Orange County, FL Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)

The permitting article, adopted by Ordinance No. 89-7 as the "County Motion Photography Production Permitting Ordinance" (Section 21-31), covers any commercial film, television, videotape or motion-picture shoot that uses county equipment or a county facility such as a park, street, sidewalk, or the civic/convention center. Even on private property away from any county asset, a permit is required if the shoot involves erecting tents or other temporary structures, using pyrotechnics, explosives, or other incendiary devices, or emitting noise sufficient to violate the Chapter 15, Article V noise-control ordinance (Section 21-33).

Studio productions using no county resources, and news, news-feature, or documentary shoots, are excluded from that definition entirely. film commissioner, the director of the motion picture and television division for the Economic Development Commission of Mid-Florida (Sections 21-33, 21-35). The administrator issues the permit if the application shows the production will not disrupt pedestrian or vehicular traffic, will not divert so many sheriff's deputies or fire-rescue personnel that other parts of the county lose normal protection, will not endanger persons or property or provoke disorderly conduct, and will provide adequate sanitary facilities (Section 21-36(a)).

The county also recovers its reasonably estimated extraordinary costs, personnel and equipment committed outside normal government service, and can require prepayment before issuing the permit, reconciling the estimate against actual costs once the shoot wraps (Section 21-37). Once a production permit issues, no other county permit is required for activities that are part of that permitted production, though the administrator can suspend rules of departments like parks and recreation as needed to accommodate the shoot (Section 21-38).