Camden County, NJ Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)
Fire pit rules in Camden County, NJ, also called outdoor burning, recreational fire, or open flame ordinances, cover fuel types, clearances, and when burning is allowed.
Key Facts
- Governing text
- Camden County Park Regulations, Art. 3 § 2(a)
- Activities grouped together
- fireworks, bonfires, and campfires
- Permit issuer
- Camden County Parks Department
- Revocation trigger
- any violation of permit terms
- Max penalty
- fine plus up to 90 days jail
- Separate offense rule
- each day of violation counts separately
Summary
Camden County requires a permit before anyone lights a bonfire, campfire, or firework display on county park land. Article 3, Section 2(a) of the Park Regulations groups those three activities together, and the permit can be revoked on the spot for any violation, forfeiting whatever the holder already paid the County.
SECTION 2 – PERMITS REQUIRED Permits are required for the following activities: (a) Firework displays, bonfires, or campfires. ... Any person found guilty by a Municipal Court Judge of violating any of the provisions of these Rules and Regulations shall be subject to a fine, as set forth on the attached Schedule, imprisonment for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days, or both, as shall be determined by said Municipal Court Judge, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:24-3.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
The Camden County Park Regulations do not let visitors build an open fire on their own initiative anywhere in the county park system. Article 3, Section 2(a) lists 'firework displays, bonfires, or campfires' among the activities that require a permit before they happen, alongside fundraising events, amplified sound, temporary structures like stages or tents, and vending. The Regulations set no separate size or setback rule for a park campfire; instead the activity is routed entirely through the permit process, application to the Camden County Parks Department, and the conditions in Article 3, Section 1.
That section makes strict compliance with the Regulations and all New Jersey statutes a condition of every permit, gives the Board of County Commissioners (called the Board of Chosen Freeholders in this 2021 edition) or its representative the power to revoke the permit for any violation, and makes that revocation final. A revoked permit forfeits every dollar the holder already paid the County, and the holder and any agents or employees who violated the terms remain jointly and severally liable for the County's damages above the forfeited amount.
Every permit granted must be produced on demand, and the Regulations themselves are deemed part of the permit. A. 40:24-3, with each day a violation continues counting as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Lighting a bonfire, campfire, or fireworks display in a Camden County park without an Article 3 permit exposes a violator to ejection from the park and prosecution in municipal court, where a conviction under Article 6, Section 1 carries a fine plus up to ninety days in jail. If a permit was issued but its terms were broken, the County can revoke it, keep all fees already paid, and pursue the holder and any agents for additional damages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a campfire in a Camden County park?
Is there a size or distance rule for a permitted park fire?
What happens if I light an unpermitted fire in a county park?
Who enforces the county's park fire permit rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Camden County
How Camden County compares: Cities with the Strictest Fire Pit Rules·Compare Camden County to another location·View the New Jersey fire regulations overview
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