Filming in Morristown, New Jersey
A production guide to Morristown’s film permit, published fees, insurance and the separate trustee, federal and transit authorities that may control a location.
Morristown combines a historic downtown, the Morristown Green, municipal streets and buildings, an NJ TRANSIT station, National Park Service property and private venues. Those locations do not share one approval process.
The Town publishes a current film application, a film chapter in its code and a named Clerk contact. The Green is controlled by its own Trustees, and federal park property has a separate National Park Service process.
Information checked July 24, 2026
- County
- Morris County
- Film Ready treatment
- Not listed on the current State certified-localities page as of July 27, 2026
- Municipal starting point
- Morristown Town Clerk
- Town Clerk
- Margot Kaye
- Phone
- 973-292-6636
- Clerk’s office
- 200 South Street, first floor, Morristown, NJ 07960
- Published office hours
- Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., office hours, not filming hours
- Published lead time
- 30 days
- Standard municipal film charges
- $500 application plus $500 per day
- Expedited municipal film charges
- $1,000 application plus $1,000 per day
- Amendment
- $250 per change
- Insurance
- $1,000,000 single occurrence / $3,000,000 aggregate
- Notice
- Directly affected property owners; no fixed public notice period located
- Bond
- No film-specific bond amount located in the current code or form
- Published fixed filming-hours window
- None located; use the approved schedule
Documented location character
Official sources support the following descriptions:
- The Town’s 2022 Master Plan Reexamination describes a downtown containing historic prewar buildings and modern mixed-use development and notes that many historic downtown buildings are two or three stories.
- The Town’s own history and general-information pages identify the Morristown Green as the center of the downtown and describe the community’s Revolutionary-era history.
- The National Park Service describes Morristown National Historical Park as four discontiguous areas associated with the Continental Army’s winter encampments. Those federal sites require their own property review, and the statement should not be used to imply that every park unit is within the Town.
These descriptions support visual and planning context. They do not establish current availability, ownership, exclusive access or permission.
When a permit is required
The current code requires a permit for filming motion pictures, television programs, advertisements or similar productions anywhere in the Town. It excludes news media and an individual using a handheld camera without assistance. The code also allows student filming fees to be waived when the required school certification is supplied.
A municipal permit does not give a production the right to occupy the Green, NJ TRANSIT property, National Park Service property or a private site.
Application and lead time
The current March 2025 form instructs applicants to submit to the Town Clerk 30 days before the requested dates. The code uses the same 30-day rule.
The code treats an application as expedited when it is submitted less than 30 days before filming or requires processing in 14 days or less. The current form publishes the corresponding expedited charges.
The application should state: exact filming location and controlling owner; setup, filming and breakdown dates and hours; cast, crew and background count; vehicles, parking, curb and street impacts; lighting, generators, cables and equipment; police, fire, code, parking and other municipal needs; directly affected property owners; and other controlling agencies and written location permissions.
Insurance and indemnity
The current application instructs the production to supply a certificate of insurance with the Town of Morristown as certificate holder and limits of $1,000,000 single occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate.
The code applies those limits to filming on public land, requires the Town to be named as an additional insured and requires the certificate when the application is filed. The production must also indemnify the Town.
Because those are not interchangeable insurance concepts, obtain the Town’s exact current certificate and endorsement instructions before submission.
Bond
No standard film-specific bond or damage-deposit amount was located in the current application or film code. Do not treat this as “no bond required.” Ask whether the proposed location or facility agreement creates a deposit, escrow or restoration requirement.
Notice
The application requires proof that directly affected property owners have been notified. The code similarly requires notice to directly affected property owners.
Neither source publishes a fixed number of days, radius or standard delivery method in the film section. Ask the Clerk to approve the recipient list, timing, notice text, delivery method and proof for the particular production.
Hours
No universal filming-hours window was located in the current film code or application. Submit separate setup, camera and crew-wrap times and use only the schedule approved in the permit and property agreement.
Other ordinances, property rules and public-safety decisions may still restrict noise, access or night activity. Do not import an hours rule from another town.
Police, fire, code, parking and municipal costs
The Town may require police, fire, code or other municipal personnel and charges the production for those actual costs. The production is also responsible for parking impacts at the Morristown Parking Authority’s prevailing rate.
Contact the Morristown Parking Authority at 973-539-4810 for the current treatment of its spaces or facilities. Confirm every staffing level and rate in writing before locking the budget.
Current published fees
| Charge | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Standard film application | $500 |
| Standard filming | $500 per day |
| Expedited film application | $1,000 |
| Expedited filming | $1,000 per day |
| Amendment | $250 per change |
| Form’s “Additional Town Property Fee,” up to eight hours | $750 per day |
| Form’s “Additional Town Property Fee,” eight hours or more | $1,000 per day |
The current code uses the same $750/$1,000 figures under the heading “Advertising and Public Relations Photography, Still or Video,” while the form calls them an additional Town-property fee. This guide does not reconcile the two labels or compute a total.
