Filming in Fanwood, New Jersey
Fanwood’s published filming chapter is out of date about money. Ordinance 25-05-R, adopted June 2, 2025, cut the permit fees and raised the major motion picture threshold, and the codified text has not caught up. Budget from the ordinance.
This is a small borough with a straightforward process, and the only real trap is a documentary one. If you read Fanwood’s filming chapter as published, you will over-budget the permit by roughly two and a half times and you may put yourself in a major-motion-picture tier you are not actually in. The adopted figures are below, with the superseded ones beside them so you can tell which document you are looking at.
Information checked September 21, 2026
- County
- Union County
- Film Ready status
- Film Ready certified locality. Confirmed on the State’s published certified-localities list, read in full September 21, 2026.
- Who issues
- Not established in our reading of Ordinance 25-05-R and Chapter 154 as published. Ask the Borough Clerk’s office where filming applications are filed and who signs the permit
- Controlling source
- Ordinance No. 25-05-R, adopted June 2, 2025, amending Borough Code Chapter 154, Filming
- Basic permit fee
- $100, or $250 expedited — NOT the $250 and $375 still shown in the codified chapter
- Daily fee
- $150 per day, or $500 per day for a major motion picture — NOT the $500 and $1,000 still shown in the codified chapter
- Major motion picture threshold
- $20,000,000, raised from $5,000,000 by Ordinance 25-05-R
- Chapter numbering
- Chapter 154. It was Chapter 150 before the 2024 recodification; an editor’s note in the code records the renumbering, and older citations to Chapter 150 point at the same chapter
- Filming on private property
- No fee charged by the Borough
- Last verified
- September 21, 2026
Budget from Ordinance 25-05-R, not from the codified chapter. The current fees are $100 basic, $250 expedited, $150 a day, and $500 a day for a major motion picture.
The codified Chapter 154 on eCode360 still publishes $250, $375, $500 and $1,000. Those were superseded on June 2, 2025. Reading the code instead of the ordinance over-budgets your permit by roughly two and a half times, and can put you in a major-motion-picture tier you are not in.
The current fees, and the superseded ones
Ordinance No. 25-05-R was adopted on June 2, 2025. It amended Chapter 154 in two ways that matter to a budget: it cut every fee, and it raised the major-motion-picture threshold from $5,000,000 to $20,000,000. We confirmed both against the signed copy, which carries the roll-call vote.
| What | Current, per Ord. 25-05-R | Superseded, still in the codified chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Basic filming permit | $100 | $250 |
| Expedited permit | $250 | $375 |
| Daily filming fee | $150 | $500 |
| Daily fee, major motion picture | $500 | $1,000 |
| Major motion picture threshold | $20,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Filming on private property | No municipal fee | — |
The threshold change is the one people overlook. A feature budgeted at, say, $8 million was a major motion picture in Fanwood before June 2025 and is not one now. That is the difference between $500 and $150 a day, every day.
Why the published code disagrees with itself
Check the adopted ordinance, not only the codified chapter
Codification lags adoption everywhere, and Fanwood is a clean example. A municipality votes an ordinance on a date; the code publisher folds it into the codified chapters some time afterwards. In between, the codified chapter is a historical document that looks exactly like a current one.
The adopted ordinance governs. If you need to demonstrate that to a producer, a production accountant or a completion bond company, ask the Borough Clerk for the signed copy of Ordinance 25-05-R rather than pointing at a web page.
A second, harmless piece of numbering history: Chapter 154 was Chapter 150 before the Borough’s 2024 recodification, and an editor’s note in the code records the renumbering. Older citations to Chapter 150 point at the same chapter, not at something repealed. Neither numbering carries the current fees.
Film Ready status
What Film Ready certification actually means for your shoot
Film Ready certification means the municipality has put a process in place and named someone to run it: a designated liaison, an adopted filming ordinance, a permit form, and a location inventory filed with the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission.
It does not mean filming is free, that a permit is optional, or that approval is automatic. Every requirement on this page still applies. What certification tends to buy you in practice is a faster answer and a person who has done this before.
Fanwood is on the State’s certified-localities list, read in full on September 21, 2026.
Practical production planning
- Put the ordinance number in your budget notes: Ord. 25-05-R, adopted June 2, 2025. It is the answer to the question your accountant will ask when the codified fee is quoted back at you.
- Confirm your tier against the $20,000,000 threshold, in writing, before you price the daily rate.
- Fanwood is small and shares a border with Scotch Plains; confirm which side of the line each location is on, because Fanwood’s permit does not reach beyond it.
- Filming wholly on private property carries no Borough fee, but ask whether the Borough still wants notice if you are using the street for parking or equipment.
Common questions
How much does a film permit cost in Fanwood, NJ?
Under Ordinance 25-05-R, adopted June 2, 2025, the basic permit is $100, or $250 expedited, plus $150 a day, or $500 a day for a major motion picture. Ignore the higher figures you will find in the codified chapter on eCode360, which still shows $250, $375, $500 and $1,000. Those were superseded in June 2025. Budgeting from the codified text costs you roughly two and a half times too much.
Why does Fanwood's published code show different film permit fees?
Because codification lags adoption. A municipality adopts an ordinance on a given date, and the code publisher folds it into the codified chapters some time afterwards. Fanwood adopted Ordinance 25-05-R on June 2, 2025 and the fee amendments have not yet been incorporated. The adopted ordinance governs, not the codified text. If you need to prove it to a producer or a line producer, ask the Borough Clerk for the signed copy, which carries the roll-call vote.
What counts as a major motion picture in Fanwood?
The threshold is a production budget of $20,000,000 or more. That figure was raised from $5,000,000 by Ordinance 25-05-R in June 2025, which means a mid-budget feature that would have paid the top daily rate under the old chapter now pays the standard $150. This is the second reason to work from the ordinance rather than the codified text: it changes your tier, not just your invoice.
Is Fanwood Film Ready certified?
Yes. Fanwood appears on the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission's published certified-localities list, read in full on September 21, 2026. Certification means the Borough has an adopted ordinance, a permit process and a designated liaison, not that filming is free or that a permit is optional.
Which chapter of the Fanwood code covers filming?
Chapter 154. It was Chapter 150 until the Borough's 2024 recodification renumbered it, and an editor's note in the code records the change. If you find a citation to Chapter 150 in an older document, it points at the same chapter rather than at something repealed. Neither numbering carries the current fees, which are in Ordinance 25-05-R.
Official sources
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, Film Ready certified localities
- MunicipalFanwood Borough Code, Chapter 154 Filming
- MunicipalBorough of Fanwood
Checked September 21, 2026 against the official municipal sources listed above. Report a correction or updated permit requirement.
Planning a production in New Jersey?
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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.
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