Hamilton, NJ Filming & Production: Student Filming (2026)

Chapter 160 lists six categories exempt from the filming permit otherwise required by § 160-2A, and § 160-2D(6) covers student films specifically: 'A student film, provided that the makers and the school shall agree in writing that if the student film is ever released for commercial purposes, all permit costs and fees shall be due and payable as provided for in Chapter 215, Fees, § 215-1, Municipal Clerk, of the Township Code. ' In practice this means a student production can shoot on Township property using public space, vehicles, or equipment without first securing the Municipal Clerk's location permit or paying the permit fee, provided the school and student filmmakers sign a written agreement accepting retroactive liability for that fee (and all other fees, such as insurance-related charges) if the project is later sold or licensed commercially.

The exemption sits alongside five other no-permit categories in the same subsection: spontaneous news reporting, non-commercial private social events like weddings, non-commercial court-related filming, purely private or family use including real estate sales footage, and filming conducted by or for the Township itself. Because the exemption is conditioned on the commercial-release trigger, a student film that stays non-commercial never owes the permit fee at all.