Bensalem, PA Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Bensalem Township Code Section 107-18(1), added by Ord. No. 2014-05 in 2014 as an exception to the Township's general open-burning ban, permits listed and approved portable outdoor fireplaces within Bensalem Township. The fireplaces must be used solely for their intended purpose and in accordance with manufacturer's specifications and the International Fire Code, and the ordinance names the exact IFC provisions that apply: Chapter 3, Section 305, Subsection 305.2; Chapter 3, Section 307, Subsection 307.4.3; and Chapter 3, Section 307.5. Section 107-18(2) treats operating a portable outdoor fireplace in a hazardous manner contrary to the fire code or the manufacturer's specifications as careless or negligent conduct, and makes that a violation of both the International Fire Code and the Township ordinance in its own right.

Section 107-18(3) names the Department of Public Safety and Fire Services as the extinguishment authority, empowered to order any fire that creates or adds to a hazardous or objectionable situation put out on the spot, whether it is a portable fireplace or another open flame. The exception applies only to fireplaces that are listed and approved for that use; an unlisted or homemade unit falls back under the general Section 107-18 open-burning ban instead of this narrow carve-out for approved equipment.