Filming in Hackensack, New Jersey
A production guide to Hackensack’s Chapter 85 permit, its published fees and insurance, the Police questionnaire, and the County and transit processes nearby.
Hackensack combines a redeveloping Main Street, residential neighborhoods, municipal parks, Bergen County government facilities and two NJ TRANSIT stations. A useful production plan starts by identifying which of those settings is controlled by the City, County, transit agency, institution or a private owner.
The City Clerk publishes a five-page application with its own Police traffic questionnaire. That packet and Chapter 85 provide a current, unusually detailed municipal starting point.
Information checked July 24, 2026
- County
- Bergen County
- Film Ready treatment
- Hackensack is not individually listed on the current State certified-localities page checked July 29, 2026; Bergen County is listed separately
- Municipal starting point
- Hackensack City Clerk
- Acting City Clerk
- Timothy Hoffman
- Acting Clerk phone / email
- 201-646-3940 · thoffman@hackensack.org
- Deputy City Clerk
- Allison R. Saabye, R.M.C.
- Deputy phone / email
- 201-646-3941 · asaabye@hackensack.org
- Office
- 65 Central Avenue, 3rd Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601
- Published hours
- Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., office hours, not filming hours
- Controlling law
- City Code Chapter 85, adopted May 21, 2024
- Current form
- Film Permit Application, updated October 2025
- Basic permit
- $100
- Expedited permit
- $150
- Public-property daily fee
- $200 per day; $1,000 per day for a major motion picture
- Private-property fee
- No fee published
- Nonprofit or student
- $25; no daily rate
- Public-land insurance
- $500,000 bodily injury to one person / $1,000,000 aggregate, plus $300,000 property damage
- Film-specific bond
- None located in Chapter 85 or the current application
- Universal filming hours
- None published; before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. triggers Police questionnaire review
Documented location and jurisdiction character
Official sources support the following planning context:
- The City’s redevelopment page describes Main Street’s two-way streetscape, new sidewalks, street furniture, decorative lighting and continuing mixed-use redevelopment.
- NJ TRANSIT identifies Anderson Street and Essex Street as Hackensack stations on the Pascack Valley Line. The station pages identify NJ TRANSIT as owner of their listed lots.
- The Bergen County Film & TV Office handles filming in County parks, County facilities, the County Courthouse and Old Jail.
- The County Film Office says the courthouse complex is typically unavailable for daytime shoots, although nights or weekends may be possible.
- The County’s outdoor-activities page identifies Borg’s Woods as a 14-acre woodland and wetland preserve in Hackensack.
These sources identify possible visual categories and separate control. They do not establish current availability, exclusivity, an approved schedule or permission.
When a City permit is required
Chapter 85 defines filming as commercial or educational still or motion recording intended for television, theaters, online streaming or institutional use. News stories are excluded.
A City permit is required for filming on City-controlled public property, and for private-property filming that uses public property for production vehicles, equipment, temporary storage, structures, barricades or traffic restriction.
The code publishes no fee for filming on private property, but a permit can still be required when the public-impact trigger applies.
Application and timing
Applications are filed with the City Clerk on the approved form. Chapter 85 says no permit will be issued unless the application is made more than three days before the requested filming date. The City Manager may waive the period when related approvals have been obtained and adjacent owners or tenants do not need notification.
Ask the Clerk whether “three days” means calendar or business days; when an application becomes complete; whether the $150 expedited fee is available for every late request; how long Police, Fire, Parking, Manager and Clerk review normally takes; and how rain dates or changed locations are handled.
A weather or good-cause alternate date may be issued without another fee when the applicant remains compliant.
Insurance and indemnity
For filming on public land, the code and current form require:
- $500,000 bodily-injury coverage for one person
- $1,000,000 bodily-injury aggregate
- $300,000 property-damage coverage per occurrence
- City of Hackensack named as additional insured
- Written indemnification
Obtain exact certificate-holder, endorsement, primary and noncontributory, waiver and cancellation wording from the City before ordering the certificate.
Bond
No film-specific bond was located in Chapter 85 or the current application. This does not rule out a deposit or security under a separate property agreement or department approval.
Affected-party notice
When a production directly impacts a business, merchant or resident:
- Written notice is required at least three days before filming.
- The notice must tell recipients that objections may be filed with the City Clerk.
- The current application requires proof of service at least two days before the proposed date.
Ask the Clerk to approve the recipient area, text, delivery method and proof before notices are distributed.
Filming hours
Chapter 85 does not publish a universal filming window.
The Police questionnaire asks whether work is outside “normal hours,” described as before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. A yes answer is a Category B factor under which Police decide whether officers are required. That is a review trigger, not a published blanket prohibition.
Obtain approved setup, camera, meal, breakdown and final-departure times in writing.
Police, fire, parking and inspections
The application requires the Police filming questionnaire. At least one officer is required when any Category A item is yes, including:
- Blocking a sidewalk or running wires across it
- Setup in any part of the street
- Motion-picture activity as the questionnaire uses that term
- Pyrotechnics
- Filming across or from the street
- Imitation firearms or knives
Category B factors are reviewed at Police discretion and include outside-normal-hours work, exterior lighting, motorhomes on street, generator trucks, weekend work, vans, cube trucks, notable talent and cast or crew count.
