Town guide

Filming in Bloomfield, New Jersey

Bloomfield is the only municipality on this site where the film permit is issued by the Fire Department rather than the Clerk.

Chapter 228 was amended four times between 2022 and the end of 2025, most of it to move Bloomfield onto the State model ordinance. The current text is modern on fees and hours, and inconsistent on who does what, because each amendment rewrote a different part of it. Both aspects are set out below.

Information checked September 19, 2026

Checked Sep 19 2026

County: Essex County
Film Ready status: Not on the current State certified-localities list, checked September 17, 2026. Chapter 228 was amended repeatedly through 2025 to align with the State model ordinance.
Controlling source: Township Code Chapter 228, Filming, amended by Ord. No. 22-48 and Ord. Nos. 25-18, 25-29 and 25-39
Who issues: The Fire Department
Published lead time: Four or more days for the $100 basic permit; three days or fewer triggers the $250 expedited fee
Basic permit fee: $100; $250 expedited; $25 for nonprofits including student films
Day rate on public property: $150 for projects budgeted under $20 million, $500 for projects over $20 million
Filming on private property: No fee charged by the municipality
Street closures: $1,500 per day
Insurance: $500,000 bodily injury per person, $1,000,000 aggregate per occurrence, $300,000 property damage aggregate per occurrence
Police: One or more off-duty officers as determined by the Chief of Police under the agreed public safety plan, at the municipality’s standard hourly rates
Hours: Seven days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. camera wrap, 10:00 p.m. crew wrap
Permits per project: One permit is required for each project
Last verified: September 19, 2026

Quick answer

Bloomfield’s film permit is issued by the Fire Department, not the Township Clerk — the only municipality on this site where that is true. The Police Department must review and approve your filming plan before you submit the application.

Fees follow the State model: $100 with four or more days’ notice, $250 with three or fewer, $25 for nonprofits and student films. Daily filming on public property is $150 under a $20 million budget and $500 over it. Street closures are $1,500 a day.

Who does what, and why the answer is not simple

Chapter 228 has been amended four times since 2022 — by Ord. No. 22-48 and then three times in 2025 — largely to bring it onto the State model. Each amendment rewrote a different part, and the result is a chapter that names several different offices for the same kinds of decision. All of the following are in the current text at the same time:

Function	Office named	Section
Issues the permit	The Fire Department	§ 228-2A, § 228-2B
Approves the filming plan before submission	The Police Department	§ 228-2B
Receives objections from neighbors	The Fire Prevention Bureau	§ 228-7
May refuse a permit	The Township Clerk	§ 228-10A
May refuse a permit	The Township Administrator	§ 228-13B
Grants waivers	The Fire Department	§ 228-11
Agrees adjusted hours	The Film Permit Representative	§ 228-9
Hears appeals	The Mayor and Council	§ 228-10B

We are reporting this rather than resolving it, because every one of those provisions is in the adopted ordinance. In practice, start with the Fire Department, since that is where the ordinance says permits are obtained, and get the Police Department’s plan review moving at the same time. Note too that “Film Permit Representative” is used in § 228-9 but is not defined anywhere in the chapter.

Fees

Category	Fee (not to exceed)
Basic filming permit, one time, four or more days’ advance notice	$100
Expedited basic filming permit, three days’ notice or fewer	$250
Basic permit for nonprofits, including student films, no daily rate	$25
Daily filming on public property, project budgeted under $20 million	$150
Daily filming on public property, project budgeted over $20 million	$500
Daily filming on private property	No fee charged by the municipality
Off-duty police and fire inspections, per the public safety plan	The Township’s standard hourly rates
Street closures	$1,500 per day
Parking	The same rates charged to the public

Properties used or appearing in shot, and the daily prep and filming of a business that is being “dressed”, are left to be negotiated directly between the production and the private business or resident. The Township does not set those. § 228-14C adds that any required fire, electrical, building or plumbing inspections are paid by the applicant, and § 228-14B requires reimbursement of lost revenue such as parking meter income.

Scope, and when you do not need a Bloomfield permit

A permit is required for filming on public or private property where the filming uses public property for the operation, placement or temporary storage of vehicles or equipment, including any temporary structure, barricade or device restricting pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
Incidental use of a public sidewalk or street that does not close it to public use is not filming on public property.
Filming on private property requires the owner’s written permission.
One permit per project, not per location or per day.
No municipal permit is required where filming is entirely on county, state or federally owned property, no municipal services are used, no public rights-of-way are obstructed, and the relevant county, state or federal permit has been obtained.
Other municipal approvals — zoning, health and so on — may be needed before a film permit issues, depending on the sequence.
News stories are exempt under § 228-16.

Insurance, hours, notice and appeals

Insurance. $500,000 bodily injury per person, $1,000,000 aggregate per occurrence, $300,000 property damage in the aggregate per occurrence, plus a written indemnity for use of public lands.

Hours. Seven days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. camera wrap, 10:00 p.m. crew wrap. Night restrictions apply only to projects with exterior filming, and adjustments can be agreed when the permit is approved.

Notice. Affected businesses, merchants and residents get written notice at least three days before the shooting date, with objections filed with the Fire Prevention Bureau. Proof of service, together with a copy of the approved permit, goes to the Fire Prevention Bureau within two days of the shooting date. Separately, § 228-12 requires you to notify the Fire Prevention Bureau 24 hours before filming and allow inspection of the site and equipment.

