Ridgewood, NJ Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

" Because the section names no categories or exceptions of its own, that approval requirement reaches any open flame outdoors on a Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County property, brush and leaf burning, debris disposal fires, and backyard or recreational fires alike; nothing in Chapter 223 authorizes a fire simply because it is contained in a pit or ring. The Fire Official's authority to approve fires elsewhere in the Code carries the same case-by-case posture, tied to the Fire Official's broader enforcement role under Chapter 149, Fire Prevention, and the state Uniform Fire Safety Act that Village fire officials administer locally: an official can permit a specific burn but has no obligation to.

The rule complements § 223-52's general duty that all exterior property be maintained in a clean, safe and sanitary condition, and § 223-53's ban on accumulated rubbish, since unapproved burning of yard waste or garbage would violate both provisions at once. A resident who wants to burn anything outdoors, including a routine yard-waste pile, must first get the Fire Official's sign-off rather than relying on being unsupervised on a private lot.