Hot Air Balloons Can't Be Banned, Township Says

A group of residents seeking to ban hot air balloon landings in Doylestown Township may not get their wish, but local ballooners are hoping to mend the situation without government intervention. 

The Doylestown Township Planning Commission decided Monday, at the advice of its solicitor, that it will not take action to regulate hot air balloon landings.

More than 200 people have signed an online petition asking Doylestown Township to prohibit hot air balloon landings in the municipality.

The issue came up after a resident’s dog, startled by a low-flying hot air balloon, ran away and was killed by a car.  According to the online petition, started by resident Jennifer Mertens, the incident happened in October.

In an attempt to alleviate concerns that low flights and landings could cause “property damage, injuries or fatalities in our community,” as stated in the petition, local ballooners have reached out to the concerned residents.

Joe Doerer, a representative of the Great Eastern Balloon Association, has been in touch with the affected residents and has asked his group’s members not to fly over their houses, Doylestown Township Manager Stephanie Mason said.

“Since the residents were pleased with the actions taken by the Hot Air Balloon group they asked the Planning Commission to consider preparing a letter of acknowledgement after receiving further information from the hot air balloon group,” Mason noted.

The online petition says that on Oct. 26, a hot air balloon "flew extremely low over residential homes while approaching its landing in the Doylestown Commerce Center area, brushing the tops of trees and scaring pets and people. Two dogs escaped through their fences out into the street to flee the oncoming balloon, one of those dogs was struck and killed by a car,” according to the online petition.

“The area is congested with very little open space for balloon landings and they should not be allowed. By prohibiting them from landing in the township, they will not be allowed to fly under 1,000 feet in altitude according to FAA regulations,” the petition says.

The residents who signed the petition say they aren’t trying to stop air ballooning in Bucks County but rather, “we want to prevent property damage, injuries or fatalities in our community due to their low flights and landings,” according to the petition.