Mercer County, NJ Fire Regulations: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (2026)

The Park Commission's 'Fires, Fireworks' section restricts open flame to specific, Commission-provided equipment: no person may build, light or maintain a fire within a Mercer County Park or Recreation Area except in a camp stove, or a fireplace as provided, maintained, or designated for that purpose by the Park Commission. The rule carves out one further exception: oil or gasoline camp stoves may be used in established camp sites or picnic areas, but only with written permission from the Park Commission obtained in advance. Read together, the rule means a visitor cannot build a ground fire, use a portable fire pit, or bring charcoal or wood-burning equipment into a park unless it is one of the fireplaces the Commission itself has installed and designated for that use, or a permitted camp stove in an established site.

The same section separately bans fireworks outright: no person may discharge or set off firecrackers, torpedoes, rockets or other fireworks in a county park or recreation area, with no permit exception offered for fireworks the way there is for camp stoves. Because reserved picnic areas are where the Commission's designated fireplaces and permitted camp-stove use are concentrated, anyone planning to cook over an open flame at a Mercer County park picnic should confirm with the Park Commission's permits office, (609) 443-8560 ext. 115, which fireplaces are available and whether stove use needs separate written sign-off. Violations fall under the general Penalties section applied throughout the Rules and Regulations.