22-25
Introduced: August 21, 2025
Public Hearing: September 18, 2025
Status: Introduced
Please note: An Ordinance Amending and Supplementing the Revised Ordinances of the Township of Randolph by the Addition of Chapter 51, Film Making
- WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A.40:48-2, the governing body of a municipality may make, amend, repeal, and enforce such other ordinances, regulations, rules and by-laws not contrary to the laws of this state or of the United States, as it may deem necessary and proper for the good government, order and protection of person and property, and for the preservation of the public health, safety and welfare of the municipality and its inhabitants, and as may be necessary to carry into effect the powers and duties conferred and imposed by this subtitle, or by any law; and
- WHEREAS, there is an increasing interest in filming motion pictures and television shows in the Township of Randolph (“Township”); and
- WHEREAS, the Township desires to amend and supplement the Revised Ordinances of the Township of Randolph, by the addition of Chapter 51, Film Making, which will regulate film making activities in order to preserve the public health, safety and welfare of the Township and its inhabitants.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Governing Body of the Township of Randolph, County of Morris, State of New Jersey as follows:
The Revised Ordinances of the Township of Randolph are hereby amended and supplemented by the addition of the following:
CHAPTER 51 – FILM AND MOVIES
Sec. 51-1. - Definitions.
Filming. The taking of still or motion pictures either on film or videotape or similar recording medium, for any purpose intended for viewing on television, in theaters or for institutional uses. The provisions of this chapter shall not be deemed to include the "filming" of news stories within the Township of Randolph.
Major Motion Picture. Any film which is financed and/or distributed by a major motion picture studio, including but not limited to the following: NBCUniversal, including Peacock; Warner Bros. Discovery, including New Line Cinema, HBO, DC Studios and Castle Rock Entertainment; Paramount Pictures, including Miramax, MTV Films, Showtime, Skydance, Dreamworks and Nickelodeon Movies; Walt Disney Studios, including 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, Hulu and Marvel Studios; Sony Pictures, including Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems and Tristar Pictures; Amazon MGM Studios; Netflix Studios; A24; any film for which the budget is at least $20,000,000; or any recurrent weekly television series programming.
Public Lands. Any and every public street, highway, sidewalk, square, public park or playground or any other public place within the Township which is within the jurisdiction and control of the Township of Randolph.
Sec. 51-2. – Permit required.
(A) No person or organization shall film or permit filming on public lands or on private property where such filming involves the use of public property for the operation, placement or temporary storage of vehicles or equipment utilized in such filming, including, but not limited to, any temporary structure, barricade or device intended to restrict or block off pedestrian or vehicular traffic, without first having obtained a permit from the Office of the Township Manager, which permit shall set forth the approved location of such filming and the approved duration of such filming by specific reference to day or dates. The permit must be readily available for inspection by Township officials at all times at the site of the filming.
(B) All permits shall be applied for and obtained from the Office of the Township Manager during normal business hours. Applications for such permits shall be in a form approved by the Township and shall be accompanied by a permit fee in the amount established by this Chapter.
(C) If a permit is issued and, due to inclement weather or other good cause, filming does not in fact take place on the dates specified, the Township Manager may, at the request of the applicant, issue a new permit for filming on other dates subject to full compliance with all other provisions of this Chapter. No additional fee shall be paid for this permit.
(D) In accordance with Chapter 34, Parks and Recreation Areas, of the Revised Ordinances of the Township of Randolph, an additional permit must be obtained from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services to use any Township park or recreation area for filming.
Sec. 51-3. – Issuance of permits.
(A) No permits will be issued by the Township Manager unless applied for at least four or more business days before the requested shooting date; provided, however, that the Township Manager may waive the four-day period if, in his judgment, the applicant has obtained all related approvals and adjacent property owners or tenants do not need to be notified.
(B) No permit shall be issued for filming upon public lands unless the applicant shall provide the Township with satisfactory proof of the following:
(1) Proof of insurance coverage as follows:
(a) For bodily injury to any one person in the amount of $500,000 and any occurrence in the aggregate amount of $1,000,000.
(b) For property damage for each occurrence in the aggregate amount of $300,000.
(2) An agreement, in writing, whereby the applicant agrees to indemnify and save harmless the Township from any and all liability, expense, claim or damages resulting from the use of public lands.
(3) The posting of cash in the amount of $500 or a maintenance bond in the amount of $500 running in favor of the Township and protecting and insuring that the location utilized will be left after filming in a satisfactory condition, free of debris, rubbish and equipment, and that due observance of all Township ordinances, laws and regulations will be followed. Within seven days of the completion of the filming, the Township will return the cash or bond if there has been no damage to public lands and/or no public expense caused by the filming.
(4) The hiring of an off-duty police officer, if required by the Chief of Police, according to the agreed upon public safety plan, for the times indicated on the permit.
(C) The holder of the permit shall take all reasonable steps to minimize interference with the free passage of pedestrians and traffic over public lands and shall comply with all lawful directives issued by the Police Department with respect thereto.
Sec. 51-4. – Interference with public activity; notice of filming.
(A) 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 and equipment associated with such filming off the public streets.
(B) The holder of a permit shall avoid any interference with previously scheduled activities upon public lands and limit, to the extent possible, any interference with normal public activity on such public lands. Where the applicant's production activity, by reason of location or otherwise, will directly involve and/or affect any businesses, merchants or residents, these parties shall be given written notice of the filming at least three days prior to the requested shooting date and be informed that objections may be filed with the Township Manager, said objections to form a part of applicant's application and be considered in the review of the same. Proof of service of notification to adjacent owners shall be submitted to the Township Manager within two days of the requested shooting date.
Sec. 51-5. – Filming in residential zones.
