Fairfax County, Virginia
Can you burn yard trimmings?
No. Ordinary residential yard-trimming disposal by burning is prohibited in Fairfax County. Yard trimmings are classified as rubbish, and refuse cannot be used as recreational-fire fuel.
Residential disposal rule reviewed September 6, 2026. This is not a live emergency burn-ban determination.
What the county prohibits
The Fire Marshal classifies yard trimmings as rubbish and prohibits refuse burning. Refuse and land-clearing waste cannot be fuel for a recreational fire. An approved controlled land-clearing operation is a separate exception, not permission for household yard disposal.
Scope of this answer
Other fuels, bonfires, agricultural or emergency operations, and temporary orders need their own evidence. This answer does not decide that another fire is safe or permitted. It does not cover the independent City of Fairfax or Falls Church.
Fairfax County Fire Marshal: recreational fires and open burning