Town guide

Filming in Elizabeth, New Jersey

Elizabeth publishes two different filming fee schedules, and a producer needs to know which one the Bureau of Public Information will actually invoice.

New Jersey’s fourth-largest city hosts a great deal of production, and it adopted the State model filming ordinance in 2026. The complication is that the City’s live film permit page still carries an older and very different fee, and the codified City Code has not caught up to either. This page sets out both, with sources, rather than choosing for you.

Information checked September 19, 2026

Checked Sep 19 2026

County: Union County
Film Ready status: Not on the current State certified-localities list, checked September 17, 2026. Ordinance No. 6263 was adopted expressly to pursue certification, and says so in its own recitals. Adoption and certification are different things.
Controlling source: Ordinance No. 6263, establishing City Code Chapter 5.36, Filming Permits
Who issues: The Bureau of Public Information
Who decides: The Business Administrator refuses permits and grants waivers; the Chief of Police decides police staffing
Published lead time: At least seven business days under Ordinance 6263, waivable by the Business Administrator. The City’s film permit page separately states 10 days for motion picture and 48 hours for still photography
Fee under Ordinance 6263: $100 basic, $250 expedited, $0 for bona fide nonprofits and student films; daily $150, or $500 for a major motion picture
Fee on the City’s permit page: $500 for every eight hours
Insurance under Ordinance 6263: $500,000 bodily injury per person, $1,000,000 aggregate per occurrence, $300,000 property damage
Insurance on the City’s permit page: $1,000,000
Street closures: Up to $5,000 per day under Ordinance 6263
Filming on private property: No fee charged by the municipality under Ordinance 6263
Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. camera wrap, 10:00 p.m. crew wrap, Monday through Sunday
Last verified: September 19, 2026

Read this first

Elizabeth currently publishes two different filming fee schedules, and they are a long way apart. Ordinance No. 6263 sets a $100 basic permit ($250 expedited, free for nonprofits and student films) plus $150 a day, or $500 a day for a major motion picture. The City’s own Film Permit page states a mandatory fee of $500 for every eight hours.

Both are published by the City. Call the Bureau of Public Information and get the answer in writing before you budget.

The two schedules, and why both exist

Ordinance No. 6263 establishes Chapter 5.36 of the City Code, “Filming Permits”. Its recitals are explicit about where it came from: the NJEDA and the NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission “require the adoption of a model ordinance as part of Film Ready Certification”. It is, in other words, the State model, adopted more or less as written.

The City’s live Film Permit page predates it and still carries the older figures. Meanwhile Elizabeth’s codified Code on Municode is codified only through Ordinance No. 6138, passed June 24, 2025, so Chapter 5.36 has not yet been folded into the codified text. Its absence there tells you nothing either way: the codification simply runs more than a year behind.

What	Ordinance No. 6263	City Film Permit page
Basic permit	$100 with seven or more days’ notice; $250 with six or fewer; $0 for bona fide nonprofits and student films	—
Daily filming on public property	$150, or $500 for a major motion picture	—
Headline fee	—	$500 for every eight hours
Filming on private property	No fee charged by the municipality	—
Street closures	Up to $5,000 per day	—
Insurance	$500,000 per person, $1,000,000 aggregate, $300,000 property damage	Insure the City for $1,000,000
Lead time	Seven business days, waivable	10 days for motion picture; 48 hours for still photography

Where the ordinance is silent the page is not, and vice versa. Treat the two as complementary rather than as one superseding the other until the City tells you which governs.

What Ordinance 6263 requires

Who issues it. The Bureau of Public Information, on a form approved by the Public Information Officer.
Scope. A permit is needed for filming on public property, and on 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 intended to restrict or block pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
Who refuses. The Business Administrator, on objective facts, after a report from the Police Department and other City agencies.
Police. The Chief of Police may require one or more on-site officers where the production may impede traffic, under the agreed public safety plan, at the production’s cost. An on-site licensed electrician may be required where existing power lines are used.
Notice. Affected businesses, merchants and residents get written notice at least three days before the shooting date, and may file objections with the Public Information Officer; those objections form part of the application. Proof of service is submitted within two days of the shooting date.
Weather. If filming does not happen on the permitted dates for weather or good cause, the Public Information Officer may issue a new permit for other dates at no additional fee.
Appeal. To the City Council, within 10 days of the Business Administrator’s decision, with a hearing within 30 days.
Penalty. Up to $2,000, 90 days’ imprisonment, or up to 90 days’ community service, as the Municipal Court Judge determines, with each day a separate violation.

