Boise, ID Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Boise, ID, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Permit issued by
- City Clerk's Office
- Low-impact filing deadline
- 3 business days ahead
- Medium/high-impact deadline
- 5 business days ahead
- Required liability coverage
- $1M per occurrence, $2M aggregate
- Annual low-impact permits expire
- Midnight January 31 yearly
Summary
Commercial filming on Boise public property requires a film permit from the City Clerk's Office, tiered by impact level with fees and insurance.
A film permit is required for any commercial filming activities within the City conducted on public property, unless otherwise exempted.
A. Permit Exemptions: Filming activities within the City on public property for private, non-commercial uses do not require a film permit. Filming activities, whether for commercial use or not, wholly conducted on private property (e.g., a studio) do not require a film permit. Still photography, student, contest, and charitable films and news media filming are exempt from obtaining a film permit.
B. Non-commercial and Exempted Filming Requirements: Though exempted and non-commercial filming activities do not require a film permit, such filming activities shall:
1. Obtain all necessary location reservations, pay all fees for the use of certain public properties or other resources, and obtain permits or licenses as may be required by the City or third-party entities for the use of their public property.
2. When a non-commercial or exempted filming activity includes the brandishing of a weapon (including but not limited to a real or artificial firearm) in public, then "filming in progress" signage must be clearly posted on-site, and notices to surrounding area residences and businesses and to Ada County Dispatch and the Boise Police Department must be provided in advance of such filming activities. Such notices and signage shall provide the date, time,
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-31: Code current through: Ord. 20-26, passed 6-9-2026).
Full Breakdown
Boise requires a film permit for commercial filming activities on public property, administered by the City Clerk's Office. Filming is sorted into low, medium, high, and high-impact-with-SET tiers based on disruption to traffic, hours, and street parking use, with applications due 3 to 5 business days ahead depending on tier. Permittees must carry $1 million/$2 million commercial general liability insurance, workers' compensation, and $500,000 commercial auto liability, plus pay application, city-property-use, street-closure, and parking fees set on the City's master fines and fees schedule. Filming wholly on private property, or non-commercial filming on public property, does not require a permit, and still photography, student, contest, charitable, and news media filming are exempt.
Violations & Fines
First violation on low/medium-impact filming is an infraction; repeat or high-impact violations are a general misdemeanor, plus permit suspension or revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to film on private property in Boise?
What insurance does a Boise film permit require?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boise
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