[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Maywood 10-24-2017 by Ord. No. 12-17. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
A. 
This chapter shall be known as the "Maywood Filming Ordinance."
B. 
This chapter is adopted to regulate any filming to commence in the Borough of Maywood, in order to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the listed meanings:
FILMING
The taking of still or motion pictures, either on film or videotape or similar recording devices, for commercial purposes intended for viewing in theaters, on television or for institutional uses. The provisions of this chapter shall not be deemed to include the filming of news reports, educational student projects or filming of a political purpose within the Borough of Maywood.
PUBLIC LANDS
Any and every public street, sidewalk, highway, public park or any other public place within the Borough which is within the jurisdiction and control of the Borough of Maywood.
A. 
No individual or organization, other than bona fide political organizations or educational student projects, shall film on public property within the Borough of Maywood without first having a permit from the Office of the Borough Clerk. Such permit shall appoint the approved location of specified filming and the approved duration of such filming by specific reference to the dates, not to exceed three in duration, except in the special case of a major motion picture. Permits must be available for inspection by Borough officials at all times at the location of the filming.
B. 
All permits shall be applied for and granted by the Office of the Borough Clerk during business hours. Applications for such permits shall be in a form approved by the Borough Clerk and be accompanied by a permit fee in the amount specified by this chapter in § 175-5.
C. 
A permit shall be adequate to authorize indoor or outdoor filming for a period not to exceed three days, except in the case of a major motion picture, provided that the maximum number of days of filming authorized in any calendar year for premises located in a residential zone where waivers are granted hereunder shall not exceed 10 days.
D. 
If a permit is issued and, due to inclement weather or other good cause, filming does not commence on the dates specified, the Borough Clerk may, at the request of the applicant, issue a new permit for filming, subject to full compliance with all other provisions of this chapter. No additional fee shall be paid for this permit.
No permits will be issued by the Borough, unless applied for prior to three days before the requested filming date.
No permit shall be issued for filming upon public lands unless the applicant shall provide the Borough with satisfactory proof of the following:
A. 
Insurance coverage as prescribed by the Borough.
B. 
Certificate of insurance as prescribed by the Borough.
C. 
An agreement, in writing, whereby the applicant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Borough of Maywood from any and all liability, expense, claim or damages resulting from the use of public lands.
D. 
The posting of a cash bond of $500 to the Borough and protecting and insuring that the location will be left after filming in a satisfactory condition, free of debris, rubbish and equipment, and that due observance of all Borough ordinances, laws and regulations will be followed. Within 10 days of the completion of the filming, the Borough will return the bond if there has been no damage to public property or public expense caused by the filming.
E. 
The hiring of an off-duty Maywood police officer, if required by the Chief of Police, for traffic control or other reasons of public safety. Hours that the police officer must be present on the filming site must be indicated on the permit.
The holder of a 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 Maywood Police Department. Should traffic be affected, the applicant shall submit a traffic plan to the Chief of Police that shall abide by all recommendations made by either the Chief of Police or the Borough administration, to added traffic.
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 associated with such filming off the public streets. The holder 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 Borough Clerk, said objections to form a part of the 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 Borough Clerk within two days of the requested shooting date.
Filming in residential zones shall be permitted Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., provided that all requests for night scenes shall be approved in the permit or by a waiver to be granted in accordance with § 175-11 hereof.
The Borough Administrator may refuse to issue a permit whenever he/she 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 Borough 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 employment of adjoining properties, unreasonably impede the free flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic or otherwise endanger the public's health, safety or welfare. Further, the Borough reserves the right to require one or more on-site patrol officers in situations where the proposed production may impede the proper flow of traffic, the cost of said patrol officers 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.
Any individual aggrieved by a decision of the Borough Administrator denying or revoking a permit or a person requesting relief pursuant to § 175-11 may appeal to the Mayor and Council. A written notice of appeal setting forth the reasons for the appeal shall be filed with the Administrator. An appeal from the decision of the Administrator shall be filed within seven days of the Administrator's decision. The Mayor and 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 Mayor and Council shall be in the form of a resolution supporting the decision of the Council at the first regularly scheduled public meeting of the Mayor and Council after the hearing on the appeal, unless the appellant agrees, in writing, to a later date for the decision. If such a resolution is not adopted within the time required, the decision of the Administrator shall be deemed to be reversed, and a permit shall be issued in conformity with the application or the relief pursuant to § 175-11 shall be deemed denied.
The Borough Administrator may authorize a waiver of any of the requirements or limitations of this chapter and may authorize filming other than during the hours herein described or may permit filming at a particular location in a residential zone for more than three days, to a maximum of 10 days at any one location other than in connection with major motion pictures, or may waive any other limitation or requirement of this chapter whenever they determine that such a permit may be issued without endangering the public health, safety and welfare. In determining whether to issue a waiver under this section, the Administrator shall consider the following factors:
A. 
Traffic congestion at the location caused by vehicles to be parked on the public street;
B. 
Applicant's ability to remove film-related vehicles off the public streets;
C. 
When the applicant is requesting restrictions on the use of public streets or public parking during the course of the filming;
D. 
Nature of the film shoot itself, e.g., indoors or outdoors, day or night;
E. 
Prior experience of the film company/applicant with the Borough, if any.
Copies of the approved permit will be sent to the Police and Fire Departments before filming takes place, and to the New Jersey Film Commission. The applicant shall permit the Fire Prevention Bureau or other Borough inspectors to inspect the site and the equipment to be used. The applicant shall comply with all safety instructions issued by the Fire Prevention Bureau or other Borough inspectors.
In addition to any other fees or costs mentioned in this chapter, the applicant shall reimburse the Borough for any lost revenue, such as parking meter revenue, repairs to public property, or other revenues that the Borough was prevented from earning because of filming.
A. 
When filming is requested with respect to a major motion picture, the approved location of such filming and approved duration of such filming by specific reference to day or dates shall not exceed seven days in duration.
B. 
Any days necessary to be used for setup and preparation for a major motion picture filming may, in the discretion of the Borough Administrator, be counted as a filming day where such setup is anticipated to involve one or more of the factors set forth in § 175-11 hereof.
The schedule of fees for the issuance of permits authorized by this chapter are as follows:
A. 
Basic filming permit: $100. Where an applicant requests a waiver of the provision of § 175-4 requiring expedited processing of the permit application, the basic filming permit fee shall be $175.
B. 
Daily filming fee payable in addition to the basic filming permit: $200 per day.
Any individual violating this chapter or these rules and regulations, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of $1,000. A separate offense shall be deemed committed on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.