Belmar council weighs 'film ready' ordinance; members want local control and cost protections

Belmar — Councilors on April 28 discussed whether to adopt a sample statewide "film ready" ordinance intended to make towns easier to market to film and TV productions.

Some council members said a formal film-ready designation could boost off-season business for local restaurants and hotels. "When I talk to businesses in town, what that's bringing in particularly outside of the summer, I think that is a net good for Belmar," one council member said during the workshop discussion.

Councilors focused on differences between Belmar’s existing permitting framework and the sample ordinance circulated by the New Jersey film commission. Key differences discussed included who serves as the reviewing authority (Belmar's current special-events committee vs. a town manager in the sample), differing permit and per‑day fees (Belmar’s current fees are higher in many categories), proposed filming hours and day-limits, and insurance and bond requirements. Council members said they prefer retaining multi-stakeholder review to protect resident quality of life and ensure the borough recoups overtime and service costs for police and public works.

"I don't want to have large expenses for DPW and for the police department that we're not recouping in the name of a 30-second spot," a council member said.

Staff noted that businesses and private-property owners can already register as film-friendly through NJFilmReady-style registries and that adopting the sample ordinance would require the borough to identify a set of designated locations (the sample suggests 10) and to decide whether to accept the sample wording or negotiate modifications.

Council asked staff to contact the New Jersey Film Commission for guidance on whether towns can adopt a modified version of the sample ordinance and requested a side-by-side comparison for the council’s next meeting.

What happens next: staff will reach out to the state film commission and circulate a detailed comparison of the sample ordinance versus Belmar's existing rules for the council to review.