Monday - Friday
8:00 - 4:30

908.369.4313

379 South Branch Road
Hillsborough, NJ 08844
908.369.4313

379 South Branch Road
Hillsborough, NJ 08844
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Welcome to Hillsborough

Letter from the Mayor

Welcome to Hillsborough

Welcome Hillsborough residents!
Hillsborough Township, Somerset County is ideally located in the center of New Jersey. Situated 52 miles from Manhattan and 55 miles from downtown Philadelphia, and easy commute by car, bus or train. In 2023, Hillsborough was ranked the second safest town in the Northeast United States by Safewise. Our location between the nation’s largest and fifth largest metropolises has allowed our town to grow steadily into the large, diverse municipality it is today.

Hillsborough Township is home to over 43,000 people and is ranked by Money Magazine as one of the best places to live in America. We have over 1,500 small businesses and a multitude of new businesses seeking the opportunity to set up shop in our town.

Our history is incredible, originally created by a Royal Charter in 1771, Hillsborough was the 104th Township out of the 564 municipalities in the State of New Jersey. Since its beginning, Hillsborough has played an important role in the country’s history. Hillsborough’s Sourland Mountain was, at one point, home to General George Washington and his troops as they trained to fight the British in the valley below. Hillsborough was also once home to the Belle Mead GSA Depot, an important military complex during World War II.

Today, Hillsborough continues to grow and advance upon its impressive history. The township boasts an excellent school system, an extensive park system, including the 2,700 acre Duke Farms center for environmental stewardship. We are nationally ranked for safety and our business community is stellar to say the least. Hillsborough is also a short drive to dozens of Revolutionary War sites, historic Princeton, and the world-famous Jersey Shore.

On behalf of myself and the Township Committee, we welcome you to our township and hope you enjoy everything the area has to offer. Thank you for choosing Hillsborough Township as your home.

Your humble servant,
Mayor Robert Britting, Jr.

hillsborough logo
mayor shawn lipani

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Township Government

The Hillsborough Township Committee consists of five elected members, including the Mayor, who is elected by the Township Committee to serve a one-year term. Township Committee members are elected on staggered three-year terms.  

Township Committee meetings are held on:
S
econd and Fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm*

Hillsborough Township Municipal Complex
379 South Branch Road
Hillsborough, NJ 08844 
*unless otherwise noted


Hillsborough Township Committee meetings are open to the public. They are also televised on Comcast TV Channel 29, Hillsborough’s Hometown Channel. The meetings are streamed live on Hillsborough’s YouTube Channel: Hillsborough Township NJ and the Township Facebook page. Minutes of the Township Committee meetings as well as meeting agendas are available in CivicClerk and can be accessed on the township’s website under the “Government” tab. 

More information, including meeting schedules, Township committee biographies and contact information, can be found on the Township Committee page of the Hillsborough Township website
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Elected Officials

Mayor Robert Britting, Jr.
Deputy Mayor John Ciccarelli
Committeeman Shawn Lipani
Committeewoman Samantha Hand
Committeewoman Catherine Payne

Township Departments

Administration
The Administration/Clerk’s Office is the front office of the Township Government. In addition to assisting the elected Hillsborough Township Committee, the Administration/Clerk’s Office helps provide a myriad of services to the residents of Hillsborough Township. The Administration/Clerk’s Office is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the township, as well as overseeing the needs of the other departments. The Administration/Clerk’s Office provides the town with numerous services, including organizing and running the Township Committee meetings and providing essential township information to inquiring residents. The Administration/Clerk’s Office is also responsible for licensing in the town, including alcohol, peddlers, raffles, and other licenses.

The Administration/Clerk’s Office services include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol Licenses 
  • Peddler’s Licenses 
  • Raffle and Bingo Licenses
  • Taxi and Limo Licenses 
  • Rental Property Licenses 
  • Massage Licenses 
  • Wrecker Licenses 
  • Deer Hunting Licenses 
  • Social Affair Permits 
  • Alarm Registrations*
  • OPRA Filings
  • Full Records of Township Meetings 
  • Voter Registration

*All home alarm systems in Hillsborough must be registered with the township and police. Register your alarm online or print out a form and return it to the administration office.


