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

Section 2(t) of the Gloucester County Parks Rules & Regulations, adopted by the Board of County Commissioners and administered by the Department of Parks & Recreation, states plainly: no propane tanks or similar bottled cooking fuels anywhere in a Park Area. Charcoal is the only fuel the rule allows, and even charcoal is confined to areas the county has designated for cooking. That designation matters at parks with formal picnic groves, where grills and picnic tables are county property offered on a first-come, first-served basis under Section 2(q) unless a group has booked a pavilion in advance through the Parks & Recreation office.

Section 2(gg) backs the fuel rule up with a general fire ban: no one may build, light or maintain a fire in a Park Area except under the terms set for picnic grills, and no one may drop or scatter lighted materials. Park staff enforce these sections directly under Section 3(f): a visitor who brings a propane grill can be told to leave the property immediately, and if law enforcement is called in, the county can pursue prosecution under Section 3(g), which sets fines or imprisonment, or both, for each offense, brought in the name of the County of Gloucester.

The County Administrator or a designee can grant a waiver under Section 3(j), so a group planning a cookout with a propane setup for a permitted, county-sponsored event should clear it with the Parks & Recreation office before arriving.