Baltimore County, MD Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Baltimore County, MD, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Same lot used more than 3 days/12 months
- Nonresidential exception
- 2 or fewer vehicles under 10,000 lbs, crew of 10 or fewer
- Residential zones
- Permit required regardless of duration
- Fees
- Set under County Code § 3-1-202
- Governing section
- BCZR § 435
Summary
Commercial film production is allowed in every Baltimore County zone, but BCZR § 435.1 requires a use permit once the same lot is used by any producer for more than three days in a 12-month period. Productions in residential zones need a permit regardless of duration, and the county can charge fees to cover police and traffic costs.
§ 435.1. - Permit required. A use permit, pursuant to the provisions of Section 500.4 of these regulations, shall be required if the same record lot is used, by the same or different producers for more than three days in a 12-month period, except as provided in Section 435.2.§ 435.2. - Exception to permit requirements. A.In any nonresidential zone, a use permit shall not be required, provided that the production is confined entirely to private property; involves no more than two vehicles, each with a gross vehicle weight less than 10,000 pounds; and involves a crew of no more than a total of ten persons.B.In any residential zone, a use permit shall be required, regardless of the number of days the record lot is used and notice shall be posted in a time and manner that gives reasonable notice to adjacent property owners.§ 435.3. - Fees for county services. The Administrative Officer, pursuant to § 3-1-202 of the Baltimore County Code, is authorized to establish fees to offset the costs of county services, including but not limited to police, security, traffic and other services.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29 | Zoning Regulations: Supplement 10).
Full Breakdown
BCZR Section 435 treats commercial film production as a permitted use in all zones as long as producers follow every applicable county law, as determined by the Administrative Officer. 4 of the Zoning Regulations: once the same record lot hosts filming, by the same producer or different producers, for more than three days within a 12-month period, a use permit is required. 2 carves out a narrow exception for nonresidential zones: no permit is needed if the shoot stays entirely on private property, uses no more than two vehicles each under 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and involves a crew of ten people or fewer.
That exception does not extend to residential zones. B, filming in a residential zone needs a use permit no matter how few days the crew is on site, and the applicant must post notice in a time and manner that gives adjacent property owners reasonable warning, as the Director of Permits, Approvals, and Inspections determines. 3 lets the Administrative Officer, acting under Baltimore County Code § 3-1-202, set fees that offset the cost of county services a production draws on, including police, security and traffic support, so a permitted shoot can be billed for the extra staffing it requires beyond the base permit fee.
Violations & Fines
Filming beyond the three-day threshold on the same lot without a use permit, or any filming in a residential zone without one, is a zoning violation the county can act on through its standard use-permit enforcement process. Producers who skip the required neighbor notice in a residential zone risk having the Director of Permits, Approvals, and Inspections deny or condition the permit, and unpaid service fees assessed under § 435.3 can hold up approval for future productions on the same lot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to film a commercial in Baltimore County?
What about filming at a house in a residential neighborhood?
Will Baltimore County charge extra for police or traffic support during a shoot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Baltimore County
Compare Baltimore County to another location·View the Maryland filming & production overview
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