Bloomfield, NJ Privacy & Surveillance: Recording & Consent Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Bloomfield Township Code Chapter 63A, Ord. No. 13-18
- Advance notice to Clerk
- No less than 30 minutes of verbal notice before the meeting
- Setup deadline
- Complete no less than 10 minutes before the official start
- Seated phone recording
- Device held no higher than eye level
- Closed sessions
- Cannot be videotaped, photographed or audiotaped
- Maximum penalty
- Fine up to $2,000, up to 90 days jail or community service
- Enforcing agency
- Bloomfield Police Department
Summary
Chapter 63A of the Bloomfield Township Code, in Essex County, New Jersey, lets residents record open Township Council meetings but sets notice, placement and equipment rules. It also bars recording official municipal business inside public facilities. The Bloomfield Police Department enforces it.
Members of the general public (hereinafter "citizen") have the right to record, videotape, film, and take pictures of open public meetings of the governing body, excluding closed or executive session discussions (hereinafter "meeting" or "meetings"). ... The citizen must provide the Clerk of the municipality with no less than 30 minutes verbal notice prior to the meeting of their intention to exercise their right to videotape or photograph the meeting. ... (11) Except as otherwise provided herein with regard to meetings, no photographs may be taken or audio/videotape recordings made within a public facility of any person, place or event relating to the administration and/or conduct of official municipal business. (12) No limitations are placed on the taking of photographs or video/audiotape recording on the grounds or environs of the municipal facility or within a municipal facility of persons, places or events which have no relation to, do not arise from, and/or are in no way connected with the administration and/or conduct of official municipal business.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 63A was adopted by the Township Council on 4-15-2013 as Ord. No. 13-18 and later redesignated from former Chapter 164 during the 2021 recodification. Section 63A-1 states the right: members of the public can record, videotape, film and photograph open meetings of the governing body, but closed or executive session discussions cannot be videotaped, photographed or audiotaped.
Section 63A-2 supplies the conditions. A citizen must give the Municipal Clerk no less than 30 minutes of verbal notice before the meeting, and failing to give that notice precludes using the equipment at that meeting. Setup must be finished no less than 10 minutes before the official start time. Equipment goes in the last two rows of the Council Chambers or along the back wall, and in the Council Chambers in the Law Enforcement Building it goes behind the Mayor's seat. Police and fire approve locations for egress safety, and space is first-come-first-served.
Equipment must be battery operated, compact and quiet. One recording device or still camera per citizen, and no added lighting. Recorders cannot narrate or speak into the microphone, must stay at fixed positions, and cannot block anyone's view. Under paragraph (13) a citizen can instead hold a cell phone, audio recorder or camera while seated, as long as the device stays at or below eye level. Paragraph (7) bars audio pickup of conferences between the Township Attorney and Council members or staff. Paragraph (8) lets the Mayor order recording to stop or come into compliance. Paragraph (9) says a recording cannot be presented as an official transcript.
Paragraph (11) is the broadest limit: outside of meetings, no photographs or audio or video recordings can be made inside a public facility of any person, place or event relating to the administration or conduct of official municipal business. Paragraph (12) removes limits on recording on municipal grounds, or inside a facility, when the subject has no connection to official municipal business.
Violations & Fines
Section 63A-3 names the Bloomfield Police Department as the enforcement agent. Section 63A-5 sends every violation to the penalty provisions of § 1-15, which set a fine not exceeding $2,000, imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, or community service not exceeding 90 days, or any combination. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense unless the Code provides otherwise. A Mayor's direction to stop does not erase the penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I record a Bloomfield Township Council meeting?
How much notice do I have to give before recording?
Can I just film from my seat with my phone?
Can I film Bloomfield officials inside a municipal building?
What is the penalty for breaking Chapter 63A?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomfield
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