Filming in Lambertville, New Jersey
A production guide to Lambertville’s current 2025 filming ordinance, fees, insurance, hours and the separate state and bridge authorities that may control a location.
Lambertville’s official materials document historic homes and commercial buildings, river views, parks and protected open space. The Historic Preservation Commission describes 19th- and early-20th-century commercial and office buildings with Victorian and Colonial Revival elements.
The City is a Film Ready certified locality and adopted a substantially revised filming ordinance in August 2025. City approval does not control the D&R Canal State Park, the New Hope–Lambertville Bridge, property in New Hope, Pennsylvania, or privately owned locations.
Information checked July 24, 2026
- County
- Hunterdon County
- Film Ready status
- Film Ready certified locality
- Municipal permit authority
- Lambertville City Clerk
- City Clerk
- Cynthia L. Ege, CMR, RMC
- Phone
- 609-397-0110 ext. 111
- City Hall
- 18 York Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530
- Published filing minimum
- At least three business days before the requested shooting date
- Standard residential hours
- Monday through Sunday, 7:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. camera wrap; crew wrap by 10:00 p.m.
- Basic permit
- Up to $100 with four or more days’ notice; expedited up to $250 with three or fewer days’ notice
- Bond
- $500 cash or $500 maintenance bond
Documented location character
Lambertville’s official pages support these descriptions:
- Historic homes and commercial buildings
- River views
- Protected open space and parks
- 19th- and early-20th-century commercial and office buildings
- Victorian and Colonial Revival architectural elements
- Brick, stucco and clapboard exteriors, with period details identified by the Historic Preservation Commission
The D&R Canal State Park runs through a separate state-controlled corridor. The New Hope–Lambertville Bridge is owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Neither is ordinary City property.
Current controlling law
Use the current eCode Chapter 18. It now identifies the August 21, 2025 amendment by Ordinance 19-2025. The official August 21 Council minutes reproduce the ordinance and document final adoption.
This ordinance was adopted and is in effect as of August 21, 2025, verified directly against the City’s own council minutes and the ordinance text. eCode360’s general recodification of Chapter 18 may lag behind adoption; if the code page you view doesn’t yet show the 2025 amendment, treat the adopted ordinance as controlling and confirm with the Clerk.
Do not blend the current rules with the superseded 2022 fee schedule or hours.
When a City permit is required
The current chapter requires a permit for filming on public or private land when the production uses public property for vehicles or equipment, including temporary structures, barricades or devices intended to restrict pedestrian or vehicle traffic. News-story filming is excluded.
The rule does not eliminate the need for private-owner, state, bridge or other agency permission.
Application and lead time
The code says applications must use a form approved by the City Clerk and be filed at least three business days before the requested shooting date. The Clerk may waive that period when related approvals are complete and adjacent notice is unnecessary.
No dedicated current form download was located on the Clerk’s page during this review. Request the current City-approved film application directly from the Lambertville City Clerk. Do not substitute an older form found through a third-party search.
For fee purposes, the schedule distinguishes four or more days’ advance notice from three or fewer days. Apply earlier than the minimum whenever possible.
Insurance and indemnity
For filming on City-controlled public land, Chapter 18 publishes:
- $500,000 bodily injury for one person
- $1,000,000 aggregate per occurrence
- $300,000 property damage per occurrence and aggregate
- Written indemnification of the City
Obtain current certificate-holder and additional-insured wording from the Clerk. State parks, the bridge authority and private owners may impose separate limits.
Bond
The current code requires either $500 cash or a $500 maintenance bond. It says the bond is returned within 15 days after filming if no public-property damage or public expense was caused.
Hours and night scenes
Residential filming is permitted Monday through Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with camera wrap by 9:00 p.m. and crew wrap by 10:00 p.m. The code includes setup, production and breakdown within those hours.
Exterior night scenes require approval. The Clerk may extend hours after considering traffic, the ability to remove vehicles from public streets, parking or street restrictions, whether the work is interior or exterior, impacts on neighboring occupants and the City’s prior experience with the applicant.
Notice
When filming directly involves or affects businesses, merchants or residents, the production must provide written notice at least three days before the requested shooting date. The notice must explain that objections may be filed with the City Clerk. Proof of service must be submitted to the Clerk within two days of the filming date.
Police, fire and safety
An off-duty Lambertville police officer may be required by the Chief, Police Director or Officer-in-Charge under the agreed public-safety plan. The approved permit is sent to Police and Fire, and the production must allow Fire Prevention or other City inspectors to inspect the site and equipment.
The fee schedule uses the City’s standard hourly police and fire rates. Obtain those rates in a current written quote.
