Freehold Township, NJ Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Freehold Township's fire pit standards sit inside the same open burning article, Chapter 162, Article V, adopted by Ord. No. O-22-8 in 2022, that lets single-family homes, duplexes and townhomes burn firewood without a permit. Section 162-31D(2) sets the size limit: no fire may exceed a three-foot diameter or a two-foot height, and it must be contained in a noncombustible chiminea, outdoor fireplace, fire pit or other method the fire prevention officer approves. Subsection D(3) requires every opening in the container to be covered with wire mesh or other screening that stops sparks and embers from escaping.

Subsection D(4) sets a minimum 10-foot clearance between the fire and any structure or combustible exterior wall, and D(5) requires the fire to be constantly attended, meaning it cannot be left burning unsupervised. Subsection D(6) bans locating any fire or its container on a porch, deck or balcony, in any interior room or space, or under a building overhang, which rules out most townhome and multifamily patio setups even where the general permit-free allowance would otherwise apply. m. Finally, D(9) gives the fire prevention officer, a police officer or the code enforcement officer discretion to order any fire pit, chiminea or outdoor fireplace extinguished immediately if it is creating a nuisance, defined elsewhere in the article as an odor, emission or event that interferes with a neighbor's reasonable use of their property.