Filming in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick charges $100 a day — the lowest daily filming fee of any municipality in this batch — for a city of 55,000 with a major university, a hospital complex and a Northeast Corridor station. The bond, at $2,000, is the highest.
New Brunswick’s filming chapter sits on a 2002 base and has been amended twice recently, most recently in February 2026, so the process is current. For a city this size and this well connected, the fee structure is unusually modest. Two things to plan around: the bond is substantial, and one internal cross-reference points at a chapter that does not exist.
Information checked September 21, 2026
- County
- Middlesex County
- Film Ready status
- Film Ready certified locality. Confirmed on the State’s published certified-localities list, read in full September 21, 2026.
- Controlling source
- City Code Chapter 5.46, on a 2002 base, amended August 20, 2025 and again February 4, 2026 by Ordinance O-012602
- Who issues
- The City Clerk
- Who decides
- The City Administrator refuses permits and grants waivers
- Published lead time
- Four business days
- Basic permit fee
- $100, or $250 expedited
- Daily fee
- $100 per day, or $500 per day for a major motion picture
- Bond
- $2,000, returned within 10 days
- Hours
- Monday through Sunday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. camera wrap, 10:00 p.m. crew wrap
- A dead cross-reference
- § 5.46.050A cross-references “Section 5.116.030.A”. There is no Chapter 5.116 in the New Brunswick code
- Last verified
- September 21, 2026
$100 basic permit ($250 expedited) and $100 a day — the lowest daily filming fee in this batch — or $500 a day for a major motion picture. Four business days’ notice. Hours are 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. camera wrap, 10:00 p.m. crew wrap, seven days a week.
The item to plan for is the $2,000 bond, returned within 10 days. That is the highest bond in this batch, and it is posted before you shoot.
A big city with small fees
New Brunswick is a city of roughly 55,000 people with Rutgers, a major hospital complex, and a Northeast Corridor station twenty-five minutes from Newark Airport. On the strength of that alone you would expect it to price filming like a city. It does not: $100 a day is the lowest daily rate in this batch, below every small borough around it.
Chapter 5.46 sits on a 2002 base and has been amended twice recently — August 20, 2025, and again on February 4, 2026 by Ordinance O-012602 — so the process is maintained rather than merely old.
| What | Amount |
|---|---|
| Basic filming permit | $100 |
| Expedited permit | $250 |
| Daily filming fee | $100 |
| Daily filming fee, major motion picture | $500 |
| Bond | $2,000, returned within 10 days |
Who does what, and when
- Who issues it. The City Clerk.
- Who refuses or waives. The City Administrator. Those are two different offices and it is worth knowing which one you are actually asking when a request is contentious.
- Lead time. Four business days. That is the filing requirement, not the turnaround. Street closures, the university area and the hospital district all deserve considerably more room.
- Hours. Monday through Sunday, 7:00 a.m. start, 9:00 p.m. camera wrap, 10:00 p.m. crew wrap. The seven-day window is more generous than several surrounding towns, some of which are Monday to Friday only, and the hour between camera and crew wrap is written into the chapter rather than left to goodwill on the night.
- Bond. $2,000, returned within 10 days. Flag it to your production accountant as cash flow rather than cost.
A cross-reference that points nowhere
§ 5.46.050A cross-references “Section 5.116.030.A”. There is no Chapter 5.116 in the New Brunswick code.
A chapter amended repeatedly over twenty-four years can easily keep a cross-reference that pointed somewhere sensible when it was written. We note it so that a producer who goes looking for the referenced provision knows why they cannot find it, rather than concluding they have the wrong version of the code. If that provision matters to your shoot, ask the City Clerk what it was meant to point at.
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.
New Brunswick is on the State’s certified-localities list, read in full on September 21, 2026.
Practical production planning
- Budget the $2,000 bond as a separate line from the fees; it comes back.
- Four business days is the filing floor. For anything touching Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson or a street closure, allow weeks.
- Rutgers property is the University’s, not the City’s. If your location is on campus, that is a separate conversation and a separate permission.
- The seven-day week and the 10:00 p.m. crew wrap give you more usable hours than most towns nearby — worth remembering when you are choosing between locations.
- Highland Park is directly across the river and has its own process. Price the two separately if your shoot crosses the bridge.
Common questions
How much does a film permit cost in New Brunswick, NJ?
The basic permit is $100, or $250 expedited, plus $100 a day, or $500 a day for a major motion picture. The $100 daily fee is the lowest of any municipality in this batch, which is notable for a city of this size. Budget the bond separately: $2,000, returned within 10 days, which is the highest bond in the batch and a cash-flow item rather than a cost.
What are the filming hours in New Brunswick, NJ?
Monday through Sunday, with camera wrap at 9:00 p.m. and crew wrap at 10:00 p.m., starting at 7:00 a.m. The seven-day window is more generous than several of the surrounding towns, some of which are Monday to Friday only, and the hour between camera wrap and crew wrap is written into the chapter rather than left to negotiation.
How far in advance do I apply for a New Brunswick film permit?
Four business days. The City Clerk issues the permit and the City Administrator is the officer who refuses one or grants a waiver. Four business days is the filing requirement; if your shoot involves street closures, the university area or the hospital district, allow considerably more.
What is the film permit bond in New Brunswick?
$2,000, returned within 10 days of the shoot. That is the largest bond of any town in this batch, and it is worth flagging to your production accountant early, because it is posted before you shoot and returned afterwards. It is not a fee.
Why does New Brunswick's filming chapter reference a section that doesn't exist?
Section 5.46.050A cross-references “Section 5.116.030.A”, and there is no Chapter 5.116 in the New Brunswick code. The chapter has been amended several times since its 2002 base, and cross-references that pointed somewhere sensible when they were written can survive a renumbering. We note it so that a producer who goes looking for the referenced provision knows why they cannot find it, rather than assuming they have the wrong version of the code. Ask the City Clerk what it was meant to point at.
Official sources
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, Film Ready certified localities
- MunicipalNew Brunswick City Code, Chapter 5.46
- MunicipalCity of New Brunswick
Checked September 21, 2026 against the official municipal sources listed above. 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.
More town production guides
Comparing municipalities? See every Film Ready town in New Jersey, or search a specific town’s published permit, fee and contact details in the New Jersey Film Permit Finder.