One small tell that the model was adopted with light editing: the waiver clause at § 5.36.070 asks the Business Administrator to weigh “The Township’s prior experience with the applicant”. Elizabeth is a City. The word is left over from the model text.

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.

Elizabeth is not on the certified-localities list as of September 17, 2026. Be careful with search results here: Union County and Union Township are both certified, and neither of them is Elizabeth.

Practical production planning

Call the Bureau of Public Information first and ask, in one sentence, which fee schedule they invoice against. Everything else follows from that.
Assume the longest published lead time you can see — 10 days — unless the City tells you seven business days applies.
Price street closures separately. Up to $5,000 a day is the single largest line item in the ordinance.
If your project is financed or distributed by a major studio or streamer, or budgeted at $20 million or more, or is a recurrent weekly series, you are in the $500 daily tier rather than $150.
Get the insurance certificate wording confirmed before your broker issues it, because the two published requirements are not worded the same way.
Build the three-day notice and the two-day proof of service into the schedule as separate tasks.

Common questions

How much does a film permit cost in Elizabeth, NJ?

Two different answers are currently published by the City, and you should confirm which applies before you budget. Ordinance No. 6263 sets a $100 basic permit, $250 if you file with six or fewer days’ notice, and nothing at all for bona fide nonprofits and student films, plus a daily fee of $150, or $500 for a major motion picture. The City’s own Film Permit page states a mandatory fee of $500 for every eight hours. Street closures are priced separately at up to $5,000 per day under the ordinance.

How far in advance do I apply for an Elizabeth film permit?

Ordinance 6263 requires at least seven business days, waivable by the Business Administrator where the applicant has all related approvals and adjacent owners or tenants do not need notifying. The City’s Film Permit page separately states that applications go to the Office of Public Information at least 10 days ahead for commercial motion picture work and 48 hours ahead for still photography. Allow the longest of these unless the City tells you otherwise.

Where do I apply for a film permit in Elizabeth?

The Bureau of Public Information, City of Elizabeth, 50 Winfield Scott Plaza, Elizabeth, NJ 07201. The public information line is (908) 820-4124 and the City’s main number is (908) 820-4000. The City also accepts film permit applications online through its permit portal, and says you receive a notification email once the application is approved.

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

Under Ordinance 6263, a permit is required for filming on private property where the filming involves use of public property for the operation, placement or temporary storage of vehicles or equipment, including any temporary structure, barricade or device intended to restrict or block pedestrian or vehicular traffic. The ordinance also states that daily filming on private property carries no fee charged by the municipality.

What insurance does Elizabeth require?

Ordinance 6263 requires $500,000 for bodily injury to any one person, $1,000,000 in the aggregate per occurrence, and $300,000 for property damage per occurrence, plus a written indemnity holding the City harmless. The City’s Film Permit page states the requirement differently, as insuring the City of Elizabeth for $1,000,000. Ask which certificate wording the Bureau of Public Information accepts before your broker issues it.

What hours can I film in Elizabeth?

Filming is permitted 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. for camera wrap with crew wrap at 10:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday. Night filming restrictions apply only to projects with exterior filming, and exterior filming in residential zones outside those hours may be approved in the permit.

What counts as a major motion picture in Elizabeth?

Ordinance 6263 uses the State model definition: any film financed or distributed by NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Walt Disney Studios, Sony Pictures, Amazon MGM Studios, Netflix Studios or A24, including their named subsidiaries; any film with a budget of at least $20,000,000; or any recurrent weekly television series programming. It carries the $500 daily rate rather than $150.

Is Elizabeth a Film Ready certified community?

No. Elizabeth does not appear on the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission’s current certified-localities list, checked September 17, 2026. Ordinance 6263 was adopted expressly to pursue that certification — its recitals say the Commission requires adoption of a model ordinance as part of Film Ready certification — but adopting the ordinance and being certified are different things. Take care with search results: Union County and Union Township are both on the certified list, and neither is Elizabeth.

Official sources

Ordinance No. 6263 and the City’s Film Permit page were both read in full on September 19, 2026, and they do not agree on fees, insurance or lead time. Elizabeth’s codified Code on Municode runs only through June 2025 and does not yet contain Chapter 5.36. Confirm with the Bureau of Public Information which schedule applies before budgeting. Report a correction or updated permit requirement.

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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.