Clifton, NJ Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Clifton, NJ, also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance, set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Clifton Code § 127-2
- General rule
- Open burning of refuse is banned
- Only exception
- Trade waste burned under state and city permit
- Permit fee
- $5 per year
- Enforcement
- Health, Engineering and Police Departments
- First offense
- Up to $500 fine or 30 days jail
- Repeat offense
- Up to $1,000 fine or 90 days jail
Summary
Clifton Code § 127-2 bars anyone from burning refuse, garbage, yard trimmings or other waste in the open, and separately forbids running a salvage operation by open fire. The lone exception is trade waste, which can only be burned after the State Health Commissioner and the City Board of Health both sign off on a permit.
A. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit open burning of refuse except as provided in Subsection D of this section. B. No person shall conduct a salvage operation by open burning. C. No person shall dispose of refuse in such a manner as to cause air pollution. D. The open burning of trade waste where no other method of disposal can be used without hazard to health, life or property may be permitted; provided, however, that the persons engaged in the burning of trade waste shall first obtain permission from the State Commissioner of Health and then obtain a permit therefor from the Board of Health of the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4963532; v64 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 127 defines REFUSE broadly to include garbage, rubbish and trade waste, and RUBBISH to include rags, old clothes, carpets, wood, tree branches and yard trimmings, so residential leaf and brush burning falls under the ban. Section 127-2 sets three flat prohibitions: no open burning of refuse (Subsection A), no salvage operation carried out by open burning (Subsection B), and no disposal of refuse in a manner that causes air pollution (Subsection C). Subsection D carves out only trade waste, and only where no other disposal method avoids a hazard to health, life or property; the burner must first get permission from the State Commissioner of Health, then file a sworn application with the City Clerk describing the business, the waste type and quantity, the burn location, and why no alternative disposal method works.
The Clerk routes the application to the Fire Prevention Bureau for an investigation and recommendation, and the Board of Health cannot grant the permit unless the Bureau has recommended it. The permit fee is $5 per year, refundable if denied. Section 127-3 also caps smoke density from fuel-burning equipment at Ringelmann Chart No. 1, with narrow exceptions for firebox cleaning, new fires and training burns. Section 127-5 assigns enforcement to the City's Health Department, Engineering Department and Police Department jointly.
Violations & Fines
Section 127-6 punishes any violation of Chapter 127 with a fine up to $500 or up to 30 days' imprisonment, or both, for a first conviction. A second or subsequent conviction raises the exposure to a fine up to $1,000 or up to 90 days' imprisonment, or both. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn leaves or brush in my Clifton backyard?
Is there any legal way to burn waste in Clifton?
Who enforces Clifton's open burning ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clifton
How Clifton compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Clifton to another location·View the New Jersey fire regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Outdoor Burning in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Passaic County handle outdoor burning.