Town guide

Filming in Secaucus, New Jersey

A production guide to Secaucus’s Chapter 63A permit, its published fees, insurance and bond, the weekday-only filming rule and the agencies that share the Meadowlands district.

Secaucus combines commercial and industrial properties with residential areas, Hackensack River wetlands, municipal open space and one of New Jersey’s principal rail-transfer stations. Those settings sit under municipal, private, NJ TRANSIT, Hudson County and Meadowlands-district control.

The Town Clerk links a current eight-page film packet. Its municipal code requires early filing, one permit per location, weekday filming and detailed plans for people, vehicles, parking, sanitation, crowd control, cleanup and electrical work.

Information checked July 24, 2026

Checked Jul 24 2026

County: Hudson County
Film Ready treatment: Not listed on the current State certified-localities page as of July 29, 2026
Municipal starting point: Secaucus Town Clerk
Deputy Town Clerk / Local Registrar: Katrina Tavarez, CMR
Deputy phone: 201-330-2020
Clerk office phone: 201-330-2017
General Town phone: 201-330-2000
Office: 1203 Paterson Plank Road, 2nd Floor, Secaucus, NJ 07094
Published hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., office hours, not filming hours
Controlling law: Secaucus Code Chapter 63A
Application deadline: At least 10 days before filming
Application window: No more than 90 days before the first filming date
Permit duration: No more than seven filming days
Application fee: $25
Public-land permit: $500
Nonprofit educational public-land permit: $25
Filming days: Monday–Friday only
Residential latest time: No filming after 11:00 p.m.
Insurance: $1 million one person / $3 million aggregate bodily injury; $500,000 property damage
Security: $500 certified check or performance and payment bond

Documented location and jurisdiction character

Official sources support the following planning context:

The Secaucus Environmental Department documents a 1.6-mile Greenway connecting Mill Creek Point Park with riverfront, school and neighborhood parks.
NJSEA documents Mill Creek Marsh, Riverbend Wetland Preserve, Anderson Creek Marsh and a restored wetlands boardwalk near Secaucus High School.
NJ TRANSIT identifies Secaucus Junction as a major rail-transfer facility connecting regional lines and Meadowlands event service.
NJSEA identifies Secaucus as one of 14 municipalities in the Hackensack Meadowlands District and publishes separate land-use submission instructions for district properties.
The State Film Commission’s official spotlight documents PRG’s Secaucus production-support operation.

These sources establish existing settings, agencies and production infrastructure. They do not establish filming access, hours, parking, basecamp, environmental access or permission.

When a Town permit is required

Chapter 63A says no person or entity may commence filming in Secaucus without a Town permit. It defines filming as still or motion recording for any purpose.

The chapter exempts news stories, and solely private, noncommercial filming involving two or fewer crew members.

Read the exemptions narrowly

Do not extend those exemptions to commercial stills, online content or a larger private crew.

Application and timing

The application must be filed at least 10 days before the requested filming date and include the $25 application fee. The permit is obtained no more than 90 days before the first scheduled date, is valid for no more than seven filming days, is issued separately for each location, and is reviewed by the Town Administrator or designee.

The Administrator may issue alternate dates without another permit fee when adverse weather or another good cause prevents filming.

Filming days and hours

Filming is permitted only Monday through Friday. The code says filming may not occur in a residential area after 11:00 p.m.

What the code does not publish

It does not publish a universal earliest start time, a universal nonresidential end time, or weekend waiver criteria. Obtain setup, filming, meal, breakdown and final-departure times in writing. Do not treat office hours as filming hours.

Insurance and indemnity

The code requires:

$1,000,000 bodily-injury coverage for one person
$3,000,000 bodily-injury aggregate per occurrence
$500,000 property-damage coverage per occurrence
A certificate naming the Town of Secaucus “the insured”
Written indemnification covering liability, expenses, legal costs, claims and damages

Unusual certificate wording

Because the ordinance does not use the usual “additional insured” phrase, request the Town’s exact certificate, endorsement and cancellation requirements rather than rewriting the law onto a certificate.

Bond

The applicant must provide a $500 certified check or performance and payment bond. It secures the obligations in the ordinance and permit, and remaining money is returned after full performance. Obtain the current payee, form, submission point, return conditions and processing timeline.

Notice

When activity directly involves or affects a business, merchant or resident, the applicant must give written notice within three days after filing the application. The notice must describe the activity and explain that objections may be filed with the Clerk.

Affected residents must also receive at least three days’ notice of parking restrictions and other inconvenience. Ask the Town to approve the recipient area, text, method, proof and changed-date procedure.

Police and street control

Chapter 63A publishes:

A location with 10 or more vehicles must have an off-duty Secaucus officer or another officer approved by the Police Chief.
“If there are 25 or more vehicles and persons then two officers will be required.”
A public street may not be closed without Mayor and Council permission.
A copy of the permit goes to the Police Chief at least three days before filming.
The applicant must follow Police directives and allow site and equipment inspection.