Current fees
| Charge | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Basic permit with four or more days’ advance notice | $100 |
| Expedited basic permit with three or fewer days’ advance notice | $250 |
| Nonprofit or student basic permit | $25, with no daily rate |
| Public-property filming under $20 million | $150 per day |
| Public-property filming over $20 million | $500 per day |
| Private-property daily municipal fee | None |
| Police and fire | Standard municipal hourly rates under the agreed public-safety plan |
| “Street closures, less than 10,000 residents” | $1,000 |
| Public parking | Same rates charged to the public |
| Private background, use or dressing fees | Negotiated between the production and private business or residence |
The ordinance publishes the street-closure line exactly as “Street closures, less than 10,000 residents.” Confirm with the City Clerk how that category applies to the proposed closure before budgeting. Do not infer a formula or broader meaning from the wording. The production must also reimburse lost parking-meter revenue, repairs or other City revenue prevented by filming.
Who controls the location?
| Location or impact | Starting authority |
|---|---|
| City streets, sidewalks, municipal buildings and City-controlled public space | Lambertville City Clerk, Police, Fire and other City departments |
| D&R Canal State Park corridor | New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Park Service |
| New Hope–Lambertville Bridge and its walkway | Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission |
| Property in New Hope, Pennsylvania | Applicable Pennsylvania authority and property owner |
| Private residence, shop, restaurant, hotel or other property | Property owner or authorized representative, plus Lambertville when public property is used |
| County road or county property | Hunterdon County |
NJDEP’s D&R Canal page identifies commercial photography or filming as an organized activity that can require a Special Use Permit. NJDEP’s general Special Use Permit page says a completed application must be submitted at least 90 days before an organized activity. Confirm timing and applicability with the park because the state process is separate from the City’s three-day minimum.
The bridge authority’s official page identifies the New Hope–Lambertville span as owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Contact the Commission before planning any setup on the bridge or walkway.
Practical production planning
- Start the state-park process far earlier than the municipal minimum when the canal corridor is involved.
- Confirm whether the bridge, sidewalk, canal towpath, road or river edge is City, state, bridge-authority or private property.
- Scout weekend and seasonal pedestrian volumes; the bridge authority describes very heavy walkway use.
- Map working trucks, passenger vans, generators and basecamp before seeking a street closure.
- Include prep and breakdown inside the published residential hours.
- Ask for current police, fire, parking and lost-revenue charges in writing.
- Obtain written permission before dressing a storefront, residence or background property.
Documented productions
Echo Valley
Hunterdon County says the film was shot almost entirely in the county, with the main farm location in Delaware Township and other scenes in Lambertville.
Dirty Sexy Saint
The State’s 2019 annual report says the production filmed in Lambertville and several other New Jersey municipalities.
These credits document previous filming only. They do not establish that a property is currently available or that the same activity will be approved.
Common questions
Is Lambertville a Film Ready community?
Yes. Lambertville appears on the State’s current certified-localities list. The NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission named Lambertville in its March 11, 2026 cohort announcement, and Hunterdon County separately reported the City’s recognition.
Which Lambertville filming rules are current?
Use eCode Chapter 18 as amended August 21, 2025 by Ordinance 19-2025. The ordinance and its adoption are confirmed directly by the City’s own council minutes; confirm with the Clerk if the eCode page you view has not yet been recodified to show it.
How far ahead should I apply for a Lambertville film permit?
The City code sets a minimum of three business days before the requested shoot. The fee schedule treats applications with three or fewer days as expedited. Apply much earlier for notice, public safety, a street closure, state-park use, bridge use or private-location negotiations.
What are Lambertville’s residential filming hours?
The current ordinance permits residential filming Monday through Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with camera wrap by 9:00 p.m. and crew wrap by 10:00 p.m. Setup and breakdown are included. Exterior night scenes require approval.
Does a Lambertville permit cover the D&R Canal State Park?
No. The canal park is controlled by the New Jersey State Park Service and may require a separate Special Use Permit.
Does a Lambertville permit cover the bridge to New Hope?
No. The New Hope–Lambertville Bridge is owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Property and activity in Pennsylvania also fall outside Lambertville’s authority.
Official sources
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, current Film Ready certified-localities list
- OfficialNJEDA, March 11, 2026 Film Ready cohort announcement
- OfficialHunterdon County, 2026 Film Ready recognition
- OfficialLambertville eCode, current Chapter 18
- OfficialLambertville City Council minutes, August 21, 2025, Ordinance 19-2025 adoption and full text
- OfficialLambertville City Clerk
- OfficialCity of Lambertville, About Lambertville
- OfficialLambertville Historic Preservation Commission
- OfficialNJDEP, D&R Canal State Park
- OfficialNJDEP, State Park Service Special Use Permits
- OfficialDelaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, New Hope–Lambertville Bridge
- OfficialHunterdon County, Echo Valley production release
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, 2019 Annual Report
Checked July 26, 2026 against the City’s official council minutes, eCode, NJDEP and bridge-authority pages. 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.