Chino Hills, CA Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Chino Hills, CA, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Open space section
- § 12.32.220
- Parks section
- § 12.40.260
- Who needs a permit
- Commercial/for-profit photographers and filmmakers
- Violation class
- Infraction, escalating to misdemeanor on 4th offense
- Max fine
- $500 (3rd infraction in a year)
Summary
Chino Hills requires a City-issued film permit before anyone shoots commercial photography or video in the city's open space preserve, under § 12.32.220. City parks carry the identical requirement at § 12.40.260, so any paid production wanting to use city-owned land, trail or park facility must clear a permit first or risk an infraction citation.
Except in the service of the City and authorized by a Director or designee, no person shall photograph, videotape, or film for commercial (profit or sale) purposes in any City-Owned Open Space without obtaining a City issued film permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
220 states that, except in the service of the City and authorized by a Director or designee, no person shall photograph, videotape, or film for commercial (profit or sale) purposes in any City-Owned Open Space without obtaining a City-issued film permit. 260 imposes the identical rule for City parks and park facilities, using nearly word-for-word language: commercial photography, videotaping, or filming there requires the same City-issued permit unless the activity is done in the service of the City and authorized by a Director or designee.
36 special events permit application filed with the Community Development or Community Services Department depending on location. Both sections apply only to commercial, for-profit or for-sale filming; personal photography, news-gathering, and student or hobbyist video are outside the scope of the permit requirement as written. 40 that single out a use, alongside amplified sound and solicitation, for its own permit path rather than leaving it to the general duty-to-comply clause.
Violations & Fines
Both § 12.32.220(B) and its parks counterpart designate an unauthorized commercial filming violation as an infraction, the lighter of the two penalty tiers Chino Hills uses in these chapters. Under § 1.36.020(B), a first infraction conviction carries a fine of up to $100, a second within a year up to $200, and a third or later within a year up to $500; a fourth violation of the same rule by the same person within a year is prosecutable as a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to film a commercial or paid video shoot in a Chino Hills park?
What happens if a production films on City land without the permit?
Does the film permit rule cover a hobbyist with a phone camera?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino Hills
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino Hills to another location·View the California filming & production overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Location Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle location permits.