Bristol Township, PA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 170-17 of the Bristol Township Code is a single sentence: no person shall burn or cause to be burned outdoors for purposes of disposal any municipal waste, yard waste, or recyclable materials. The ban names three categories. Chapter 170 defines yard waste as leaf waste plus grass clippings, and leaf waste as leaves, garden residues, shrubbery and tree trimmings and similar material, so burning a leaf pile or a brush pile in Bristol Township is a disposal burn under the ordinance. Section 170-18(E) adds a companion rule that makes it unlawful to incinerate any solid waste within the Township of Bristol.

Township parks carry their own fire rule. Under § 140-5, recreational fires may only be built in designated areas, and the fire must be continually monitored and extinguished prior to leaving the site. Chapter 140 also sets park hours at 7:00 a.m. to sundown daily under § 140-1, unless the Department of Parks and Recreation approves nighttime use or closes a park when weather, water, fire or other unforeseeable conditions arise.

Smoke is policed separately through the nuisance chapter. Section 134-2(L) lists dense smoke, noxious fumes, gas, soot or cinders in unreasonable quantities as a nuisance, and § 134-3 makes it unlawful to cause, permit, maintain or allow a nuisance. A neighbor's complaint about a smoking fire can therefore be handled under Chapter 134 even where the fire is not a disposal burn.

Who enforces: § 170-20 authorizes and directs the Managing Director, the Managing Director's designee, and sworn Bristol Township police officers to enforce the Municipal Waste Management Ordinance. The solid waste coordinator can enforce the article by issuing warning notices and initiating proceedings against violators under § 170-19(D). Residents who want to dispose of leaves and trimmings lawfully should use the collection program and recycling rules in the same chapter instead of a burn barrel.