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.
See how Palo Alto's location permits rules stack up against other locations.
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