Building
The Building Department is in charge of the administration of the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code. The Building Department accepts applications and grants permits for construction projects around the township.


Economic & Business Development
The mission of the Economic & Business Development Office is to encourage development by attracting, retaining, and assisting businesses to expand and grow in the Township. The EBDO is responsible for commercial industry relations, centralized gathering, and dissemination of information, and regulatory guidelines. This office acts as the catalyst for the Economic and Business Development Commission’s mission. 

 

Hillsborough Affinity Card
Affinity Federal Credit Union and Hillsborough Township have teamed up to offer you a truly unique credit card. With the new Hillsborough Rewards Visa Credit Card, exclusive to township residents, you can give back to your community—while earning rewards at the same time. Every time you make a purchase you’ll be supporting important youth and senior programs, and non-profit organizations.

 

Hillsborough Restaurant Week
Every year from September 28th through October 3rd, Hillsborough’s restaurants promote their culinary creations through Hillsborough’s Restaurant Week. This exciting week features special meals and discounts, as well as a tour of all the participating restaurants by the Township mayor!

 

Engineering
The Engineering Department provides professional review, permitting, and inspection of public and private civil engineering projects ensuring consistency with the township codes, ordinances, and all applicable regulations and policies. 


Finance
The Finance Department is responsible for collecting real estate property taxes, as well as helping to create the township’s yearly budget, and assisting in the yearly township audit. Finance is also responsible for collecting payments for dog licensing. 


Health
The Health Department is in charge of efficiently managing the health of the township’s residents and environment. The Health Department manages numerous programs that promote different health and environmental initiatives. 

The Hillsborough Township Health Department’s mission is to provide professional, competent, and financially efficient public health and environmental services to the residents of Hillsborough and Millstone. 

To achieve this, the Hillsborough Township Health Department will promote healthy behaviors, prevent disease and injury, and protect the health of our residents as per the mandates of the “Public Health Practice Standards of Performance for Local Boards of Health in New Jersey”. They will use disease control and prevention, health promotion and education, inspections and enforcement of health and environmental regulations, and interaction and planning with local partners in order to provide for the public health needs of the Hillsborough community.

The Hillsborough Health Department provides a number of important services to the residents of Hillsborough and Millstone. These include, but are not limited to, marriage licenses and animal-related issues. Visit the Health Department’s web page for a full list of the Health Department’s services.

 

Pets and Wildlife
In Hillsborough Township and Millstone Borough, all dogs must be licensed annually once they reach 7 months of age.  All payments for dog licensing are handled by the Township Finance Department. For more information regarding why dogs must be licensed and how to do so, visit the Health Department’s Dog Licensing Page.

Hillsborough is a largely undeveloped town with large expanses of fields and woods. This environment makes our town rich with wildlife and, as a result, interactions between wild animals and humans happen. If you see wildlife behaving unusually, contact the Hillsborough Police at (908) 369-4323 and St. Hubert’s (animal control) at (908) 526-3330. 

 

Office of Emergency Management
The Hillsborough Township Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is a unit of local government that is responsible for providing for the health, safety, and welfare of the township citizens during times of emergencies and natural disasters. The OEM is also responsible for updating the current alerts and emergency road closure pages on the township website.


Police
The Hillsborough Police are dedicated to keeping the town safe and free of crime. The department patrols the town, guides traffic around road work, and works to further benefit the community through various programs, including Project Medicine Drop and the Hillsborough/Millstone Municipal Alliance. To contact the Hillsborough Police Department in a NON-EMERGENCY MATTER, call (908) 369-4323. For more information, visit the Police Department’s web page


Fire Safety
The mission of the Hillsborough Bureau of Fire Safety is to prevent and minimize the loss of life and property to the residents of Hillsborough through the delivery of the highest quality, effective, and efficient code enforcement, public education, and emergency fire response.

