Hamilton, NJ Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

Section 340-1A(27) of Chapter 340, Parks and Playgrounds, tells park visitors they may not "use any grill except those permanently located within a public park or recreation area," then carves out one exception and one flat prohibition: "Charcoal grills may be brought and used. " The paragraph was added in 2014 by Ord. No. 14-065 alongside several other park-conduct rules from the same ordinance, including the smoking and vaping restriction near athletic stands in the following paragraph. Because the rule sits in the parks chapter, it governs cookouts and picnics on Township-owned park and recreation property; the Code contains no separate provision addressing propane or charcoal grills on private balconies, patios or other residential property, so this section is the only grill-placement rule Hamilton Township has adopted.

A picnicker who brings a fixed or built-in grill would also run afoul of § 340-1A(4), which bars erecting any structure in a park except under a special written permit, and § 340-2D governs open fires more broadly, requiring any fire to be built only in designated areas. Enforcement of the grill rule follows the rest of Chapter 340: park attendants and the Department of Health, Recreation, Senior and Veterans Services may eject anyone violating the article and seize prohibited equipment under § 340-5.