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los angeles shooting permits?
hi, I'm new to town (los angeles area) and this business here. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the local laws are to say shooting headshots or fashion photos in public places (ie, a street or an alley or something). Where I come from there are no such laws, but I'm just wondering if you need a permit to shoot like that here, thanks for the attention DM Feb 18 09 09:03 am Link Though I'm certain several "experts" will come in here and offer you very authoritative-sounding legal advice, I would suggest you contact the City and County to find out their requirements. A relatively easy Google search will point you to the correct offices and their websites contain a lot of the information you may need, but I would still call them to inquire directly. You may also be able to get some office numbers from the "Entertainment Industry Development Corporation"'s website. When you call, you should be as specific as possible about the equipment you will be using, the number of people involved, . . .etc. (A lot of these offices are designed to raise revenues and they are often pre-conditioned to tell you that you need a permit AND insurance. If you tell them exactly what you intend to do, they may just tell you to go ahead and shoot without the permit. I would get the name and phone number of the person you speak to.) Regardless, the only definitive answer to your question can/should come FROM the City/County of Los Angeles. Feb 18 09 09:39 am Link Daniel Marin wrote: You can't shoot photography (other than tourist shots) anywhere in the city of Beverly Hills without a permit. Those permits start at around $1700. I don't know of laws in other areas of LA Feb 18 09 09:44 am Link http://www.largeformatphotography.info/photo-permits/ Scroll down till you get to City of Los Angeles, click on appropriate link, parks and rec, or whatever. Note that authorities most always DO NOT know the laws and will try to get you out of there. You don't need a permit to shoot stills alone. You do need a permit to shoot "commercially." If you've got a model, it's tough not to call it commercial. Just print out the forms and visit the EIDC. They'll tell you exactly what you need and where. Feb 18 09 09:48 am Link Well...take it from someone who got a ticket while shooting in LA  They almost require a permit for taking a tourist shot of a friend or family member!! I was given a citation for shooting at a secluded beach, and the authorities basically told me that I could not shoot landscapes, portraits, models, wedding "stuff", blah, blah, blah....without having a permit to do so. Now there are plenty that do it, but if you have lights, scrims, reflectors, etc. and cannot be done quickly you are taking a certain risk to owe the County of Los Angeles a little money if caught....hope that helps!!Feb 18 09 09:56 am Link Ultra Magnus wrote: The reason that they deem it commercial is because commercial us usually for advertising or trade. From their point of view, either you are selling the images, using it to promote yourself or the model will use it to promote herself. Since the model is presumably trying to make money from modeling, the authorities generally don't even feel that money has to change hands for it to qualify as commercial. Feb 18 09 10:58 am Link Wow, I just learned something new. I'm a Los Angeles native, and it never would have occurred to me to go get a city permit to shoot. Good thing I saw this post since I'm planning a shoot in an industrial area around downtown soon. Don't want to give the man another excuse to hassle me. Feb 19 09 12:25 am Link CWC IMAGES wrote: Wow, I cannot believe that. Feb 19 09 02:43 am Link definitely stay out of Burbank and Hollywood, but if you go to North Hollywood and the Valleys you will find some spots....try griffith park as well! (you can hide pretty well there!!) ;-) Feb 19 09 02:46 am Link you can shoot downtown L.A they wont botheryou! Feb 19 09 02:47 am Link ppppff...permits....we don't need no stinkin' permits...one time the producer of American History X asked me to come down to L.A. do to a shoot where I proceeded to get naked and climb a tree on a very very wealthy quiet neighborhood street in west hollywood Feb 19 09 02:55 am Link Yeah, in retrospect, I'm just going in with no permit. I'm a rebel. Feb 19 09 10:22 am Link Chino31 wrote: The last few times I've tried that I spent a good portion of the afternoon sitting on the curb surrounded by big black suvs. Twice I was only scouting with a friend. A couple