A burn ban in Campbell County, VA can mean one of three different things depending on the day. From February 15 through April 30, the statewide 4 PM Burning Law restricts when you can light an outdoor fire. Outside that window, year-round safety rules still control how and where you can burn. And during drought or extreme fire danger, the county’s Department of Public Safety can impose a total emergency ban that shuts down all outdoor burning. Knowing which set of rules is in effect on a given day is the difference between a legal brush fire and a Class 3 misdemeanor.
Emergency Burn Bans
When conditions push fire risk beyond what the seasonal law can manage, Campbell County’s Department of Public Safety can impose a total burn ban that prohibits all outdoor burning, both residential and commercial. A November 2023 ban shut down all outdoor burning countywide and stayed in place until fire officials determined the extreme danger had passed.1Campbell County, VA. Campbell News Flash – Burn Ban In Effect An emergency ban overrides the 4 PM law and any other permission you would otherwise have. Even a small recreational fire can trigger enforcement while a ban is active.
You can check whether a ban is currently in effect on the official Campbell County website or by subscribing to local emergency alerts. Fire officials watch drought indicators to decide when to issue and lift these orders.
The 4 PM Burning Law (February 15 – April 30)
Virginia Code § 10.1-1142 restricts outdoor burning every year from February 15 through April 30. During this window, you cannot burn brush, leaves, grass, or debris before 4:00 PM if your fire is within 300 feet of any woodland, brushland, or field with dry grass or other flammable material.2Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 10.1-1142 – Regulating the Burning of Woods, Brush, Etc.; Penalties In a heavily wooded county like Campbell, that 300-foot threshold covers most properties.
Any fire lit after the 4:00 PM cutoff must be constantly attended, and burning is only permitted between 4:00 PM and midnight. You cannot leave a fire smoldering overnight.2Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 10.1-1142 – Regulating the Burning of Woods, Brush, Etc.; Penalties The narrow exception for certified prescribed burn managers with State Forester approval does not apply to homeowners clearing yard waste.
Year-Round Fire Safety Rules
Outside the seasonal window, some obligations still apply every day of the year. Under the same statute, anyone who lights an outdoor fire within 150 feet of woodland, brushland, or fields with dry grass must fully extinguish the fire before leaving and cannot leave it unattended at any point.2Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 10.1-1142 – Regulating the Burning of Woods, Brush, Etc.; Penalties This rule holds in July the same as in March.
You are also required to take reasonable precautions to keep the fire from spreading to a neighbor’s land: clearing the area around the burn site, keeping combustible material away from the fire’s edge, and having a plan if wind or humidity shifts.
Local Campbell County Requirements
Campbell County does not require a burn permit for tree waste and yard debris. The Fire Marshal’s Office does ask that you call the Campbell County Communications Center at 434-332-9574 before you burn, so crews are not dispatched when someone reports smoke.3Campbell County, VA. Open Burn Fact Sheet One neighbor calling 911 about an unannounced brush fire can trigger a full response.
Local rules layer on top of state law:
- In or near residentially zoned areas, your fire must be at least 300 feet from any occupied building unless the occupants give prior permission. In non-residential zones, the setback is 50 feet from any structure.
- You must have at least one extinguishing tool immediately available, such as a garden hose, water barrel, shovel with dirt or sand, or a portable fire extinguisher.
- Fires must be attended at all times, unless you have cleared a 300-foot perimeter of all combustible material.
- You can only burn material that originated on your property. Hauling brush in from somewhere else is not allowed.
- Fires cannot smolder beyond the time needed to destroy the material.
Outside the February 15 through April 30 window, Campbell County allows fires to be started between 8:00 AM and midnight.3Campbell County, VA. Open Burn Fact Sheet During the seasonal window, the state 4 PM law overrides that earlier start.
What You Cannot Burn
Virginia’s open burning regulations under 9VAC5-130-30 prohibit certain materials regardless of season, time of day, or whether a ban is active. You cannot burn rubber tires, asphalt-based materials, petroleum products, pressure-treated wood, or impregnated wood.4Virginia Code Commission. 9VAC5-130-30 – Open Burning Prohibitions These release toxic chemicals when combusted.
General refuse burning is also prohibited, with one exception: if there is no regularly scheduled trash collection service at your road, you can burn household waste on your property.5Virginia Code Commission. 9VAC5-130-40 – Permissible Open Burning Where curbside pickup is available, burning household garbage is illegal even on your own land. Plastics, rubber, foam, painted or treated wood, and construction debris like shingles and insulation are never permitted.
Recreational and Cooking Fires
Campfires, fire pits, and outdoor cooking fires are specifically permitted under Virginia’s regulations, provided you burn only clean wood and natural materials.5Virginia Code Commission. 9VAC5-130-40 – Permissible Open Burning Dry seasoned firewood, newspaper, and natural kindling are fine. Cardboard boxes, food wrappers, and scrap lumber are not.
Campbell County recommends keeping recreational fires no more than three feet in diameter and three feet high, at least 25 feet from trees, grass, tents, or other flammable material, with a 10-foot cleared perimeter and water and a shovel within arm’s reach.6Campbell County, VA. Fire Safety For All Seasons Recreational fires still fall under the 4 PM Burning Law during the seasonal window if they are within 300 feet of woodland, and they are banned entirely during an emergency burn ban.
Penalties and Civil Liability
Violating the 4 PM Burning Law or any other provision of Virginia Code § 10.1-1142 is a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500 per offense.2Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 10.1-1142 – Regulating the Burning of Woods, Brush, Etc.; Penalties7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 18.2 Chapter 1 Article 3 – Classification of Criminal Offenses and Punishment Therefor The fine is only the criminal side. The civil exposure runs much higher.
Under Virginia Code § 10.1-1141, the State Forester can recover the full cost of firefighting from anyone who negligently or intentionally starts a fire that escapes and burns across forestland, brushland, or grassland. Localities can do the same, collecting the total expenses incurred by paid fire departments and volunteer companies that responded.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 10.1-1141 – Liability and Recovery of Cost of Fighting Forest Fires by Localities and the State Forester Those costs cover personnel time, equipment deployment, and administrative expenses, and suppression bills can reach tens of thousands of dollars depending on how far a fire spreads.
Damage to a neighbor’s property is a separate matter. Beyond suppression costs owed to the government, you face standard negligence liability for the full value of what the fire destroyed: structures, fencing, timber, anything consumed. Homeowner’s liability coverage may absorb some of that, but standard limits often fall short when fire damage is involved.