Hackensack, NJ Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)

City Code Chapter 85, adopted May 21, 2024 by Ordinance No. 19-2024, governs all commercial and educational filming in Hackensack, though it expressly excludes news coverage from its reach. Section 85-2 requires a permit from the City Clerk's office before anyone films on public property, or on private property in a way that spills onto public property through parked vehicles, equipment, barricades or devices blocking pedestrian or vehicular traffic. The permit must specify the approved location and the approved dates and must be kept on site for inspection by city officials.

Section 85-3 adds that applications must be filed at least three days before the shoot date, though the City Manager can waive that window if all other approvals are in hand and neighbors do not need notice. Public-lands permits also require proof of insurance ($500,000 per person/$1,000,000 aggregate for bodily injury, $300,000 per occurrence for property damage), a signed indemnification agreement approved by the City Attorney, and the hiring of off-duty police officers for the permitted hours as the Police Department determines. Copies of an approved permit go to the Police and Fire Departments and to the New Jersey Film Commission under Section 85-8, and the Fire Prevention Bureau may inspect the site and equipment. Section 85-9 makes the applicant responsible for reimbursing the city for lost revenue, such as parking meter income, caused by the filming.