times I was shooting with no reflectors or lights and just 3 of us. This happened downtown and a little south in Vernon. At least in Vernon they told me before I shoot call the police desk and tell them where I'll be and as long as we're not on private property it's cool. CWC IMAGES wrote: I never got a ticket. What do those cost? Feb 19 09 10:32 am Link Thyronne wrote: Damn, well if that were me once upon a time, my initial reaction would be to run as they approached, L.A.P.D terrifies me. But now, I'll have to empathize with the models who I'm sure would freak out as they see me flee like a bat out of hell. Feb 19 09 04:41 pm Link fight the man.... Feb 19 09 04:45 pm Link Terry Day wrote: Please cite the statute. I've shot in BH, n fact, shot on the stairs and lawn and all around City Hall in the evening and middle of the night, and never been hassled. Several times during shoots the BHPD drives by, and generally doesn't even bother stopping. And even when they briefly ask what we're shooting, never been asked for a permit. Feb 19 09 04:47 pm Link I've been kicked out of Griffith Park and the Santa Monica Pier before, but that was with obvious professional equipment. Never got a ticket, just a "Sorry, you'll have to leave." I've shot downtown and in Glendale without any problems. I did some shooting at the Train Museum near Griffith Park, and they asked me if it was a commercial shoot. I just said no, and they left me alone. The problem with obtaining a permit is that generally, you're going to need insurance to go with that. For stills, it's something like $500,000. Film/video it's a cool million. That kind of insurance policy is hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars. If you're shooting something with a real budget, it's best to work that into it. But if not, IMHO, it's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Feb 20 09 03:03 pm Link I shoot where I want and answer questions later... Feb 20 09 11:00 pm Link Sky Bermudas wrote: lmao! I'm with you! Jul 16 10 01:08 pm Link I shot in LA for years.. used permits regularly.. most are not that expensive but it helps to know where the expensive areas are... 1. Beverly Hills... Basically they dont want you there & charge accordingly! 2. Malibu... see Beverly Hills... Last permit I got there was $1875 for a commercial job. 3. Burbank... Cops there are used to a LOT of filming in this areas (NBC, Warner Bros, ABC etc are all there)... so no permit = risking a citation & fine! 4. Laguna & Huntington Beaches - Very popular shoot areas & patrolled regularly... Huntington was around $550 last time I shot there. Best spots to shoot 1. Any State owned beach such as El Matador etc... last shoot there was $65 & they only issue 1 permit per day... so book well in advance! 2. Downtown LA... No one really gives a shit! 3. Melrose ... See Downtown 4. Get out of LA & hit the Deserts of El Mirage & outside of Palm Springs... its remote & you can do pretty much what you want without any hassle For the record... Insurance is not expensive... I carry $2m Gen Liability... $100k O&E... $75k Rentals... $80k Owned equipment .. premium is $1288 per year. If this is a business get the insurance... all you need to do is damage a camera & it pays for itself... If someone gets hurt on your set you WILL be liable... so protect yourself! Jul 16 10 01:23 pm Link Call LA Film Permit Office 213.481.7488 Jul 16 10 01:27 pm Link Squirrels On Film wrote: +1 Jul 16 10 01:31 pm Link How about inside buildings like hotels in la? Do they require permits? Sep 29 12 11:36 am Link Technically inside of a building you need permission from the building owner unless its common space. You can shoot in places like museums where photography is permitted but if its obvious that you are shooting commercially, you may be required to have a permit or asked to leave. Commercial use is totally different than personal use, you are a student or art (not for profit). There are also laws in place and the discretion of police. Some places wont enforce these laws then suddenly everyone is getting a ticket. The only time I was approached by police was when we rented a crane and were shooting about 300 people. I had permission from the City of Santa Monica. Luckily I had all my ducks in a row and had the name of the official, their number and title. The cops put away their ticket book and went on their way. Contact a company that specializes in this stuff and do the research yourself. Try Film LA Oct 18 16 02:59 pm Link Daniel Marin wrote: Shot in L.A. and the permit process is a nightmare. Oct 18 16 05:30 pm Link |
