Downey, CA Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)

Under Downey Municipal Code Section 6906, no one may stage a commercial motion picture, television production, or commercial still-photography session anywhere in the city without a permit issued by the City Manager or a designee. The exemption is narrow: it covers only news crews shooting spontaneous, unplanned broadcast coverage and businesses that already operate as an ongoing studio. Section 6907 requires the application at least five days before the first shoot date and demands the production company's name and contact information, the exact filming address, the inclusive dates and hours, a description of the activity, the on-site contact person, and whether animals or pyrotechnics will be used.

Seven departments, Police, Fire, Public Works, Community Services, Community Development, Building & Safety, and Finance, review every application and attach their own conditions and fees before a permit issues. Section 6908 lets the City Council set filming fees by resolution rather than fixing them in the code itself, and Section 6910 makes the permittee reimburse the City dollar-for-dollar for any personnel or equipment the City provides for security or other support. Section 6911's general conditions require the operator to keep the site orderly, clear away trash and debris and restore the location to its prior condition after wrap, and to get the property owner's written consent for any site the City doesn't itself control.

unless the City Manager grants an exception; indoor filming can run around the clock as long as there is no outdoor activity attached. Section 6912 adds Workers' Compensation coverage, a refundable faithful-performance cash deposit sized by the City Manager, and liability insurance in an amount the City sets. A denied or conditioned permit can be appealed through the procedure in Section 6404.