Bloomfield, NJ Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Bloomfield, NJ, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Issuing office
- Bloomfield Township Fire Department
- Basic permit fee
- Not to exceed $100 with 4 or more days' notice
- Expedited permit fee
- Not to exceed $250 with 3 or less days' notice
- Permits per project
- One permit for each project
- Public-lands insurance
- $500,000 per person, $1,000,000 aggregate bodily injury
- Denial appeal deadline
- 10 days, to the Mayor and Council
Summary
In Bloomfield Township, New Jersey, nobody can film on public or private property while using public property for vehicles, equipment, barricades or traffic blocking until the Fire Department issues a permit. The permit fixes the approved location and the approved dates, and it has to be available for inspection at the filming site at all times.
No person or organization shall film or permit filming on public or private property where such filming involves the use of public property for the operation, placement or temporary storage of vehicles or equipment utilized in such filming, including, but not limited to, any temporary structure, barricade or device intended to restrict or block off pedestrian or vehicular traffic, without first having obtained a permit from the Fire Department, which permit shall set forth the approved location of such filming and the approved duration of such filming by specific reference to day or dates. Said permit must always be readily available for inspection by Township officials at the filming site. ... Permits shall be obtained from the Fire Department during normal business hours. Applications for such permits shall be in a form approved by the Fire Department and shall be accompanied by a permit fee set forth in § 228-14 herein. ... Where filming takes place on private property, permission of the owner must be obtained in writing. ... One permit shall be required for each project.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 228 of the Bloomfield Township Code, which covers Bloomfield Township in Essex County, New Jersey, makes the Fire Department the permit issuer. The trigger is use of public property: parking or storing vehicles or equipment, or setting up a temporary structure, barricade or device that restricts or blocks pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Incidental use of a public sidewalk or street that does not close it to public use is not treated as filming on public property.
Applications go to the Fire Department during normal business hours on a form the department approves, with the fee set in § 228-14. Before applying, the applicant needs Police Department review and approval of the filming plan, including location and duration. Depending on the sequence, a project can also need zoning, health or other municipal approval before the permit issues. Private-property filming requires the owner's written permission, and each project needs one permit.
Filming entirely on county, state or federal property is exempt from the municipal permit when no municipal services are used, no public rights-of-way are obstructed, and the county, state or federal permit is in hand. If weather or other good cause moves the shoot, the Fire Department can issue a new permit for other dates at no additional fee. Copies of approved permits go to the Police and Fire Departments and to the New Jersey Film Commission before filming.
The Township Clerk can refuse a permit on objective facts after a Police Department report. An aggrieved applicant appeals to the Mayor and Council by written notice filed with the Township Clerk within 10 days of the decision, and the Mayor and Council set a hearing within 30 days.
Violations & Fines
Section 228-15 sends any violation of Chapter 228 to the general penalty in § 1-15 of the Code. Where no specific penalty is provided, § 1-15 allows, upon conviction, a fine not exceeding $2,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, community service not exceeding 90 days, or any combination. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense unless otherwise provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues a film permit in Bloomfield Township?
Do I need a permit to film on private property in Bloomfield Township?
What insurance does a Bloomfield Township film permit require?
What happens if the Township Clerk denies the permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomfield
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Location Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Essex County handle location permits.