The two-officer threshold is quoted exactly

The ordinance’s phrase “25 or more vehicles and persons” is reproduced as written. This guide does not interpret how the count is applied. Ask the Town to explain the threshold in writing.

The film packet’s February 2026 extra-duty security form publishes a rate that varies by assigned officer at one-and-one-half times the officer’s standard rate, a minimum officer rate of $80 per hour, a marked patrol unit at $250 per day, an administrative fee of $10 per hour per officer, a three-hour cancellation fee for cancellation within eight hours of the start, and a four-hour cancellation fee after the scheduled start.

Two forms, two rate schedules

The separate traffic-control form publishes a $25-per-hour-per-officer administrative charge and additional conditions. Ask Police which form and rate schedule applies to your shoot.

Electrical, fire, building and sanitation

The application requires descriptions of sanitation, crowd control, cleanup and electrical requirements. The applicant is responsible for all necessary electrical, fire, building, plumbing and other inspections.

Disclose generators, cable crossings, electrical distribution, temporary structures, flame, smoke, effects, food service and portable sanitation before filing.

Current published fees

Charge	Current published amount
Permit application fee	$25
Filming on public land	$500
Nonprofit educational filming on public land	$25
Bond or certified check	$500
Police officer	Variable; packet publishes one-and-one-half times assigned rate, minimum $80/hour
Marked patrol unit	$250/day in the February 2026 form
Extra-duty security administration	$10/hour/officer
Traffic-control administration	$25/hour/officer on the separate form
Inspections, parking, property use or other services	Obtain a written quote

Nonrefundable, and stacking is unstated

The ordinance says all fees are nonrefundable. It does not expressly say whether the $25 application fee stacks with the $500 public-land fee. Obtain a written all-in calculation.

Who controls the location?

Location or impact	Starting authority
Town street, sidewalk, park or municipal facility	Secaucus Town Clerk, Administrator and assigned Town departments
Private residence, office, warehouse, hotel, studio or lot	Owner or authorized representative, plus the Town permit
Secaucus Junction, platforms, tracks, station roads or NJ TRANSIT facilities	NJ TRANSIT
Hudson County road, park or facility	Hudson County
NJSEA-owned wetland or other Authority property	New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
Property inside the Hackensack Meadowlands District	Confirm owner plus applicable Town and NJSEA land-use or agency review

NJSEA’s current application instructions say land-use applications for properties in the Secaucus portion of the Meadowlands District are first submitted electronically to NJSEA, which forwards them to Secaucus for review. That land-use procedure is not itself a film permit, but it confirms that the district boundary can involve more than the Town alone.

Practical production planning

Apply at least 10 days ahead and no more than 90 days ahead.
Use one permit per location and budget for a maximum seven filming days per permit.
Keep filming to Monday–Friday unless the Town gives a lawful written direction.
Ask the Clerk for exact certificate wording before ordering insurance.
Ask Police how “25 or more vehicles and persons” is counted.
Ask whether the application and public-land fees stack.
Get the correct extra-duty form and written personnel quote.
Obtain Mayor and Council approval before relying on a public-street closure.
Map municipal, NJ TRANSIT, Hudson County, NJSEA and private boundaries.
Include parking, sanitation, crowd control, cleanup and electrical plans in the first submission.

Documented productions

Legado

The State’s 2024 production list identifies Hillsborough and Secaucus for July–August filming.

Happy Gilmore 2

The State’s 2024 list identifies Secaucus among its New Jersey filming municipalities.

The Beast in Me

The State’s 2024 list identifies Secaucus among the miniseries’ New Jersey municipalities.

Hard Knocks

The State’s 2023 report says the series filmed in Secaucus, Hoboken and East Rutherford.

Prior filming documents municipal production activity only. It does not establish the precise address, current owner, current availability, permission or what Secaucus represented on screen.

Common questions

Is Secaucus Film Ready certified?

Secaucus does not appear on the State’s current Film Ready certified-localities page checked July 29, 2026. This guide makes no broader statement about past or future status.

Does every production need a Secaucus permit?

Chapter 63A broadly requires a permit for filming in town. It exempts news stories and solely private, noncommercial filming with two or fewer crew members.

How far ahead should a production apply?

At least 10 days before filming and no more than 90 days before the first scheduled date.

May a production film on weekends?

Chapter 63A says filming is permitted only Monday through Friday. The checked sources do not publish a weekend exception.

What insurance does Secaucus publish?

$1 million bodily injury for one person, $3 million aggregate and $500,000 property damage. The code says the certificate must name the Town “the insured,” so obtain the Town’s exact certificate wording.

Does a Town permit cover Secaucus Junction?

No. Secaucus Junction is an NJ TRANSIT facility and requires separate agency coordination.

Official sources

Checked July 29, 2026 against Chapter 63A, the Clerk’s linked film packet and NJSEA 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 production

BLL Films may provide crew, equipment or production services when requested.

BLL

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.