Filming in Union Township, New Jersey
A production guide to Union Township’s Chapter 296 permit, its published fees and insurance, and the expedited-fee drafting problem to confirm in writing.
Union Township includes municipal parks and cultural facilities, a Morris Avenue business corridor, residential neighborhoods, Kean University’s campus and an NJ TRANSIT station. The Township’s current filming chapter provides a municipal route, but several prominent settings are controlled by the County, the University, NJ TRANSIT or private owners.
The State currently lists Union Township as a Film Ready certified locality. Productions should still confirm every property owner and operating agency separately.
Information checked July 24, 2026
- County
- Union County
- Film Ready status
- State Film Ready certified locality
- Municipal starting point
- Township Clerk
- Township Clerk
- Eileen Birch, R.M.C., C.M.C.
- Phone / email
- 908-851-8501 · clerks@uniontownship.com
- Office
- Town Hall, 1976 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
- Published hours
- Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., office hours, not filming hours
- Controlling law
- Chapter 296, Filming
- Basic permit
- $100
- Expedited permit
- $200, with a current drafting and 24-hour warning
- Public-property daily fee
- $150; $500 for a major motion picture
- Private-property daily municipal fee
- None published
- Nonprofit or student
- $25 per day
- Public-land insurance
- $500,000 bodily injury to one person / $1 million aggregate, plus $300,000 property damage
- Film-specific bond
- None located in Chapter 296
- Universal filming hours
- None published
Documented location and jurisdiction character
Official sources support the following planning context:
- The Township’s Parks & Facilities page identifies more than 20 recreation facilities under municipal programs.
- Thomas Mahoney Military Park is a Township memorial and public space.
- The Union Arts Center describes a theater, gallery, classroom, podcast room and outdoor plaza at its Morris Avenue site.
- Union County operates a separate countywide parks system.
- Kean University identifies its main campus at 1000 Morris Avenue and publishes separate gallery and outdoor-sculpture locations.
- NJ TRANSIT controls Union Station and publishes a separate commercial filming process.
These sources identify possible location categories and separate control. They do not establish production availability, exclusivity, permission or an approved footprint.
When a Township permit is required
Chapter 296 requires a Township permit for filming on Township-controlled public property, and for private-property filming that uses Township public property for production vehicles, equipment, temporary storage, temporary structures, barricades or pedestrian or vehicular restriction.
The permit is obtained from the Municipal Clerk. The code requires an executed agreement with the private owner for filming on private property.
Application and timing
Chapter 296 says the application must be made prior to four days before the requested filming date. The checked law does not say whether those are calendar or business days.
The Township Administrator may waive the period when related approvals are complete and adjacent owners or tenants do not need notice. Proposed interior or exterior work, hours, traffic, public parking and impacts on nearby occupants are among the factors considered for a waiver. A weather or good-cause alternate date may be issued without another fee when the applicant otherwise complies.
Expedited-processing warning
The fee provision lists a $200 expedited permit and describes it in connection with waiver of § 296-3A and processing “within 24 hours.” Section 296-3A is the standard four-day filing rule. Ask the Clerk whether the category means a 24-hour review target, what makes an application complete, and whether Police, Fire, Health or Construction review can extend the schedule.
Insurance and indemnity
For filming on public land, Chapter 296 requires:
- $500,000 bodily-injury coverage for one person
- $1 million bodily-injury aggregate
- $300,000 property-damage coverage
- Written indemnification of the Township
- Off-duty officers as determined by Police
Obtain exact certificate-holder, additional-insured, endorsement, primary and noncontributory, waiver and cancellation wording before ordering the certificate.
Bond
No film-specific bond was located in Chapter 296. A separate property, County, transit, university or departmental agreement may still require security.
Affected-party notice
When production activity directly involves or affects businesses, merchants or residents, written notice is required at least three days before the requested shooting date, recipients must be told that objections may be filed with the Clerk, and proof of service to adjacent owners must be submitted “within two days of the requested shooting date.”
Ask the Clerk for the exact due date, notice area, approved language, delivery method and proof format.
Filming hours
No universal filming window was located in Chapter 296. Proposed hours are part of the waiver and municipal-review analysis. Obtain setup, camera, meal, breakdown and final-departure times in writing.
Police, fire, health, construction and electrical work
The applicant must complete applicable Health, Fire, Police and Construction inspections before issuance.