The Hillsborough Bureau of Fire Safety operates under and is funded through the Hillsborough Fire District. The Bureau of Fire Safety's employees are dedicated to providing the highest level of public service to the citizens and volunteer firefighters of Hillsborough Township.

 

Parks and Recreation
The Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for most of the township’s outdoor activities. This department manages the township’s many parks as well as creates and runs various youth sports programs, summer camps, and outdoor events, such as the Memorial Day Parade. 

 

Parks
Hillsborough Township prides itself on its large expanses of open space, both parks, and protected land. The township’s commitment to preserving land is one of the many factors behind its being named one of Money Magazine’s Best Places to Live in America. In addition to the world-famous 343 acre Duke’s Estate, Hillsborough has 16 additional parks to visit and explore.

  • Ann Van Middlesworth Park
  • Country Classics Park
  • Docherty Memorial Park
  • Flagg Way Park
  • Flagtown Annex
  • Flagtown Park
  • Mountain View Baseball Complex
  • Municipal Playground
  • Municipal Soccer Complex
  • Otto’s Farm Trails
  • Singley Park
  • Triangle Sports Complex
  • Valley Road Baseball Field
  • Village Green Park
  • Willow Road Complex
  • Woodfield Park

In addition to the township’s beautiful parks, each of the township’s schools have parks and playing fields on its property. To see pictures of the parks and get their addresses, visit the Parks Directory website.

 

Recreation
The Hillsborough Recreation Department runs leagues for kids in many different sports, including basketball, soccer, and softball. The Recreation Department also runs different summer camps for children of all ages. 

In Hillsborough, some of the sports are run through leagues separate from the Parks and Recreation Department. Baseball is run through the Hillsborough Little League. Football, Cheerleading, Track, Girls Lacrosse, and Field Hockey are all run through the Hillsborough Jr. Raiders. The Hillsborough Dukes Pop Warner Program also runs a Football and Cheerleading League. 

 

Planning and Zoning
The Planning and Zoning Department is responsible for administering the Hillsborough Development Regulations Ordinance, Chapter 188 of the Township Code. This includes processing zoning permits, reviewing applications for development, and enforcing zoning decisions. The Planning and Zoning Department also oversees numerous different boards, commissions, and committees. 


Public Works
The Department of Public Works is in charge of operating and maintaining the infrastructure of the township’s more than 250 miles of roadway, as well as maintaining all township buildings, municipal grounds, and open space. Public Works also oversees the Annual Spring Clean Up and operates the township’s reclamation/disposal center. 


Social Services
The Social Services Department provides for a multitude of different programs within the township. These programs include but are not limited to the Hillsborough Community Assistance Network (C.A.N.), Senior Citizens Wellness Program, and others. 


Tax Assessor
The Tax Assessor Department is in charge of fairly and equitably distributing the tax burden for the property owners of Hillsborough Township. This department is also in charge of the Annual Reassessment Program. 

Schools

Hillsborough Township prides itself on its school district. Each school is highly rated academically and employs the best teachers available. The Hillsborough Township School District comprises a High School (9-12), Middle School (7-8), Intermediate School (5-6), and six elementary schools (K-4). In addition to Hillsborough residents, the school district also welcomes students from Millstone, our tiny neighbor, as part of a send/receive program.

Hillsborough High School and Hillsborough Middle School boast teams in a wide range of sports and an award-winning marching band. Hillsborough’s mascot is the Raiders. A complete list of athletic teams is available for the High School at https://hhs.htps.us/athletics and for the Middle School at https://hms.htps.us/athletics

The Hillsborough Township School District offices are located in the Hillsborough Municipal Complex at 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough, NJ. The district office’s can be reached by phone, (908) 431-6600, or on its website, https://www.htps.us/. To register new students in the district, visit the township’s offices or go to https://www.htps.us/dist_info/school_registration

466 Raider Boulevard
260 Triangle Road

281 Auten Road

301 Amsterdam Drive
 
55 Sunnymead Road

156 South Triangle Road

425 Woodfern Road

401 South Woods Road

Commuters

Due to Hillsborough’s proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, there are many commuter options to get into each city.  

