Film location permits in Santa Clara County, CA — sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations — cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Filming on Santa Clara County roads or property requires a county film permit through the Office of the County Executive. Cities including San Jose, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale operate independent film offices with separate fees and insurance requirements.
Santa Clara County requires permits for commercial filming on county roads, parks, and unincorporated land through the Office of the County Executive in coordination with the Roads and Airports Department, Sheriff, and Parks. Standard requirements include a $1 million general liability policy naming the county as additional insured, a permit application 5-10 business days in advance, and fees scaled by impact (road closure, equipment, crew size). Cities run their own film offices: San Jose Film Office, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and Santa Clara each issue independent permits with comparable insurance and notice requirements. Stanford University manages on-campus filming separately. State property such as Caltrans freeways and California state parks requires separate permits.
Unpermitted filming citations start at $500 per day plus actual costs of public-safety response. Repeat or commercial-scale violations can be charged as misdemeanors with fines up to $1,000 and permit blacklisting. Insurance default creates personal liability.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Santa Clara County, CA
In unincorporated Santa Clara County, the County Noise Ordinance (Title B, Division B11, Chapter VIII of the County Ordinance Code) sets exterior noise limit...
Santa Clara County, CA
In unincorporated Santa Clara County, fence height is regulated by the County Zoning Ordinance administered by the Department of Planning and Development. Fe...
Santa Clara County, CA
ALL fireworks - including state-approved 'Safe and Sane' fireworks - are illegal in unincorporated Santa Clara County. The County has banned the sale, posses...
Santa Clara County, CA
Residential pools and spas in unincorporated Santa Clara County are governed by California Health and Safety Code Sections 115920 through 115929 (the Pool Sa...
Santa Clara County, CA
Unincorporated Santa Clara County allows movable tiny homes as a substitute for one Accessory Dwelling Unit under Zoning Ordinance Section 4.10.015(E), adopt...
Santa Clara County, CA
In unincorporated Santa Clara County, sheds are regulated as accessory buildings under Zoning Ordinance Section 4.20.020. A shed whose combined length plus w...
See how Santa Clara County's location permits rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.