Town guide

Filming in Fort Lee, New Jersey

A production guide to Fort Lee’s June 2026 filming ordinance, its published fees and insurance, and the park-commission and Port Authority processes that control nearby landmarks.

Fort Lee places municipal streets and private locations beside Palisades parkland and the George Washington Bridge. Those settings can fall under Borough, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Port Authority or private control, so a production must identify the owner and approving agency for every part of its footprint.

The Borough adopted a complete new filming ordinance in June 2026. Use Ordinance 2026-9, not an older fee table, and contact the Borough Clerk for the approved application form.

Information checked July 24, 2026

Checked Jul 24 2026

County: Bergen County
Film Ready treatment: Not listed on the current State certified-localities page as of July 27, 2026; Bergen County is listed separately, checked July 30, 2026. The County’s status is not a Borough certification
Municipal starting point: Fort Lee Borough Clerk
Borough Clerk: Evelyn Rosario
Clerk phone: 201-592-3500 ext. 1040
Clerk’s office line: 201-592-3500 ext. 1505
Office: 309 Main Street, Room 102, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
Published office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., office hours, not filming hours
Controlling municipal law: Ordinance 2026-9, adopted June 18, 2026
Basic permit: $100 with four or more days’ advance notice
Expedited permit: $250 with three or fewer days’ advance notice
Public-property daily fee: $150 per day under $20 million; $500 per day over $20 million
Private-property daily fee: None published
Public-land insurance: $500,000 bodily injury to one person / $1,000,000 aggregate, plus $300,000 property damage per occurrence
Film-specific bond: No film-specific bond requirement located in Ordinance 2026-9
Universal filming hours: No fixed Borough-wide filming window located

Which Fort Lee rules are current

Use Ordinance 2026-9, not the older codified fee table

Ordinance 2026-9, adopted June 18, 2026, amends and restates Chapter 210 and changes the fee schedule. When this guide was checked, the Borough’s eCode360 code carried legislation only through December 11, 2025, so a June 2026 ordinance would not yet appear in the codified chapter. Do not republish older eCode fee language where it differs from the adopted ordinance.

Cite Ordinance 2026-9 when you contact the Clerk so that older figures are not applied inadvertently.

Documented location and jurisdiction character

Official sources support the following planning context:

Fort Lee Borough states that it does not have jurisdiction over Fort Lee Historic Park or the New Jersey portion of Palisades Interstate Park.
The Palisades Interstate Park Commission identifies Fort Lee Historic Park among the properties covered by its film-and-photography process.
The Port Authority publishes a separate process for special events, film shoots, photo shoots and unmanned-aircraft requests at its facilities, including the George Washington Bridge.
Municipal streets, sidewalks and other Borough-controlled public places are covered by the Borough ordinance.

These sources establish control and process only. They do not establish current availability, exclusivity, staging access, bridge access or permission.

When a Borough permit is required

The ordinance covers still or motion recording for commercial or educational purposes intended for television, theaters, major broadcast or streaming platforms, or institutional use. News stories are excluded.

A Borough permit is required for filming on public lands controlled by Fort Lee, and for filming on private property when public property will be used for production vehicles, equipment, temporary storage, structures, barricades or traffic restrictions.

Private-owner permission remains necessary. A municipal permit does not authorize park-commission, Port Authority or other separately controlled property.

Application and timing

Applications are obtained from and filed with the Borough Clerk during normal business hours on a Clerk-approved form. The ordinance’s timing and fee categories distinguish a basic permit with four or more days’ advance notice from an expedited permit with three or fewer days’ notice.

The Administrator may waive the timing requirement when required approvals have been obtained and adjacent owners or tenants do not need notice. A production should not rely on a waiver in advance.

Ask the Clerk to confirm whether the days are calendar or business days; when an application is considered complete; whether department approvals must precede filing; the approval timeline for police, fire, parking, street and electrical review; and whether a changed date or schedule requires a new permit.

Insurance and indemnity

For filming on Borough-controlled public land, Ordinance 2026-9 requires proof of:

$500,000 bodily-injury coverage for one person
$1,000,000 aggregate bodily-injury coverage
$300,000 property-damage coverage for each occurrence
A written indemnification agreement protecting the Borough

Obtain the Borough’s exact certificate-holder, additional-insured and endorsement language before ordering coverage. The ordinance figures do not answer every certificate-format question.

Bond

None located, stated narrowly

No film-specific cash or maintenance bond requirement was located in Ordinance 2026-9. That is not a promise that another property agreement, department or agency can never require a deposit or security.

Notice

When production activity directly involves or affects businesses, merchants or residents, the ordinance requires written notice at least three days before the requested shoot date. It also says proof of service must be submitted to the Clerk “within two days of” the requested date.

Do not build a schedule from that phrasing

This guide does not translate the “within two days of” wording into a production-created timetable. Ask the Borough to approve in writing who must receive notice, the required text and delivery method, proof of delivery, the exact notice and proof deadlines, and treatment of changed dates or hours.

Filming hours

No universal filming window

Ordinance 2026-9 does not publish a fixed universal filming window. Proposed hours are among the factors considered in waiver and permit review. Obtain approved setup, filming, meal, breakdown and final-departure hours in writing. Borough office hours are not filming hours.

