Fire Marshal

Control Burn Guidelines

Open air burning within the Town of Rocky Mount is prohibited. If you have any questions, contact the Town at 540-483-5243.

Open air burning in the County is allowed from 9:00a.m. to 12 midnight except during the state burn ban, at which time the Virginia Department of Forestry requires that any open burning from February 15 through April 30 of each year be within 300 feet of woodland, brushland, or field containing dry grass or other combustible material leading to woodland be done between the hours of 4:00p.m. and 12:00 midnight. 

Please check the "News" section on our homepage for any current county burn bans or restrictions.

Rules for Any Type of Open Burning

  • Fires must be constantly attended until extinguished and no longer smoldering.
  • Attendees must provide adequate fire extinguishing equipment to control the fire.
  • The Virginia Division of Forestry requires the following:

See the County Code for the complete Code on Control Burning in the County. You can submit an online Control Burn Notification Form for the County of Franklin.  Contact the county Fire Marshal’s office at 540-483-3091, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with any questions.

Smoke Detectors

Franklin County Public Safety and the Red Cross wants to ensure that every home in the County has a working smoke detector.

If you, a neighbor, or family members are without smoke detectors in your home and are a Franklin County, Virginia resident, complete the Smoke Detector Installation Form.  Upon receipt of the completed form, a staff member will contact you to setup a convenient day and time to install the smoke detectors in the appropriate areas of your home free of charge.  Smoke Detectors Can Save Lives!

Knox Box

The Knox Box Entry System Program is an effort by the Franklin County Public Safety to provide property owners within Franklin County, Virginia a secure system that provides rapid, nondestructive, emergency access to commercial buildings. A Knox Box is a secure key vault that is installed on the exterior of a building near the main entrance. This box contains building keys to provide access for the Fire Department in emergency situations. Learn more by browsing our frequently asked questions.