Bensalem, PA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Bensalem Township Code Section 107-18, in Article III of Chapter 107, adopted by Ord. No. 415 on December 19, 1988 and amended by Ord. No. 2014-05 in 2014, bars any person, partnership, association, corporation or governmental entity from burning garbage, refuse, trash, debris, uprooted trees, bushes, leaves, clippings or construction debris on property in the Township. The ban covers burning in the open, in covered or uncovered cans, or in exterior fireplaces, whenever the burning causes an offensive or objectionable smoke condition, odor or hazardous fire condition.

The Township's Department of Public Safety and Fire Services is designated the extinguishment authority and can order any fire that creates or adds to a hazardous or objectionable situation put out, regardless of where it is burning or who set it. Section 107-18 carries a narrow exception for listed and approved portable outdoor fireplaces used according to manufacturer specifications and the International Fire Code, covered separately from this general open-burning ban. Section 107-15(e), a related but distinct provision, adds a second and absolute prohibition specific to leaf waste: residents cannot burn leaves at all in Bensalem Township, without the smoke-and-odor qualifier that otherwise applies to Section 107-18's broader ban on other kinds of open burning.