Ask the Clerk to identify in writing: the production’s fee category; which charges stack; how a partial day is handled; whether setup and breakdown count toward the hour threshold; and police, fire, code, parking, facility and other pass-through costs.
Who controls the location?
| Location or impact | Starting authority |
|---|---|
| Town street, sidewalk, public building or municipal property | Morristown Town Clerk and assigned Town departments |
| Morristown Green | Trustees of the Morristown Green first, followed by the Town process required for the production |
| Morristown Station or other NJ TRANSIT property | NJ TRANSIT Real Estate Development and Planning commercial-filming process |
| Morristown National Historical Park property | National Park Service, Morristown National Historical Park |
| Private residence, business, school, institution or venue | Property owner or authorized representative, plus the Town permit |
| Morristown Parking Authority space or facility | Morristown Parking Authority, plus the Town process and any other controlling owner |
| County or State roadway or property | The agency that owns or controls the exact segment |
The Morristown Green
The Town application says the Green’s Trustee office can be reached at 973-539-4900 and that written Trustee approval must precede Town consideration. The Trustees’ current usage page states that a moratorium on special events is in effect, with limited exceptions.
That language does not establish whether a particular film setup is classified as a special event, or whether an exception will be considered. Contact the Trustees before representing the Green as usable.
Morristown National Historical Park
The National Park Service’s permit page, updated June 23, 2026, says that permits and fees are not required in most cases for groups of eight people or fewer, while a permit may be required in other circumstances. The current 2026 Superintendent’s Compendium identifies triggers including closed areas, exclusive use, staging beyond handheld equipment and groups larger than eight, unless the superintendent provides otherwise.
The park publishes a $75 application fee when a permit is required and advises applicants to contact staff before applying. It asks for at least one week, with complex requests taking longer. Federal rules, location closures and cost recovery can apply. Drones are prohibited unless written superintendent approval is obtained.
Use the current National Park Service page and staff instructions for the exact activity; do not treat the municipal permit as federal authorization.
Practical production planning
- Apply earlier than 30 days when the Green, NJ TRANSIT, federal park property, street control or a large municipal-services plan is involved.
- Obtain Trustee approval before submitting a Green-dependent plan to the Town.
- Ask the Clerk to identify the fee category and all stacking charges in writing.
- Map Town, trustee-controlled, federal, transit, parking-authority and private boundaries before the tech scout.
- Include setup and breakdown in the application, notice and approved hours.
- Provide actual truck dimensions, parking counts, generator locations and cable crossings.
- Scout downtown traffic, trains, bells, pedestrians, events, deliveries and public activity at the intended hour.
Documented productions
Mean Girls
The State’s 2023 production materials list Morristown among the New Jersey filming municipalities used by the production.
The Union
The State’s 2023 production list identifies Morristown among the production’s New Jersey filming municipalities.
A Good Person
The State’s 2021 annual report says the production used the Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown.
Prior filming documents a past use only. It does not establish current availability, ownership, permission or a current fee.
Common questions
Is Morristown a Film Ready certified community?
Morristown 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 earlier program participation.
How far ahead should I apply for a Morristown film permit?
The current application and code require filing 30 days before filming. An application submitted with less time or requiring processing within 14 days or less is treated as expedited under the code.
How much does a Morristown film permit cost?
The Town publishes a $500 standard application fee and $500 daily filming fee, or $1,000 application and $1,000 daily fee for expedited work. Its form also lists $750/$1,000 Town-property figures whose label differs from the code’s category heading. Obtain a written, project-specific quote rather than adding the figures yourself.
Does the Town permit cover the Morristown Green?
No. The current Town application says written approval from the Trustees of the Morristown Green must precede Town consideration for use of the Green.
Does the Town permit cover Morristown National Historical Park?
No. National Park Service property has a separate federal process. The current federal rules depend on the crew size, activity, equipment, location and requested control.
Does the Town permit cover Morristown Station?
No. Commercial filming on NJ TRANSIT property requires a separate NJ TRANSIT process.
Official sources
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, current Film Ready certified-localities list
- OfficialTown of Morristown, Town Clerk
- OfficialTown of Morristown, Filmmaking/Photography Application, March 2025
- OfficialTown of Morristown Code, Chapter 10, Filming
- OfficialTrustees of the Morristown Green, Usage
- OfficialMorristown Parking Authority, Contact
- OfficialTown of Morristown, 2022 Master Plan Reexamination
- OfficialNational Park Service, Morristown National Historical Park permits
- OfficialNational Park Service, current Morristown Superintendent’s Compendium
- OfficialNJ TRANSIT, commercial filming and photography policy
- OfficialNJ TRANSIT, Morristown Station
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, 2023 Annual Report
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, 2021 Annual Report
Checked July 27, 2026 against the Town’s clerk page, March 2025 form, code, Trustee and NPS 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.