Hackensack, NJ Filming & Production: Production Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 85-4A, Enforcement
- Standard
- Abate noise 'to the extent practicable'
- Notice duty
- 3 days' written notice to affected neighbors
- Complaint path
- Objections filed with City Clerk
Summary
Hackensack's filming ordinance does not set a decibel limit for productions; instead Section 85-4 requires permit holders to minimize inconvenience to neighbors and, to the extent practicable, abate noise and move production vehicles off public streets. The City Manager can deny future permits if a production ignored this duty.
The holder of a permit shall conduct filming in such a manner as to minimize the inconvenience or discomfort to adjoining property owners attributable to such filming and shall, to the extent practicable, abate noise and park vehicles associated with such filming off the public streets.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 85-4, titled Enforcement, is the operative noise provision in Chapter 85 (adopted May 21, 2024 by Ordinance No. 19-2024). Subsection A requires the permit holder to conduct filming in a manner that minimizes inconvenience or discomfort to adjoining property owners, and specifically to abate noise and park production vehicles off the public streets to the extent practicable. This sits alongside a companion duty in Subsection B to avoid interfering with previously scheduled activities on public lands and to give businesses, merchants or residents written notice at least three days before shooting when the production will directly affect them, informing them that objections may be filed with the City Clerk as part of the permit review.
There is no separate decibel table or curfew for filming in this chapter; the standard is the practicable-abatement duty in Section 85-4A, enforced through the permitting and appeal mechanism in Sections 85-5 and 85-6 rather than through a standalone noise citation. Hackensack's general Noise chapter (Ch. 112) exists separately for citywide noise limits, but the filming chapter's own text governs production activity under a valid permit.
Violations & Fines
A production that fails to abate noise as required by Section 85-4A can be grounds for the City Manager to refuse a future permit under Section 85-5A, which lists unreasonable interference with the use and enjoyment of adjoining properties as a disqualifying factor. Where a violation of the chapter otherwise occurs, Section 1-15's general penalty applies: a fine up to $2,000, imprisonment up to 90 days, or community service up to 90 days, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a decibel limit for film shoots in Hackensack?
Can neighbors object to a noisy production before it starts?
What if a production ignores the noise-abatement duty?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
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