Parking is limited to one side of the street unless otherwise approved. Meter use requires notification to the Parking Utility and proof of payment; the form lists 201-646-3907. Contact Fire Prevention at 201-646-7685 when a shoot includes open flame, propane, portable generators or pyrotechnics. The City may inspect the site and equipment.
Current published fees
| Charge | Current published amount |
|---|---|
| Basic filming permit | $100 |
| Expedited permit | $150 |
| Filming entirely on public property | $200 per day in addition to basic permit |
| Major motion picture entirely on public property | $1,000 per day |
| Nonprofit or student film | $25; no daily rate |
| Filming on private property | No fee |
| Parking meters, damage or lost City revenue | Reimbursable |
| Police, fire, parking and other services | Written quote required |
Chapter 85 defines a major motion picture as a film financed or distributed by a major studio or streaming service, a film with a budget of at least $5 million, or recurrent weekly television programming.
Ask the Clerk for a written fee calculation when a private-location production uses curb, meters, sidewalk, vehicles or equipment on City property. This guide does not resolve how the daily fee applies to a mixed footprint.
Who controls the location?
| Location or impact | Starting authority |
|---|---|
| City street, sidewalk, municipal park, curb, meter or facility | Hackensack City Clerk and assigned City departments |
| Private residence, business, building or lot | Owner or authorized representative, plus City review when public property is used |
| Bergen County Courthouse, Old Jail, County facility or County park | Bergen County Film & TV Office |
| Anderson Street or Essex Street station, platform or NJ TRANSIT lot | NJ TRANSIT |
| Hackensack University Medical Center or other institutional property | The institution or property owner |
| County or State road | Agency controlling the exact segment |
The Bergen County Film & TV Office publishes BCFilmOffice@bergencountynj.gov and 201-336-7325. Its permit uses a separate County process and a minimum $1 million liability requirement naming Bergen County as additional insured.
Practical production planning
- Submit the City application, insurance and Police questionnaire together.
- Treat the three-day rule as a minimum, not a recommended production schedule.
- Ask how public-property fees apply to mixed private and public footprints.
- Obtain the City’s approved notice area and proof format before outreach.
- List every meter, curb space, van, cube truck, motorhome, generator truck and cable crossing.
- Flag Category A activity early because it makes an officer mandatory under the questionnaire.
- Contact Fire Prevention for flame, propane, portable generators or pyrotechnics.
- Open County and NJ TRANSIT requests separately.
- Confirm private ownership and signer authority before paying a location fee.
Documented productions
Happy Gilmore 2
The State’s 2024 production list identifies Hackensack among the New Jersey filming municipalities.
Evil Lives Here
The State’s 2024 list identifies Hackensack among the series’ New Jersey municipalities.
New York Homicide
The State’s 2024 list identifies Hackensack among the series’ New Jersey municipalities.
Beyoncé / Levi’s “Refrigerator” commercial
The State’s 2024 list identifies Hackensack and Hasbrouck Heights for July.
Prior filming establishes only a past municipal production record. It does not establish the exact address, current availability, current owner, permission or what Hackensack represented on screen.
Common questions
Is Hackensack Film Ready certified?
Hackensack is not individually listed on the State’s current certified-localities page checked July 29, 2026. Bergen County is listed separately. The County’s status should not be displayed as a City certification.
How much is a Hackensack film permit?
The basic permit is $100 and the expedited permit is $150. Filming entirely on public property carries a $200 daily fee, or $1,000 for a major motion picture. Nonprofit and student filming is $25 with no daily fee.
How far ahead should a production apply?
Chapter 85 requires filing more than three days before the requested date unless the City Manager grants a waiver. Ask whether the City counts calendar or business days and allow time for department review and notice.
What insurance does Hackensack require?
For public-land filming, the published minimums are $500,000 bodily injury for one person, $1 million aggregate and $300,000 property damage, with Hackensack named as additional insured.
May a production film before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.?
The Police questionnaire treats those times as a review factor. The checked ordinance does not publish them as a blanket ban. Obtain the approved schedule and any officer requirement in writing.
Does a City permit cover the Bergen County Courthouse?
No. The Bergen County Film & TV Office manages the County permit for the Courthouse, Old Jail and other County property.
Official sources
- OfficialCity of Hackensack Code, Chapter 85, Filming
- OfficialCity of Hackensack, Film Permit Application updated October 2025
- OfficialCity of Hackensack, City Clerk
- OfficialCity of Hackensack, Parking Utility
- OfficialCity of Hackensack, redevelopment
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, current Film Ready certified localities
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, 2024 Annual Report
- OfficialBergen County Film & TV Office
- OfficialBergen County, outdoor activities including Borg’s Woods
- OfficialNJ TRANSIT, Anderson Street Station
- OfficialNJ TRANSIT, Essex Street Station
Checked July 29, 2026 against Chapter 85, the October 2025 application and the current Clerk page. 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 productionBLL Films may provide crew, equipment or production services when requested.
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.