Corpus Christi, TX Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Corpus Christi, TX, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 36-84, Permit requirements
- Administering agency
- Corpus Christi Film Commission
- Permit needed only if
- Filming requires exclusive use of public property
- Scheduling conflicts
- Earliest complete application gets priority
- Penalty for filming without permit
- Sec. 1-6 general penalty (up to $500)
Summary
Filming that needs exclusive use of Corpus Christi public property (streets, rights-of-way, buildings or parks) requires a filming permit from the Corpus Christi Film Commission under Sec. 36-84. No permit is needed if the shoot doesn't require exclusive use, but filming without one where it is required draws a Sec. 1-6 penalty.
(a)Prior to filming that requires the exclusive use of public property, a filming permit must be obtained. No filming permit is required if the filming does not require the exclusive use of public property.(b)Filming permits shall be issued by the film commission. Permits shall be issued to the applicant and will specify the filming that may occur at a particular location at a particular time.(g)Notwithstanding any other part of this Code, any applicant that performs filming without receiving a filming permit, violates the material terms of a filming permit, or is otherwise in violation of this filming ordinance, shall be subject to penalties as provided in section 1-6 of the Code of Ordinances.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 36-84(a) requires a filming permit only when the production needs the exclusive use of city public property; productions that do not need exclusive use are not required to obtain one. Sec. 36-83 designates the Corpus Christi Film Commission, housed at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, as the city's agent administering the permit process alongside the city manager's designee. Sec. 36-84(b) and (c) direct the film commission and city staff to evaluate the application and each requested 'element' (an activity or item of city property to be used), and authorize the specific elements approved; if one element is denied, the rest of the permit can still be granted.
Sec. 36-84(e) makes the permit holder responsible for knowing and complying with every applicable local, state and federal law beyond the filming ordinance itself. Sec. 36-84(h) states a permit does not create a constitutionally protected property interest, and every application must be signed by the applicant or an authorized representative. Sec. 36-84(i) resolves scheduling conflicts by giving priority to whichever complete application, including the required fee, the film commission received earliest, while the commission tries to find alternate times or locations for the other applicant.
Sec. 36-84(g) makes clear that filming without a required permit, violating a permit's material terms, or otherwise breaking the filming ordinance is punishable under the Code's general penalty section.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 36-84(g) states that filming without a required permit, violating the material terms of an issued permit, or otherwise violating the filming ordinance subjects the applicant to the penalties in Sec. 1-6, the Code's general penalty: a fine of up to $500 for most offenses, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense under Sec. 1-6.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to film on a Corpus Christi sidewalk?
Who issues Corpus Christi filming permits?
What if two productions want the same Corpus Christi location on the same day?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Corpus Christi
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Corpus Christi to another location·View the Texas filming & production overview
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