KINNELON, N.J. — On Thursday, May 21, the Kinnelon Borough Town Council adopted a resolution to rebate the full $150 state-mandated fee for permits to carry collected by municipalities, adding to the lengthy list of New Jersey municipalities that have started the first-in-the-nation trend.
With Mayor Freda presiding, the Kinnelon Borough Council passed Resolution 5.07.2026 in a unanimous vote as part of a consent agenda with other measures in a roll call vote.
“We reduced the carry permit fee because responsible residents should not face high costs to exercise their rights. This change makes the process more fair and affordable for our community. We believe government should serve the people, not place unnecessary financial burdens on them,” Mayor Freda told News2A in an email.
The measure, which was effective immediately upon passing, allows the Borough’s CFO to administer refunds for the municipal portion of the permit to carry fee for permits where payments were made on or after March 4, 2026.
According to 2025 estimates, the population of the Borough of Kinnelon is just north of 10,000 residents. The most recent data from the state’s permit to carry dashboard (last updated in March) shows 173 permit applications approved for Kinnelon Borough.
The movement to rebate carry permits came out of a collaboration between three gun rights groups: the New Jersey Firearm Owners Syndicate, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action. This first-of-its-kind movement has helped many private citizens bring similar measures to their town councils for consideration by providing a policy briefing document with both language that can be used in a bill and suggestions about how to communicate with elected officials.
We have documented the full list of towns on our tracker.
