[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee (now Township Council) of the Township of Monroe 12-13-1967 by Ord. No. O-8-67 as Ch. 16 of the 1967 Code; amended in its entirety 9-21-1983 by Ord. No. O-17-83. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire Department — See Ch. 39.
Fire prevention — See Ch. 141.
Potentially dangerous substances — See Ch. 234.
[Amended 5-2-1984 by Ord. No. O-6-84]
A. 
No person shall set fire to or cause to be set on fire in any manner whatsoever or shall start fires anywhere and permit them to spread through forest, thereby causing damage to or threat to life or property, either accidentally or otherwise, directly or indirectly, in person or by agent, or cause to be burned wastes, fallows, stumps, logs, brush, dry grass, fallen timber or any property, material or vegetation grown thereon, or anything that may cause a forest fire, without first obtaining the written permission of the Department of Environmental Protection.
B. 
It shall be unlawful, at any time, for any person or persons to burn stumps, logs, brush, dry grass, fallen timber, weeds, wastepaper or any property, material or vegetation being grown thereon or anything that may cause a forest fire within the Township of Monroe without first obtaining a permit from the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service. Said permit shall state the name and address of the person or persons obtaining said permit and the location where such burning is to take place and shall be valid only for the particular occasions for which it is issued and then only when sufficient assistance is in attendance. When grass, leaves, stumps, fallen timber, brush or any other property, material or vegetation that may cause a forest fire are intended to be burned in an open field or in an area of more than 50 square feet, same shall so be stated in the permit application.
[Amended 5-22-2007 by Ord. No. O-30-2007]
C. 
The Township of Monroe shall not issue a permit to any applicant prior to the applicant's receipt of written permission from the Department of Environmental Protection, and proof of such written permission shall be submitted to the Township of Monroe upon the applicant's request for a local permit.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original §§ 16-2, Exception; additional permit regulation, and 16-3, Prohibited fires, which immediately followed this section, were deleted 5-21-1986 by Ord. No. O-15A-86.
A. 
It shall be unlawful, at any time, for any person or persons to burn tree stumps, wood or like substances within the Township of Monroe without first having obtained a permit in accordance with § 220-1.
B. 
No toxic or hazardous materials or substances shall be burned, stored or discarded in or around the burning pit area. Only those items set forth in Subsection A shall be permitted to be burned.
A. 
Fire hazards.
(1) 
The burning of any substances set forth in § 220-1 or 220-2 of this chapter shall not be accomplished nor shall any permit be issued for the burning of any substance listed in the aforesaid section within 150 feet of any building, structure, roadway or natural growth which may be considered a fire hazard.
(2) 
A fire hazard is anything which may become inflamed when coming in contact with fire.
B. 
Burning shall not be permitted during such times as a fire emergency is declared by the state, county or local Fire Marshal due to drought conditions or other circumstances causing such emergency or declaration banning fires.
C. 
Adequate fire-suppression facilities shall be available while burning substances set forth above. Fire-suppression facilities shall include but not be limited to garden hoses, water buckets, sand buckets and the like.
A. 
Upon the completion of the burning of all substances set forth within the aforesaid sections and upon the termination of use of said burning pits, holes or other alterations to the land to facilitate these burnings, the land shall be restored in the same or similar manner as prior to the excavation of said pit.
B. 
All pits not complying with this chapter shall be filled in and covered with natural cover conducive to the area wherein it is located within 60 days after the adoption of this section.
[Amended 5-21-1986 by Ord. No. O-15A-86; 3-3-1997 by Ord. No. O-5-97]
Any person violating the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to the payment of a fine of not more than $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days and/or to community service not to exceed 30 days.