Appeals. To the Mayor and Council, filed with the Township Clerk within 10 days, hearing within 30 days, resolution at the first regular meeting after the hearing. If the resolution is not adopted in time the decision is deemed reversed and a permit issues in conformity with the application.

Film Ready status

Adopting the model ordinance is not the same as being certified

The New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission distributes a model filming ordinance, and adopting it is one of the steps toward Film Ready certification. Several municipalities in this corridor have adopted it. None of them appears on the Commission’s published certified-localities list, which we read in full on September 17, 2026.

If certification matters to your project, confirm it with the Commission directly rather than inferring it from a town’s ordinance. If what you need is a permit, the ordinance is what governs either way.

§ 228-2G requires the Fire Department to forward copies of issued permits to the Commission through the year, which is a Film Ready obligation. Bloomfield is nevertheless not on the certified list as of September 17, 2026.

Practical production planning

Two offices, in order: Police Department plan review first, Fire Department application second. The ordinance requires the review before submission.
Four days’ notice is the difference between $100 and $250. It is the cheapest deadline to hit in this corridor.
The budget threshold here is $20 million, not $5 million. Neighboring Millburn uses the lower figure.
Street closures at $1,500 a day will usually dwarf the permit itself.
One permit covers the project, so consolidate rather than filing per location.
If you are shooting wholly in a county or state park and using no municipal services, check whether you need a Township permit at all.
Call the Fire Prevention Bureau 24 hours before filming, separately from everything else.

Common questions

Who issues film permits in Bloomfield, NJ?

The Fire Department. § 228-2A and § 228-2B both say permits are obtained from the Fire Department during normal business hours, on a form the Fire Department approves, and § 228-2B adds that the Police Department must review and approve the filming plan, including location and duration, before you submit. That makes Bloomfield the only municipality on this site where the Clerk is not the issuing office.

How much does a film permit cost in Bloomfield?

A $100 basic permit with four or more days’ notice, $250 with three days’ notice or fewer, and $25 for nonprofits including student films with no daily rate. Daily filming on public property is $150 for a project budgeted under $20 million and $500 for one over $20 million. Filming on private property carries no municipal fee. Street closures are $1,500 per day, and any required fire, electrical, building or plumbing inspections are paid by the applicant.

What hours can I film in Bloomfield?

Seven days a week, between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. for camera wrap and until 10:00 p.m. for crew wrap. Night filming restrictions apply only to projects with exterior filming, and § 228-9 allows the Film Permit Representative and a project to agree adjustments in hours and special circumstances when the permit is approved.

Do I need a permit to film on private property in Bloomfield?

You need one where the filming uses public property for the operation, placement or temporary storage of vehicles or equipment, including any temporary structure, barricade or device restricting pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Where filming takes place on private property, the owner’s permission must be obtained in writing. Incidental use of a public sidewalk or street that does not close it to public use is not treated as filming on public property.

When is no Bloomfield permit required at all?

§ 228-2E: a municipal film permit is not required where filming occurs entirely on county, state or federally owned property, no municipal services are being used such as parking on public streets, no public rights-of-way are obstructed, and the required permit has been obtained from the relevant county, state or federal authority. § 228-16 separately exempts the filming of news stories.

What insurance does Bloomfield require?

Bodily injury cover of $500,000 for any one person and $1,000,000 in the aggregate per occurrence, and property damage of $300,000 in the aggregate per occurrence, plus a written agreement to indemnify and hold the Township harmless for use of public lands.

Who can refuse a film permit in Bloomfield?

The current chapter names more than one office, and this is worth knowing before you call. § 228-10A says the Township Clerk may refuse a permit; § 228-13B says the Township Administrator may refuse a permit on the same grounds; and issuance and waivers sit with the Fire Department under § 228-2 and § 228-11. All of those provisions are in the text at once, a result of the chapter being amended in parts. An appeal goes to the Mayor and Council within 10 days, with a hearing within 30 days.

Is Bloomfield a Film Ready certified community?

No. Bloomfield does not appear on the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission’s current certified-localities list, checked September 17, 2026, although Chapter 228 was amended through 2025 to align with the Commission’s model ordinance and § 228-2G requires the Fire Department to forward copies of issued permits to the Commission through the year.

Official sources

Chapter 228 was read in full on September 19, 2026, in its current amended form. The chapter names different offices for issuance, refusal and waiver; those inconsistencies are reported on this page rather than resolved, because all of them are in the adopted text. Film Ready status was checked against the State list on September 17, 2026. Report a correction or updated permit requirement.

Planning a production in New Jersey?

BLL Films provides production support for interviews, commercials, branded content, documentary work and other productions across New Jersey. We can help translate a creative brief into a practical crew, equipment and location plan.

Ask about your New Jersey production

BLL Films may provide crew, equipment or production services when requested.

BLL

Reviewed by Sam Moskowitz, producer & director of photography

This guide is researched and reviewed by Sam Moskowitz, a New Jersey-based producer and DP who runs BLL Films. Sam’s production and cinematography credits include work for Netflix, History Channel, Hulu, the NFL and Google. Every changing fact on this page carries a verification date; see how this site is researched for the full process.

More town production guides

Comparing municipalities? See every Film Ready town in New Jersey, or search a specific town’s published permit, fee and contact details in the New Jersey Film Permit Finder.