There are a few local train stations that provide access to both cities through NJTransit. There are stations in Somerville and Raritan, which provide access to the Raritan Valley Line. There are also stations in New Brunswick and Princeton Junction that provide access to the Northeast Corridor. New Brunswick is an express train stop. Information for these stations is available on http://www.njtransit.com.  

EZ Ride for Life is a transportation program for commuters such as older adults and people with disabilities. The organization has a partnership with Lyft and Uber (as well as other transportation providers) to arrange on-demand rides. The service is available Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM and Saturday through Sunday from 8 AM to 5 PM, with no service on New Year’s, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The program charges a $15 per year membership fee and a $2.50 per ride administrative fee (may be reduced to $1.50 for PAAD card riders) in addition to the regular ride fee by Lyft, Uber, etc.. Some benefits of the program are no advanced reservations, comparison of prices between different transportation providers, ride monitoring, and automatic billing by EZ Ride. Registration is through phone (201-939-4242 Ext. 4), online application, or mailed registration form (EZ Ride 144 Park Place East). All you need to request a ride is a cell phone (does not need to be a smartphone).  

Hillsborough Township is sharing this for informational purposes only and is not representing or endorsing EZ Ride for Life.

Additional information can be found on the Transportation page of the Hillsborough Township website.

Trash & Recycling

Recycling
Recycling in Hillsborough is managed by the Somerset County Office of Recycling and Waste Management. Recycling is collected every other Tuesday in Hillsborough. Recycling must be placed in bins at the end of the driveway the night before in order to be picked up. The office also provides recycling for hazardous materials and electronics. For a full pick-up schedule and other helpful recycling guides, please visit the Office of Recycling’s Website or read through the office’s brochure.

Waste Removal
Hillsborough Township does not have a public waste removal system. In order to have trash picked up, Hillsborough Township residents must contact a private company that operates within the town. 

Large Waste Removal
If your waste is too large (i.e. large tree branches, plywood, etc.) to be picked up by your contracted company, Hillsborough Township offers dump coupons for township residents only. Each household is eligible for one pass a year. Dump Days occur on two Saturdays a month from April to October. There are only 150 coupons for each day and are given out on a first-come, first serve basis. For more information regarding schedules and acceptable dumping material, visit the Annual Cleanup/Dropoff tab on the Department of Public Works page.

Utilities and Communications

Power
In Hillsborough, the power company for your home is determined by where you live. The majority of the town is serviced by PSE&G, however a small portion, in and around the Neshanic area, is serviced by JCP&L. To see if your service falls in JCP&L’s area, look at this map provided by JCP&L.

Water
All water services in Hillsborough are operated by New Jersey American Water. To set up your water, or to ask any questions, contact New Jersey American Water at 1(800) 272-1325, or visit their website at https://amwater.com/njaw/.

Cable
Hillsborough’s only cable provider is Comcast. To set up your cable or ask any questions, contact Comcast at 1(800) 934-6489 or visit their website at https://www.xfinity.com/support/. If you do not want cable, there are also Satellite TV providers in the area including Directv and Dish Network.

Area Newspapers

  • Hillsborough Beacon * (732) 358-5200
  • Courier News  (800) 675-8645
  • Star Ledger (888) 782-7533
  • Hillsborough Patch Support
  • TapInto Hillsborough  (908) 279-0303

*Official Newspaper of Hillsborough Township - Weekly Newspaper printed every Friday

Voter Information

Registering to vote is easy! Voter registration forms can be obtained in the Administrative Office at the Hillsborough Municipal Complex or online.  

Registered voters must vote at certain locations based on where their voting district is located. If you are unaware of what district you live in, you can look it up on this Map of Hillsborough Voting Districts.

