Fauquier County, VA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Method
- On-site open burning (no curbside pickup)
- Distance from buildings
- 500 feet (or with consent)
- Distance from rights-of-way
- 50 feet minimum
- Max unpermitted pile size
- 15 ft x 15 ft x 15 ft
- Required step
- Report to Communications Center first
- Larger piles
- Require fire marshal burn permit
Summary
Unincorporated Fauquier County has no curbside yard waste pickup; instead, residents may dispose of leaves, tree trimmings, and garden debris by burning them on-site under strict conditions set in County Code § 9-51(a), including distance limits, a pile-size cap, and a call-in report before every fire.
(a)Residential yard/garden debris. Open burning is permitted for the disposal of leaves and tree, yard and garden trimmings located on the premises of private property, provided that the conditions are met:(1)The burning takes place on the premises of the private property it was generated on;(2)The location of the burning is not less than five hundred (500) feet from any occupied building unless the occupants have given prior permission, other than a building located on the property on which the burning is conducted; and(3)No burning shall take place within fifty (50) feet of any public or private right-of-way;(4)Pile not to exceed fifteen (15) feet by fifteen (15) feet by fifteen (15) feet. Piles larger than fifteen (15) feet by fifteen (15) feet by fifteen (15) feet shall require a burn permit;(5)Fires must be reported to the Fauquier County Communications Center prior to ignition.
Full Breakdown
Because the county's Solid Waste chapter runs on staffed collection sites and private collectors rather than curbside pickup, County Code § 9-51(a) is the operative rule for disposing of residential yard and garden debris: controlled open burning on the property where the debris was generated. To qualify without a permit, the burn must stay on the premises where the leaves, tree trimmings, or garden waste were generated, at least 500 feet from any occupied building (unless that building's occupants consent), and at least 50 feet from any public or private right-of-way, with the pile capped at 15 feet by 15 feet by 15 feet; larger piles require a burn permit from the fire marshal's office (§ 9-51(a)(1)-(4)).
Every such fire, permitted or not, must be reported to the Fauquier County Communications Center before ignition, and the person responsible must remain with the fire until it is completely out (§ 9-51(a)(5), (c)). Yard debris burning is also subject to the article's general limits: the system chief can order any fire extinguished if smoke or odor becomes hazardous given local conditions, or shut down all open burning countywide during a declared drought emergency (§ 9-51(d)-(e)). Residents who instead want to haul yard waste away can bring it to a county solid waste collection site, where the Solid Waste chapter classifies "yard waste" as a special waste requiring the director of environmental services' approval for disposal (§ 10-1).
Violations & Fines
Burning yard debris without meeting the distance, pile-size, or reporting conditions in § 9-51(a), or without an obtained burn permit if the pile exceeds 15 feet on a side, is a Class 1 misdemeanor violation of the Fire Prevention Code, capped at the penalty allowed for an equivalent offense under Code of Virginia § 27-94 et seq. (§ 9-25(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fauquier County pick up yard waste at the curb?
How big a pile of yard debris can I burn without a permit?
Do I have to notify anyone before burning yard waste?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fauquier County
Compare Fauquier County to another location·View the Virginia trash & recycling overview
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