Ocean County, NJ Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)

Southern Ocean County is part of the Pine Barrens, one of the most wildfire-prone regions on the East Coast. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS, a division of NJDEP) classifies Wildfire Hazardous Areas and operates under N.J.A.C. 7:25-2.12. Manchester, Lacey, Barnegat, Berkeley, Little Egg Harbor, Stafford, Jackson, Eagleswood, and Plumsted face the highest exposure — sandy soils and pitch pine/oak ecology create explosive fire behavior. The 2007 Warren Grove fire in southern Ocean County burned 17,000+ acres, and the 2022 Mullica River fire burned 13,500 acres. Defensible space recommendations (Firewise USA principles): Zone 1 (0-5 ft) noncombustible; Zone 2 (5-30 ft) lean-clean-green with spaced shrubs; Zone 3 (30-100 ft) reduced-fuel with thinned understory. New construction in forest-adjacent zones: Class A roofing and ignition-resistant exterior materials encouraged and sometimes required locally. NJFFS conducts prescribed burns across the Pine Barrens during winter/spring to reduce fuel loads. Insurance carriers increasingly require defensible space documentation in Ocean County Pinelands ZIP codes. Burn bans are issued on high-danger days via NJFFS.