How to get a film permit in San Francisco

Locations for video production can make or break a project. When looking for spots to shoot, we typically like to evaluate what kind of locations would tell the story best. Whether that’s shots of nature, an indoor seamless background, or city shots, every location poses potential challenges. When we determine that we need to film in a city, it’s often that we turn to our own backyard in San Francisco to get the shots we need. SF has its challenges for sure, including parking, security as well as traffic, but every time we apply for a permit, we know we are about to get some gold shots! In this article, we’ll break down how to get a film permit in San Francisco.

Before we dive in, you might be thinking, do I really have to get a film permit to shoot in SF? While we can’t answer that question for you, there are several factors to keep in mind regardless of the size of your production.

#1. Is your client with you?

If so, the obvious answer is yes. You should absolutely get a permit. It’s a professional thing to do, and it doesn’t cost that much. When we first started shooting, we’d often wing it, but as we’ve grown, we’ve learned the risk vs reward if you get stopped, is just not worth it.

#2. How big is your crew?

If you aren’t with a client, and you are just solo shooting a quick pickup scenic shot, you may be able to get away with not permitting. Although we’d still recommend it! The penalties for getting stopped when shooting commercially can be steep!

#3. How many shots and what shots do you need?

If you are trying to get a bunch of shots at very specific locations, we’d highly recommend permitting. This will give you 100% certainty you can get the shots!!

#4. Will you have security

If you are looking to film in San Francisco for more than a quick pickup shot, we’d highly recommend having security. There have been countless robberies over the last few years and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down! SecurityEven news crews aren’t safe. Permitting such that you can hire security guards is key! Usually, you can get security for around $20/hr per guard with an 8-hour minimum.

Overview

The first thing to know when going for a film permit application is who to get them from. FilmSF is your key to getting a film permit. They’ve got a department of very friendly people who will guide you through the permitting process. According to the FilmSF website: “A production permit is required whenever you’re shooting on City property for commercial or non-commercial purpose except for private family use.”

However that said, you’ve got to remember who’s property you are shooting on. Although you might be on a beach in San Francisco, that doesn’t necessarily mean that is city property. So FilmSF wouldn’t actually be the place to issue your permit. If your location is in SF but it’s technically not city property, check out this comprehensive list of contacts. Let’s break down how to get a film permit in San Francisco.

Timeframe

So you’ve determined you do need a permit to capture your shots and they are on San Francisco city property. But how long does it take to get your film permit? The answer is that it takes 4 days to get the permit approved. During this time, they’ll review your application, look over your insurance, approve(or deny) your parking request and notify the appropriate jurisdictions of your filming dates and locations. That said, if you are looking to close down a street or use an SFMTA vehicle, it could take an additional 5-10 days. This means that the total process could take up to 2 weeks. Best to get started early.

Insurance

As you start the application you’ll see that you need insurance. The requirements are rigid. You’ll need to have general liability insurance of $1,000,000 for each Occurrence and a $2,000,000 Aggregate. In common terms, this means that your coverage would protect them against a $1,000,000 accident up to two accidents. You’ll also need to have auto liability insurance if you’ll have vehicles on site. The requirements for this are $1,000,000 combined single limit. The last requirement if you have employees onsite is worker compensation insurance. For this, you’d be required to have the statutory limits as well as employers liability not less than $1,000,000 per accident, injury of illness. That said, if you don’t have any employees onsite, you can fill out the waiver of subrogation endorsement form. This can be a frustrating process when trying to learn how to get a film permit in San Francisco.

There’s a chance that you don’t have production insurance. In this case, you might consider getting a project production insurance plan. This would protect any rentals that you rent for the project as well as any liability insurance requirements!

Community Notice

Depending on where you are filming or what type of production you are looking to shoot, you may be required to give notice to the community. There are several ways to do this. Post with blue painter’s tape in public spaces where you will film. You should also tape notices near call boxes for apartment buildings. Further, hand them to doormen or front desk staff. You can also tape them to mailboxes(although do not put them inside). Essentially you just want to make sure that everyone in the area is aware that you will be filming. This should be done approximately 72 to 96 hours before you will begin your first day of filming. The last thing you want while you are filming is to be disturbed and told to stop filming just because a neighbor was not informed!

Cost

There is no cost for the permit application. However, if they grant you a permit, you’ll be required to pay the fees to make the permit become active. The fees range depending on your usage. According to the Wrapbook the costs are as follows:

Still Photography: $100/day

Commercial, corporate media, web and music video: $200/day

TV Series, movie, pilot, web series etc: Budgets less than $100,000: $50/day. Budgets of $100,000 to $500,000: $100/day. Budgets of $500,000 or greater: $300/day.

You may also be able to quality for a significantly reduced rate if you can supply your budget for the project.

If you are working on a student film. Guess what? The permit is free. However, you’d still need to be able to provide the general liability insurance requirements. Your school may be able to help with this. On the other hand, if they can’t help you, then you’d need to pony up for some production insurance. You could try asking for a student discount.

Example

We filmed Pact in San Francisco a few years ago and utilized a permit to reserve a basketball court at a park and to shoot a quick run and gun scene at the Lyon street stairs. This meant we had to put up notices in the nearby neighborhood and and provide proof of insurance in addition to paying the permit fee. We also were required to put up signs in the immediate areas where we’d be filming and notify neighbors. The whole process took about two weeks.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, getting a permit isn’t really all that hard. Yes, it will take you about 2-4 hours to complete the application and get your insurance documents, but then you’ll be free to rest easy knowing your production shouldn’t be bothered. I hope you’ve enjoyed this article on how to get a film permit in San Francisco. We wish we had known about the steps earlier in our career. There isn’t a need to make it more complicated than it is! If you are looking for other film permitting departments, check out the City of Oakland’s film permitting office. Or perhaps you are looking to get a film permit in San Jose.

Are you looking for San Francisco video production? We’ve got all the skills needed to permit in San Francisco. If you are looking for a local crew to get shots for your production company, contact us to find out how we can bring your remote filming needs to life!