Stafford Township, NJ Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Section 147-1 of the Stafford Township Code is a flat prohibition: no person shall start, kindle, cause, allow or maintain any form of open burning of materials on public or private property, except as specifically authorized by the chapter. It also bars allowing the accumulation or existence of combustible material that constitutes or contributes to open burning, so a brush pile left to burn itself falls under the ban.

The exceptions are narrow. Section 147-2A allows burning of charcoal, dry, clean untreated wood and other cooking fuels in an outdoor grill, traditional food cooking devices, or an outside fireplace or chiminea built of nonflammable material and designed to contain burning. Section 147-2B allows fires for recreational or ceremonial purposes, such as a bonfire, only when the Fire Prevention Subcode Official has issued a permit under § 147-3.

The special open burn permit requires a written request at least 10 days before the burn, with a fee set by the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code Type 1 permit at N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.9, stated as $54 at the time of publication. No permit is granted if the activity is inconsistent with New Jersey DEP open burning regulations at N.J.A.C. 7:21-2.1 et seq. (§ 147-3C).

The burn ban authority sits in § 147-4K: if the Fire Prevention Subcode Official determines on the day of the burn that weather conditions, including high winds, air stagnation or temperature inversion, are unacceptable, the official shall prohibit any burning whatsoever. Under § 147-4J a fire that becomes a nuisance to neighboring properties, or is unsafe or uncontrollable, must be extinguished immediately by the applicant. Enforcement belongs to the Fire Prevention Subcode Official, the Code Enforcement Officer and the Stafford Township Police Department (§ 147-5A).