Trenton City Council Approves New Film & Television Ordinance to Attract Productions to the Capital City
The Trenton City Council has approved Ordinance 26-058, modernizing the City’s film and television permitting process and moving New Jersey’s Capital City closer to becoming a certified Film Ready New Jersey community.
The ordinance replaces the City’s existing film permitting code with a more uniform and streamlined process based upon guidelines established by the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission. Adoption of a compliant municipal film ordinance is a necessary step toward Film Ready certification and will better position Trenton to receive referrals and inquiries from productions looking for locations throughout New Jersey.
For Trenton, the opportunity is about more than simply creating a new permitting process. It is about putting the Capital City’s extraordinary collection of locations in front of filmmakers.
From historic Cadwalader Park and the City’s nearly 60 parks to the Delaware River and the iconic Trenton Makes Bridge, Trenton offers filmmakers a remarkably diverse urban landscape. The city also features historic neighborhoods, State government buildings, grand civic architecture, former factories and industrial complexes, and streetscapes representing more than two centuries of American history.
Trenton has already had a taste of Hollywood.
The City previously hosted production activity associated with the CBS political drama pilot Ways & Means, starring Patrick Dempsey, best known for Grey’s Anatomy. Trenton City Hall was considered as a stand-in for a congressional building on Capitol Hill. While CBS ultimately did not move forward with the series, the experience demonstrated something Trenton officials have long recognized: the Capital City can convincingly play many different roles on camera.
“We have architecture, history and scenery that you simply can’t manufacture on a soundstage,” said Mayor W. Reed Gusciora. “You can film along the Delaware, shoot in one of our historic neighborhoods, find magnificent old industrial buildings, use our parks, or turn a government building into Capitol Hill. And when a production comes here, it means business for our restaurants, hotels, tradespeople and other local businesses.”
“I often describe Trenton as a City in Motion,” Gusciora added. “With this ordinance and Film Ready certification, we’re looking forward to becoming a City in Motion Pictures as well.”
The Film Ready New Jersey program is a five-step certification process designed to prepare municipalities to successfully host motion picture and television productions. Statewide standards help provide producers with predictable permitting procedures and fees while giving municipalities tools to protect residents and businesses from unnecessary disruption.
The new Trenton ordinance, for example, establishes notification requirements for productions affecting businesses, merchants, or residents. Productions must provide written notice to those affected at least three business days before shooting and submit proof of notification to the Department of Housing and Economic Development within the required timeframe.
The goal is to allow productions to move efficiently while ensuring that residents, businesses, and City officials know when and where filming will occur and what impacts they can expect.
With the ordinance approved, Trenton will continue through the Film Ready New Jersey certification process. Once certified, the City will be better positioned to market its locations to the film and television industry and connect interested productions directly with Trenton’s municipal film liaison.
“New Jersey has become an increasingly attractive place to make movies and television,” Gusciora said. “There’s no reason the Capital City shouldn’t be part of that story.”
