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Filming & Production in Contra Costa County, CA (2026)

2 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Contra Costa County, California.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Location Permits

Commercial motion picture production on public property, or any filming that requires county services, needs a filming permit from the Department of General Services first. Section 56-8.402 makes filming without one unlawful, and applicants must carry at least $1 million in liability insurance naming the county as an additional insured.

Contra Costa County Filming Permit Requirement

Some Restrictions

Contra Costa County Ordinance Code § 56-8.402, § 56-8.408

No person shall engage in commercial motion picture production on public property or requiring public services without obtaining a filming permit pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. ... The applicant shall, at no cost to county, furnish evidence of comprehensive liability insurance coverage, including coverage of owned and non-owned automobiles, with a minimum combined single limit cove...

Street Closures

Filming permits that require closing a county road take longer to process: Section 56-8.410 gives the Department of General Services up to ten working days to issue a permit requiring road closures, compared with two days for permits with no traffic control and four days for ones needing traffic control lasting more than three minutes.

Contra Costa County Filming Road Closure Rules

Some Restrictions

Contra Costa County Ordinance Code § 56-8.410(a)-(b)

(a)Permits shall be issued within the following time limits:(1)Permits not requiring traffic control exceeding three minutes shall be issued within two working days of completion of application.(2)Permits requiring traffic control exceeding three minutes shall be issued within four working days of completion of application.(3)Permits requiring road closures shall be issued within ten working da...

Filming & Production by City in Contra Costa County

2 cities in Contra Costa County have their own filming & production rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.

All Contra Costa County ordinances

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