Town guide

Filming in East Brunswick, New Jersey

Current municipal contacts and a plain-language guide to East Brunswick’s film permit, insurance, fees, notice and departmental coordination.

East Brunswick is a Film Ready certified municipality with a published film liaison, application materials, filmmaker code and current municipal ordinance. The Township directs productions to submit the complete package to the film liaison, who coordinates municipal departments.

The permit applies to covered filming on both public and private property. Private-owner permission remains separate, and other agencies can control roads, parks, schools or facilities outside Township authority.

Information checked July 24, 2026

Researched and reviewed by Sam Moskowitz, producer and director of photography at BLL Films.

Checked Jul 24 2026

Film liaison: Cee French Harth
Film email: Film@EastBrunswick.org
Economic Development: Robert Zuckerman · rzuckerman@eastbrunswick.org · 732-390-6814
General Economic Development phone: 732-390-6816
Permit pickup: Municipal Clerk, 1 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive, East Brunswick, NJ 08816
Film Ready: Yes, on the current New Jersey certified-localities list
Minimum application timing: At least four business days; the Township FAQ strongly recommends two weeks
Standard filming hours: 7:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. Filming outside those hours needs administrative authorization and may carry conditions.
Public-land daily fee: $150 standard; $500 for a major motion picture, which the ordinance defines as a budget of at least $20,000,000
Public-land bond: $500 cash or maintenance bond, returnable where there is no damage or municipal cleanup expense
Off-duty police: Coordinated through Extra Duty Solutions
Last verified: August 2026, direct municipal confirmation

How to apply

Submit the application, indemnification and hold-harmless agreement, proof of insurance and signed Filmmaker Code together to Film@EastBrunswick.org.

The Township’s instructions say the film liaison will coordinate with municipal departments. Do not bypass the liaison by contacting departments independently unless the liaison instructs you to. The Municipal Clerk issues the permit after approval by the Township Administrator.

Application checklist

Complete film-permit application
Indemnification and hold-harmless agreement
Certificate of insurance
Signed Filmmaker Code
Exact public and private locations
Owner permission for private property
Prep, filming and wrap dates and times
Cast and crew count
Vehicle, equipment, parking and basecamp plan
Police, fire, electrical, traffic or public-property needs
Notice plan for affected properties
Student or nonprofit documentation when seeking an applicable rate

Insurance

East Brunswick’s current code and May 2025 FAQ publish:

General liability: $1,000,000.
Excess or umbrella liability: $2,000,000.
Automobile or privately owned vehicle liability: $1,000,000.
Third-party property damage: $1,000,000.
Workers’ compensation: statutory limits.
Township of East Brunswick named as additional insured and, where appropriate, loss payee.
Insurer rating: A.M. Best B+ or better under the published requirement.
Security: $500 cash or maintenance bond.

Obtain the Township’s current certificate wording before ordering insurance.

Published fees

Item	Fee
Basic film permit	$100
Expedited or lead-time waiver request	$150
Public-property daily fee	$150 per day
Major public-property production	$500 per day
Nonprofit educational, documentary or public-television production	$25
Qualified student production	No fee
Production entirely on private property	No daily location fee; the basic permit and service costs can still apply

Police, fire, electrical or other personnel and services can create additional charges.

Timing, hours and notice

The ordinance calls for an application at least four business days before filming, while the Township’s FAQ strongly recommends filing two weeks in advance. Treat four business days as a minimum, not a planning target.

Proposed hours are not automatic

The current framework identifies proposed filming times of 7 a.m.–11 p.m. That does not mean every production may automatically work those hours. The final permit controls, and the liaison should confirm location-specific setup, filming and breakdown times.

Notify affected residents and businesses at least three days before filming and provide the required proof no later than two days before. The FAQ describes notice within a 200-foot radius or another area required by the Township.

Operational notes

Police or a licensed electrician may be required depending on the activity.
A private-property shoot remains subject to the Township permit provisions.
The liaison coordinates municipal departments, submit a complete footprint once rather than sending partial requests to multiple offices.
Use the correctly published Film@EastBrunswick.org address.

Production realities

The ordinance sets the floor. These are the practical points the Township confirmed directly, and the gap between the two is where schedules slip.

How to read this section. Everything above on this page is the official record. This section is practical planning information, and each line below is labelled with where it came from. A published requirement is citable. A municipal confirmation is paraphrased from a direct written answer. Producer-reported experience, where it appears, is one crew’s account and not a municipal commitment.

Official minimum lead time Published requirement: Four business days before the requested filming date.
Recommended real-world lead time Confirmed by municipality: The Township recommends roughly two weeks where the schedule allows, because staff approvals are required before the Clerk can issue a permit. Four business days is the earliest it will look at an application, not how long approval takes.
Filming hours Confirmed by municipality: Standard hours are 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Filming outside them requires administrative authorization and may carry additional conditions.
Major-motion-picture threshold Confirmed by municipality: A budget of exactly $20 million is charged the major-motion-picture daily rate. If your budget sits on that line, plan for the higher rate rather than the lower one.
Police and fire triggers Confirmed by municipality: Public Safety determines whether dedicated municipal resources are required for a given production. It is a departmental judgement about your specific footprint, not a published threshold you can check in advance.
How municipal personnel are scheduled Confirmed by municipality: Where off-duty police are required, coordination is generally handled through Extra Duty Solutions, at rates established by municipal ordinance.
Bond Confirmed by municipality: A maintenance bond is required for filming on public land. It is returnable, and covers potential damage to public property or municipal cleanup expense.
Escrow for larger productions Confirmed by municipality: A separate escrow may be required for larger productions involving municipal expenses, traffic control or departmental services. Ask for the estimate early; it is not part of the permit fee.
Neighborhood notice Published requirement: Written notice is required at least three days before filming where the production directly affects businesses, merchants or residents. It is conditional, not universal, and Public Safety can require more.
Where to start Confirmed by municipality: The Film Liaison. Route everything through that office rather than contacting departments directly — the Township asks for this specifically, and the Liaison coordinates departmental approvals before the Clerk issues the permit. Current address: Film@EastBrunswick.org.

OfficialEast Brunswick filming ordinance
OfficialHire a police officer, Township FAQ
OfficialFilming in East Brunswick

Last verified: August 2026. Practical guidance changes with staffing and workload. Confirm anything schedule-critical directly with the municipality.

Common questions

Who is East Brunswick’s film liaison?

The Township’s current filming page identifies Cee French Harth as film liaison and directs applications to Film@EastBrunswick.org.

How far ahead should an East Brunswick film permit be filed?

The ordinance sets a minimum of four business days, while the Township’s FAQ strongly recommends two weeks. Apply earlier for public-property, police, fire, parking or other coordinated requests.

What insurance does East Brunswick require for filming?

The published requirements include $1 million general liability, $2 million umbrella or excess liability, $1 million vehicle liability, $1 million third-party property damage and statutory workers’ compensation, with the Township named as additional insured under the stated terms.

Does filming entirely on private property have a daily fee?

The current fee schedule states that filming entirely on private property has no daily location fee. A permit, insurance, owner permission and charges for municipal services may still apply.

Official sources

OfficialEast Brunswick filming page
OfficialEast Brunswick film ordinance, Chapter 101
OfficialEast Brunswick filming FAQ, revised May 2025
OfficialNew Jersey Film Ready certified localities

Checked July 24, 2026 against the Township’s published filming page, ordinance and FAQ. 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.

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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.