CRESSKILL, NJ — The Borough of Cresskill has become the second municipality in New Jersey to remove the local portion of the state-mandated concealed carry permit fee. The move comes shortly after Readington Township introduced a similar measure, highlighting a growing trend of municipalities pushing back against what they view as unconstitutional financial burdens on lawful gun owners.
the Borough of Cresskill recognizes that the United States Supreme Court has long held that taxes on fundamental rights are unconstitutional and that the statutory fee prescribed by N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4 is in excess of a mere processing fee and is therefore a tax on a core constitutional right;
Under New Jersey law, applicants for a permit to carry a handgun must pay $200. Of that amount, $150 goes to the local municipality and $50 to the Superintendent of the State Police. Cresskill’s new ordinance, No. 25-19-1675, waives the $150 local fee.
If applicants are required to prepay the full $200 during the state application process, they may apply for a $150 refund from the Borough’s Chief Financial Officer by providing proof of payment and confirmation that the application was processed in Cresskill. The ordinance clarifies that the policy applies only to the municipal share of the fee and not the $50 remitted to the state.
This action mirrors Readington Township’s recently proposed refund ordinance and signals a broader municipal-level response to concerns that the state’s fee structure effectively taxes a constitutional right. Both communities framed their decisions around longstanding Supreme Court precedent that governments may not impose financial barriers on the exercise of fundamental rights.
For gun owners in New Jersey, where carry permits only recently became more widely accessible, these changes represent an important step toward reducing costs tied to exercising their Second Amendment rights.
