Denver, CO Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Denver, CO, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Permitting agency
- Denver Arts & Venues
- Applies to
- Filming on any city-owned property
- Agency options
- Approve, approve with conditions, or deny
- Citation
- DRMC § 2-193(22)
Summary
Denver Arts & Venues reviews and approves, conditions, or denies permit applications for filming operations on any city-owned property before production can begin.
Review permit applications for public permitted events and filming operations on city-owned property, and approving, approving with conditions, or denying same. For purposes of this division, the term "public permitted event" means a temporary pre-planned gathering held on public property owned by the city and county, open to the public, involving permitting by, and coordination of, multiple city agencies. The term "public permitted event" as used herein, hereby expressly excludes passive or continuous activation of public space including programs operated by Denver, and expansions of established business operations such as patio dining or sidewalk sales, and any other activation or expansion deemed by the executive director not to be a public permitted event. (Ord. No. 355-11, § 5, 6-27-11; Ord. No. 213-15, § 2, 5-18-15; Ord. No. 773-19, § 3, 8-26-19; Ord. No. 2156-25, § 1, 1-26-26)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
The Revised Municipal Code puts location filming under Denver Arts & Venues, the same office that reviews festivals and road races. Producers must submit a permit application for any filming operation on city-owned property; Arts & Venues can approve it outright, approve it with conditions, or deny it. The code carves out an exception for continuous, non-event activity such as regular business operations, so a one-off shoot on public land is what triggers review. Violating any rule or regulation the director issues to administer the program is itself a code violation.
Violations & Fines
Filming on city property without an approved permit, or violating conditions of one, is a code violation under DRMC § 2-195; Denver Arts & Venues can also deny or revoke approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to film on Denver city property?
Which office in Denver handles filming permits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
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