East Brunswick, NJ Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 102-23 of the East Brunswick Township Code sets a flat rule: open burning for any reason is prohibited in the Township except where permits have been obtained from three bodies. They are the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, and the appropriate Local Enforcing Agency Fire Official. A Township permit alone does not satisfy the section, and neither does a state permit alone. The section was added on 1-8-88 by Ord. No. 87-894 and amended on 3-27-06 by Ord. No. 06-11.

The code defines the term in the same section. Open burning is the burning of any material in anything other than an approved device, or in an uncontained manner. The definition turns on the container, and § 102-23 does not itself list which devices are approved. It names no seasonal calendar or declared burn-ban trigger; the prohibition is standing and the permits are the way around it.

There is one built-in exception for the fire service. Upon the recommendation of the appropriate Fire Official and the approval of the Director of Public Safety, the local fire departments can use open burning for training purposes only.

The Fire Official named in the section depends on where the property sits. Under § 102-24, the Fire Commissioners of East Brunswick Township Fire District #1 are the local enforcing agency within that district, and they appoint the Fire Official and inspectors. Section 102-13(A) points to §§ 102-24, 102-26 and 102-27 as the designations of the local enforcement agencies. Anyone aggrieved by an order of the local enforcement agency has the right to appeal to the Construction Board of Appeals of the Township (§ 102-8).

Other sections cover neighboring situations. In Township parks, § 158-8(E) bars building or attempting to build a fire except in such areas and under such regulations as may be designated by the Director of Parks, and it bars scattering lighted matches, burning cigarettes or cigars within a park area or on an abutting street. Barbecue grills are governed separately by § 102-18(B).