New Jersey Burn Permit: Do You Need One and When
New Jersey does not let a homeowner burn leaves or household waste at all, and any fire in a forested area needs written permission from a Forest Firewarden, so the reader's call is to the nearest Forest Fire Service office for a free recreational permit, then to the conditions dashboard to see whether stage restrictions are in force that day.
Do you need a burn permit in New Jersey?
Yes, and the state issues it
New Jersey requires a state burning permit, and no part of the year is closed, so the answer is the daily check.
- Who issues it
- New Jersey Forest Fire Service
- Issued by
- the nearest Forest Fire Service office, on the written permission of a Forest Firewarden; the local fire official or the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety may require one as well
- What it costs
- Free
- How long it lasts
- an event permit up to 2 days, a regular residential permit up to 30 days, a seasonal permit for approved recreation areas up to 90 days
The “General Forest Fire Act” (N.J.S.A. 13:9 et. Al.) requires that before having any fire within a forested area, you must contact the nearest Forest Fire Service office to request a permit.Recreational Fire Permits, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
Where you get one
- Contact the nearest Forest Fire Service office to request a permit
- Agricultural Permit Application Form for farm burning
When you may burn in New Jersey
Statewide dates
The state closes no part of the year, so the answer is the daily check.
New Jersey sets no calendar window. A permit is needed any day of the year, and the state closes burning by declaring staged restrictions or a drought proclamation when conditions turn dangerous.
- Who sets it
- New Jersey Forest Fire Service
- Checked against
- Recreational Fire Permits, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection
whenever, by reason of drought, the forests of the State are in danger of fires, the commissioner shall have the authority to forbid by proclamation from entering forests, in such parts of the State as the department deems the public interest requiresRecreational Fire Permits, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What you may and may not burn in New Jersey
What the state names as burnable
- recreational fires under a Recreational Fire Permit
- infested plant life, for bonafide agricultural operations
- herbaceous plant life and hedgerows, for bonafide agricultural operations
- orchard prunings and cullings, for bonafide agricultural operations
- agricultural land clearing, for bonafide agricultural operations
What it names as off the pile
- salvage operations by open burning
- the disposal of rubbish, garbage, trade waste, buildings or structures by open burning
- the disposal of fallen leaves by open burning
- setting fire to any forest, brush, grassland or tidal marsh without the written permission of a Forest Firewarden
The disposal of rubbish, garbage, trade waste, buildings or structures by open burning (7:27-2.3A).Recreational Fire Permits, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What New Jersey asks of the weather and the site
Setbacks, wind limits and what has to be on hand. These are written into the rule rather than offered as advice.
- a careful and competent watch is kept on any fire by which property may be endangered
- the permit is carried by the person doing the burning and shown on request
- the firewarden may add restrictions or special conditions to the permit
- the permit is not transferable and gives no right to enter another owner's land
- no permit is issued for a fire that would break the State Air Pollution Code or the State Fire Prevention Code
Firewardens may place any restrictions or special conditions on burning those local conditions may warrant.Recreational Fire Permits, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What to check before you light in New Jersey
A permit or a season says you may burn in general. What says you may burn today is separate, it changes daily on a wind and humidity forecast, and it overrides a permit already in hand. In New Jersey it is published here.
the Forest Fire Service conditions and restrictions dashboard, which carries the fire danger and whether Stage 1, 2 or 3 restrictions are in force
New Jersey Forest Fire Service
Firewardens can refuse to issue permits during any conditions that may make burning dangerous, or permits may be banned or rescinded entirely by the State Firewarden.New Jersey Forest Fire Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What your town can add in New Jersey
A municipality that bans open burning outright stops the state permit, and the local fire official or the Division of Fire Safety may require a permit of its own on top of the state one.
Permits cannot be issued when another effective method of disposal is available, and they cannot be issued in any municipality which prohibits open burning.Recreational Fire Permits, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
New Jersey burn permit questions
Burn permits in other states
New Jersey rules read September 23, 2026 from Recreational Fire Permits, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection. Rules change, a county or town may be stricter than the state, and a burn ban issued today overrides a season that is otherwise open. Every state is on the burn permit hub.