Police, fire, inspection and electrical review

The ordinance requires the applicant to hire an off-duty police officer for the times indicated on the permit. It also allows the Police Chief to require one or more on-site patrol officers when traffic or public safety is affected, under an agreed public-safety plan.

The Fire Prevention Bureau or another Borough inspector may inspect the site and equipment. If existing or municipal electrical power is used and the production does not have a licensed electrician on staff, a licensed electrician may be required.

Disclose traffic control, weapons, special effects, flame, smoke, generators, cable runs, rigging, electrical tie-ins and other safety impacts in the first submission.

Current published fees

Charge	Ordinance 2026-9
Basic filming permit, four or more days’ notice	$100
Expedited filming permit, three or fewer days’ notice	$250
Nonprofit or student basic permit	$25; no daily filming fee
Public property, production budget under $20 million	$150 per day
Public property, production budget over $20 million	$500 per day
Private property	No daily filming fee
Police, fire and other public-safety personnel	Standard hourly rates
Street closure affecting more than 10,000 residents	$5,000 per day
Public parking	Published public rate
Lost Borough revenue or damage	Reimbursable

Exactly $20 million is unclassified

The “under” and “over” fee rows do not classify a budget at exactly $20 million, although the ordinance’s definition of a major motion picture separately uses a budget of at least $20 million. Obtain a written classification rather than assuming which row applies.

Payments to private background businesses or “dressed” businesses are negotiated privately. They are not Borough-set location fees. Obtain a written all-in quote covering the permit, public property, parking, personnel, closure, inspection, lost revenue and any separate property agreement.

Who controls the location?

Location or impact	Starting authority
Borough street, sidewalk, public place, curb, meter or municipal facility	Fort Lee Borough Clerk and assigned Borough departments
Private residence, business, building or lot	Owner or authorized representative, plus the Borough when the ordinance’s public-impact trigger applies
Fort Lee Historic Park or other Palisades Interstate Park Commission property	Palisades Interstate Park Commission film-and-photography process
George Washington Bridge or other Port Authority facility	Port Authority special-event, film/photo and UAS process
County or State roadway or property	The agency controlling the exact segment

The Palisades Interstate Park Commission’s current materials state that a commercial film application should be made at least 10 days ahead and that late applications may not be considered. Its application also contains separate property, day and public-safety rules. Use the Commission’s current packet for Commission property.

Drones need Port Authority approval

The Port Authority requires prior written approval for unmanned-aircraft activity at its crossings, pathways and adjacent property. Do not launch a drone based on a Borough permit.

Practical production planning

Start with the Borough Clerk and request the current approved form.
Cite Ordinance 2026-9 in the request so older fees are not applied inadvertently.
Get the Borough’s written notice schedule.
Ask how exactly-$20-million budgets are classified.
Map the boundary between Borough, park-commission, Port Authority and private property before scouting.
Apply separately and early for Palisades Interstate Park Commission or Port Authority activity.
Include vehicle counts, truck dimensions, parking, curb needs, generator placement, cable crossings and traffic-control plans.
Obtain written schedules for setup, camera, breakdown and final departure.
Confirm the current owner and authorized signer for every private location.

Documented productions

Up In the Hills

The State’s 2024 production list identifies Fort Lee among the New Jersey filming municipalities.

Doctor Strange

The State’s 2016 production list identifies Fort Lee and Englewood Cliffs for April filming.

Nobody’s Fool

The State’s 2018 production list identifies Fort Lee among the New Jersey filming municipalities.

Ray Donovan

The State’s 2018 production list identifies Fort Lee and Jersey City.

Prior filming documents a past use only. It does not establish current availability, ownership, permission, price or the exact place represented on screen.

Common questions

Is Fort Lee a Film Ready certified community?

Fort Lee does not appear on the State’s current Film Ready certified-localities page as of July 27, 2026. This guide makes no broader claim about past status or future certification.

Which Fort Lee filming rules are current?

Use Ordinance 2026-9, adopted June 18, 2026. It restates Chapter 210 and controls over older fee language that may still appear in the codified chapter, which carried legislation only through December 11, 2025 when this guide was checked.

How far ahead should I apply for a Fort Lee film permit?

The ordinance prices a basic permit for four or more days’ advance notice and an expedited permit for three or fewer days. Contact the Clerk early and ask whether those are calendar or business days and when a filing is complete.

How much is a Fort Lee film permit?

The current ordinance publishes a $100 basic fee and a $250 expedited fee. Public-property daily fees are $150 for budgets under $20 million and $500 for budgets over $20 million. Exactly $20 million is not classified in those fee rows, so obtain a written quote.

Does a Fort Lee permit cover Fort Lee Historic Park?

No. The Borough says it does not control Fort Lee Historic Park or Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey. Use the Palisades Interstate Park Commission’s film-and-photography process.

Does a Fort Lee permit cover the George Washington Bridge?

No. The Port Authority publishes a separate process for film, photography, special-event and unmanned-aircraft requests at its facilities.

Official sources

Checked July 27, 2026. The Borough’s codified chapter carried legislation only through December 11, 2025 at the time of review. 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.