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

Under Village of Ridgewood Code Chapter 147, no person or entity may engage in filming (still or motion pictures for commercial, educational, catalog or institutional use) within the village without a permit from the Village Manager's office. The complete application must be delivered at least seven working days before the first filming date. Permit fees are set under Chapter 145, plus a traffic control fee if the Chief of Police determines police assistance is needed, and a clean-up deposit held in escrow pending review of the site cleanup, with the amount left to the Village Manager's discretion based on the perceived scope of the shoot.

Applicants notifying residential neighbors must give notice to every property owner within 100 feet of a residential film site at least seven days ahead, using a list obtainable from the Village Assessor's office. m. A single location cannot be permitted for more than three consecutive days, and no location may be used for more than six days total in a calendar year. Applicants must carry $1,000,000 per-person / $3,000,000 aggregate liability coverage naming the Village as an additional insured, and must indemnify the Village against claims arising from the shoot. Filming involving pyrotechnics or explosives, or anything the Village Manager deems dangerous, is never permitted. News-story filming is exempt from the whole chapter.