Outdoor burning rules in Burlington County, 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.
New Jersey prohibits open burning of rubbish, garbage, leaves and plant waste statewide under N.J.A.C. 7:27-2. Burlington County adds no separate rule. Agricultural or land-clearing burns need a NJ Forest Fire Service permit; recreational campfires are treated separately.
Open burning in Burlington County is controlled by New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection under N.J.A.C. 7:27 Subchapter 2, not by county ordinance. The rule flatly bans disposal of rubbish, garbage, trade waste, buildings and fallen leaves by open burning, and prohibits burning any type of plant. Permitted burns, such as prescribed forest burns, infested-plant control, orchard prunings and agricultural land clearing, require a permit from the NJ Forest Fire Service. Because much of the county lies in or near the Pinelands, the Forest Fire Service enforces open-burn restrictions closely and can impose stage restrictions banning ground fires during dry conditions. Residents should compost or bag yard waste rather than burn it.
DEP and Forest Fire Service enforce; open-burning violations can bring fines up to $5,000 and permit forfeiture.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged in Burlington County. Statewide, the NJ Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-99.11) ba...
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Burlington County has no artificial-turf ban, but synthetic turf counts as impervious surface under NJ's Stormwater Management rules (N.J.A.C. 7:8). Small re...
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Rainwater harvesting with rain barrels or cisterns for lawn and garden use is legal and encouraged in New Jersey. Burlington County requires no permit. A wel...
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Burlington County sits in NJ's Southwest and Coastal South drought regions. During a NJDEP Drought Warning, watering limits are statewide, not county-set: wa...
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