Burlington County, NJ
Zoning in Burlington County, New Jersey: Inside the Pinelands Area
Burlington is New Jersey's largest county by land area, and it holds more acreage inside the mapped Pinelands Area -- 334,224 acres, spread across 14 of its 40 municipalities -- than any other of the seven Pinelands counties. Local zoning still applies, but inside that boundary, the Pinelands Commission's own plan sets the real limits.
This page covers what's specific to Burlington County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.
The largest Pinelands footprint of any New Jersey county
Measured by raw acreage rather than percentage, no county in New Jersey holds more Pinelands Area land than Burlington: 334,224 acres, or 64% of the county's total land, sit inside the mapped boundary -- more than Atlantic County's 247,877 acres and more than Ocean County's 187,559 acres. That's roughly a third of the entire ~1.1-million-acre Pinelands National Reserve concentrated in one New Jersey county. Fourteen of Burlington's 40 municipalities, or 35%, fall at least partly inside the Pinelands boundary, meaning a large share of the county's local zoning authority operates under the Commission's Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) as a matter of routine, not exception.
Wharton State Forest, the single largest tract in New Jersey's entire state park system at roughly 122,880 acres, has its largest county share within Burlington itself (the rest split between Camden and Atlantic counties) -- meaning a meaningful portion of the county's Pinelands-Area acreage is permanently protected public forest, not available for private purchase or development at all, on top of whatever CMP restrictions apply to land that remains privately held.
How the Comprehensive Management Plan changes what a town can zone for
Within Burlington County's Pinelands-Area municipalities, the Pinelands Commission's CMP works through a Land Capability Map that assigns conservation and growth designations to specific parcels, and those designations -- not a township's general zoning ordinance alone -- set the real minimum lot size and use ceiling. A municipality's own zoning ordinance must be certified as conforming to the CMP to remain valid inside the Pinelands boundary, and any future amendment to that ordinance affecting Pinelands-Area land requires the Commission's review and approval before it can take effect -- an ongoing constraint on local zoning authority, not a one-time hurdle.
Because 14 separate Burlington County municipalities carry this overlay, and because each municipality's own conformance history and Land Capability Map coverage can differ, a buyer should not assume that two parcels in different Pinelands-Area townships within Burlington County face identical restrictions just because both are "in the Pinelands." The specific zone designation, not the general fact of being inside the boundary, is what actually governs.
What to check before buying land in Pinelands-Area Burlington County
Start by confirming with the New Jersey Pinelands Commission whether a specific Burlington County parcel sits inside the mapped Pinelands Area -- given that 35% of the county's municipalities have at least some Pinelands territory, don't assume a parcel is exempt just because the surrounding area looks like ordinary suburban or agricultural land. If it is inside the boundary, request the parcel's specific Land Capability Map zone designation, since that determines actual buildable density far more than the municipality's base zoning district.
Also confirm the specific municipality's CMP-conformance status and check whether the parcel borders Wharton State Forest or other Burlington County conservation land, since that can affect both legal buildable area and practical access and privacy. Given how large and routine this overlay is across Burlington County specifically -- not an edge case, but the governing framework for more than a third of the county's own municipalities -- treat a Pinelands Area check as a standard, not optional, step in evaluating any Burlington County land purchase.
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Connect with a local land specialistSources
- Pinelands Facts (Revised May, 2008), New Jersey Pinelands Commission — New Jersey Pinelands Commission (via Pinelands Preservation Alliance) (accessed 2026-09)
- The Comprehensive Management Plan — New Jersey Pinelands Commission (accessed 2026-09)
- Municipal and County Master Plan/Ordinance Conformance — New Jersey Pinelands Commission (accessed 2026-09)
- Wharton State Forest — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09