Filming in residential zones shall be permitted Monday through Sunday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. (camera wrap) and 10 p.m. (crew wrap), provided that all requests for night scenes shall be approved in the permit to be granted in accordance with this Chapter. The setup, production and breakdown required by all filming shall be included in the hours as set forth herein.
Sec. 51-6. – Refusal to issue permit; employment of patrolmen and electrician.
(A) The Township Manager may refuse to issue a permit whenever he determines, on the basis of objective facts and after a review of the application and a report thereon by the Police Department and by other Township agencies involved with the proposed filming site, that filming at the location and/or the time set forth in the application would violate any law or ordinance or would unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment of adjoining properties, unreasonably impede the free flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic or otherwise endanger the public's health, safety or welfare.
(B) Further, the Township reserves the right to require one or more on-site patrolmen in situations where the proposed production may impede the proper flow of traffic with the cost of said patrolmen to be borne by the applicant as a cost of production. Where existing electrical power lines are to be utilized by the production, an on-site licensed electrician may be similarly required if the production company does not have a licensed electrician on staff.
Sec. 51-7. – Appeals.
(A) Any person aggrieved by a decision of the Township Manager denying or revoking a permit or denying a request for waiver relief pursuant to Sec. 51-8 may appeal to the Township Council. A written notice of appeal setting forth the reasons for the appeal shall be filed with the Township Manager.
(B) An appeal from the decision of the Township Manager shall be filed within 10 days of the Township Manager's decision. The Township Council shall set the matter down for a hearing within 30 days of the day on which the notice of appeal was filed. The decision of the Township Council shall be in the form of a resolution to be adopted at the first regularly scheduled public meeting of the Township Council after the hearing on the appeal, unless the applicant agrees in writing to a later date for the decision.
Sec. 51-8. – Waiver of requirements by Township Manager.
The Township Manager may authorize a waiver of any of the requirements, restrictions or provisions of this Chapter if a waiver may be granted without endangering the public health, safety and welfare. In determining whether to issue a waiver, the Township Manager shall consider the following factors:
(A) Traffic congestion at the location.
(B) The applicant's ability to remove film-related vehicles and equipment from the public streets or other public lands.
(C) The extent to which the applicant is requesting restrictions on the use of public streets or other public lands during the course of the filming.
(D) The nature of the filming including, but not limited to, whether filming will take place indoors or outdoors and the proposed hours for filming.
(E) The extent to which the filming may affect nearby residents and property owners.
(F) The Township’s prior experience of the film company/applicant, if any.
Sec. 51-9. – Copies of permit; inspections.
Copies of the approved permit will be sent to all affected Departments and the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission before filming takes place. The applicant shall permit the Fire Department or other Township Departments and inspectors to inspect the site and the equipment to be used. The applicant shall comply with all safety instructions issued by the Fire Department or other Township Departments and inspectors.
Sec. 51-10. – Reimbursement of certain costs.
In addition to any other fees or costs mentioned in this Chapter, the applicant shall reimburse the Township for any lost revenue, such as parking meter revenue, repairs to public lands or other revenues that the Township was prevented from earning because of filming.
Sec. 51-11. – Fees.
The schedule of fees for the issuance of permits authorized by this Chapter is as follows:
(A) Basic filming permit: $100. Where an applicant requests a waiver pursuant to the provision of Sec. 51-3 requiring expedited processing of the permit application, the basic filming permit fee shall be $150.
(B) Daily filming fee payable in addition to the basic filming permit when filming on public lands: $150 per day.
(C) Daily filming fee payable for major motion picture in addition to the basic filming permit and when filming on public lands: $500 per day.
(D) Filming permit for nonprofit applicants filming for educational, documentary or public television purposes, including student films (no daily rate required): $25.
(E) Filming entirely on private property: no daily filming fee will be imposed.
Sec. 51-12. – Violations and penalties.
Where the owner of the premises is not the applicant for a permit required by this Chapter, both the owner and the applicant shall each be liable for violations hereof. Any person violating this Chapter or these rules and regulations, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $2,000 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or both. A separate offense shall be deemed committed on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.
All Ordinances of the Township of Randolph which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed as to the extent of such inconsistency.
If any section, subsection, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid by any Court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the remaining portions of this Ordinance.
This Ordinance shall take effect as provided by law.
Attest
Donna Marie Luciani, Township Clerk
Township of Randolph
Joe Hathaway, Mayor
Legal Notice
Township of Randolph, County of Morris
Ordinance No. 22-25
Notice is hereby given that an Ordinance entitled "An Ordinance Amending and Supplementing the Revised Ordinances of the Township of Randolph by the Addition of Chapter 51, Film Making" was submitted in writing at a regular meeting of the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, County of Morris, State of New Jersey, held on August 21, 2025 and was introduced, read by title and passed on first reading. A Statement of Purpose of the Ordinance is contained below. The Governing Body of the Township of Randolph will further consider the Ordinance for second reading and final passage thereof at their regular meeting to be held on September 18, 2025 at 6 p.m. prevailing time, at the Municipal Building, 502 Millbrook Avenue, Randolph, New Jersey 07869, at which time and place a public hearing will be heard thereon by the Governing Body and all parties in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard concerning said Ordinance.
Statement of Purpose of Ordinance
The purpose of the above Ordinance is to amend and supplement the Revised Ordinances of the Township of Randolph by the addition of Chapter 51, Film Making, which will regulate film making activities in order to preserve the public health, safety and welfare of the Township and its inhabitants. A copy of the full Ordinance is available to any member of the general public, without cost, at the Township of Randolph, Municipal Building, Millbrook Avenue, Randolph, New Jersey, at the Office of the Township Clerk, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Donna Marie Luciani, Township Clerk
Township of Randolph
County of Morris, State of New Jersey