Old Bridge, NJ Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

Article 70 of Old Bridge Township's Fire Prevention Code, Schedule A to Chapter 185, addresses open burning at F-7005.3.7: "The burning of rubbish or combustible waste matter shall be prohibited except in approved incinerators pursuant to the Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23)." Two exceptions follow. Agricultural burning is allowed only under a valid New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection permit, and "small campfires for the purpose of cooking food" are allowed only with the "prior approval of the Fire Official." That means a resident cannot simply light a wood fire pit or chiminea in the yard on their own authority; the Fire Official must sign off in advance, and the ordinance gives no automatic exemption for small residential fire pits the way it does for barbecue grills at one- and two-family homes under the neighboring F-7005.2.

If a fire is set without that approval, F-7005.3.8 lets the Fire Official order it extinguished, and if the Fire Department has to respond to put out an unapproved or unattended fire, the violator can be billed for "the entire cost of the Fire Department response as certified by the Chief Executive of the Fire Department," collected under N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.13. This local provision traces to Chapter 185's Schedule A, added 1-3-1989 by Ord. No. 71-88 and amended 5-22-2000 by Ord. No. 23-00, and it applies townshipwide, including Laurence Harbor, Cliffwood Beach and every other Old Bridge neighborhood.