Police determine the number of off-duty officers. The Township may require one or more patrol officers where activity may impede traffic. A licensed on-site electrician may be required when existing electrical power is used and the production does not have a licensed electrician on staff. The Fire Marshal and other Township inspectors may inspect the location and equipment and issue safety instructions.
Current published fees
| Charge | Current published amount |
|---|---|
| Basic permit | $100 |
| Expedited permit | $200 |
| Filming entirely on public property | $150 per day |
| Major motion picture entirely on public property | $500 per day |
| Nonprofit or student film | $25 per day |
| Filming on private property | No daily filming fee |
| Police, Fire, parking, damage and municipal services | Written quote required |
The current definition treats a production as a major motion picture if it is financed or distributed by one of the listed studios or major streaming services, has a budget of at least $20 million, or is recurrent weekly television. A non-major motion picture has a budget under $20 million.
The code does not state an all-in stacking calculation. Obtain a written quote for the specific footprint.
Post-production municipal report
Chapter 296 directs the municipality to submit the specified production-completion information to the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission within 10 business days.
This is a municipal reporting obligation. It is not a promise that a production qualifies for a State tax incentive.
Who controls the location?
| Location or impact | Starting authority |
|---|---|
| Township street, sidewalk, curb, park or municipal facility | Union Township Clerk and assigned Township departments |
| Private residence, business, building or lot | Owner or authorized representative, plus Township review when the Chapter 296 public-property trigger applies |
| Union County park, road or facility | Union County |
| Kean University campus, gallery or other University facility | Kean University |
| Union Station, platform, rail property or NJ TRANSIT-controlled lot | NJ TRANSIT |
| State road or State property | Controlling State agency |
| School or other institution | The institution or property owner |
Practical production planning
- File earlier than four days and ask how the Township counts the period.
- Do not rely on the ordinance’s “within 24 hours” language as an approval guarantee.
- Submit the private-owner agreement with the municipal application when applicable.
- List all public-property use, vehicles, curb, parking, officer hours, fire effects and existing electrical service.
- Ask the Clerk how application, daily, personnel, parking and inspection charges stack.
- Obtain the notice area and proof deadline before outreach.
- Open County, Kean University, NJ TRANSIT, State and private-owner requests separately.
Documented productions
Tow
The State’s 2024 production list identifies Union Township (Union County) among the New Jersey filming municipalities for April and May.
Padamatic Sanghya Ragam
The State’s 2024 list identifies Union Township among several New Jersey municipalities for October.
Relay
The State’s 2023 list identifies Union Township among the New Jersey filming municipalities for April and May.
The State reports support municipal filming only. They do not identify the exact property, current owner, present availability or what Union Township represented on screen.
Common questions
Is Union Township Film Ready certified?
Yes. Union Township appears on the State’s current Film Ready certified-localities list checked July 29, 2026.
How much is a Union Township film permit?
The basic permit is $100 and the expedited permit is $200. Filming entirely on public property is $150 per day, or $500 per day for a major motion picture. Nonprofit and student filming is $25 per day.
How far ahead should a production apply?
Chapter 296 says prior to four days before filming. The checked text does not state calendar or business days. File earlier and ask the Clerk.
Does the expedited permit guarantee approval within 24 hours?
No guarantee should be published. The ordinance uses 24-hour language in the expedited-fee provision, but related departmental approvals may still be required. Confirm the actual timeline with the Clerk.
What insurance does Union Township require?
For public-land filming, the published minimums are $500,000 bodily injury for one person, $1 million aggregate and $300,000 property damage, plus written indemnification.
Does a Township permit cover Kean University or Union Station?
No. Kean University and NJ TRANSIT control their own property and approval processes.
Official sources
- OfficialTownship of Union Code, Chapter 296, Filming
- OfficialTownship of Union, Clerk’s Office
- OfficialTownship of Union, Clerk directory and hours
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, current Film Ready certified localities
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, 2024 Annual Report
- OfficialNJ Motion Picture & Television Commission, 2023 Annual Report
- OfficialTownship of Union, Parks & Facilities
- OfficialTownship of Union, Thomas Mahoney Military Park
- OfficialTownship of Union, Union Arts Center spaces
- ReferenceKean University
- OfficialNJ TRANSIT, filming and photography policy
Checked July 29, 2026 against Chapter 296 and the current Clerk directory. 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.