or pit cooking stay permit-free.