Voting Locations

Districts

Voting Location

9, 11, 20, 25, 27

Amsterdam Elementary School, 301 Amsterdam Drive, Hillsborough, NJ

2, 13, 14, 16, 19, 33

Auten Road Intermediate School, 281 Auten  Road, Hillsborough, NJ

4, 18, 22, 23, 31

Hillsborough High School, 466 Raider Boulevard, Hillsborough, NJ

5, 6, 7, 12, 17, 35

Hillsborough Middle School, 260 Triangle Road, Hillsborough, NJ

1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 21, 24, 26, 28, 29, 30 32, 34

Hillsborough Municipal Building, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough, NJ

 

Elected Officials

Governor

Phil Murphy - (609) 292-6000

United States Senate

Robert Menendez - (973) 645-3030, Cory Booker - (973) 639-8700

United States House of Representatives

Tom Malinowski - (908) 547-3307 Contact him about legislation

New Jersey Senate

Andrew Zwicker - (732) 823-1684

New Jersey Assembly

Roy Freiman - (908) 829-4191, Sadaf Jaffer - sadaf.jaffer@gmail.com

 

More information can be found on the Voting Information and County and State Government pages of the Township website.

Important Phone Numbers

Hillsborough Municipal Building

Hillsborough Police Department (non urgent)
Police Records (8:30-4:00, M-F)

Public Works Department

Municipal Court

Hillsborough Library

Hillsborough Board of Education

Somerset County Government Offices

New Jersey Transit

Hillsborough YMCA

Bridgewater Commons Mall

RWJ University Hospital Somerset 

University Medical Center of Princeton

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

St. Peter’s University Hospital

(908) 369-4313

(908) 369-4323
(908) 369-4584

(908) 369-3950

(908) 369-3532

(908) 369-2200

(908) 431-6600

(908) 231-7000

(973) 275-5555

(908) 369-0490

(908) 218-0001

(908) 685-2200

(609) 853-7000

(732) 828-3000

(732) 745-8564

Testimonials

How Well Do You Know Boro

  1. Hillsborough was ranked the ____ best place to live in Money magazine’s nationwide list. 
    1. 1st
    2. 16th
    3. 23rd
    4. 44th

  2. Where in Hillsborough did General George Washington train his troops on his way to Morristown from the Battle of Princeton?
    1. The Sourland Mountains
    2. Ann Van Middlesworth Park
    3. Duke Farms
    4. Mountain View Park

  3. Princeton University, one of the world’s top schools, is located roughly how many minutes from Hillsborough?
    1. 5
    2. 25
    3. 45
    4. 90

  4. Select all of the following that are special events in Hillsborough:
    1. Family Fun Day
    2. Green Living and Wellness Fair
    3. Rotary Fair
    4. Scarecrow Festival

  5. Which of the following is not a course offered at Hillsborough High School?
    1. Cartooning and Animation
    2. Medical Laboratory Techniques
    3. Marketing
    4. A Study of Chess
  1. Which of the following was not an event hosted by the Hillsborough branch of the Somerset County Library?
    1. Genealogy Club
    2. STEAM for Adults: DIY Dog Tug Toy
    3. The Brilliant and Bizarre Brontë Sisters
    4. Four-cheese Ravioli for Beginners

  2. According to Niche, Hillsborough is in the top ___% of places to raise a family in New Jersey.
    1. 5
    2. 10
    3. 15
    4. 20

  3. My house is located in the Hillsborough suburbs, and I want to watch the Perseid meteor shower this August. Where is the closest place I can travel to watch it?
    1. My front lawn
    2. A local forest
    3. The Atacama Desert
    4. Antarctica

  4. Every year a family of ______ parade their way through Woods Road  Elementary School, much to the delight of students and teachers.
    1. Deer
    2. Squirrels
    3. Ducks
    4. Fish (please don’t pick this one)

  5. Last but not least, how old is Hillsborough as of 2022?
    1. 112 years
    2. 157 years
    3. 209 years
    4. 251 years
Answers
  1. B
  2. A
  3. B
  4. all
  5. D
  6. D
  7. B
  8. A
  9. C
  10. D

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