Provo, UT Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Provo, UT, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Permitting agency
- Provo Police Department
- Advance notice (traffic impact)
- At least 10 days
- Extra permit trigger
- 300+ people needs Ch. 6.20 permit too
- Max permit duration
- 30 days
- Review timeline
- Police forward to Mayor within 5 days
Summary
Provo City Code 9.15.050 requires a permit before using public streets, sidewalks or public places for a motion picture or video production. Applications go to the Police Department, and productions involving 300 or more people must also get a Chapter 6.20 special event permit.
9.15.050 Alternative Uses of Public Streets. It shall be unlawful for any person to utilize public streets, sidewalks and public places for the purpose of any show, play, sale, commercial display, commercial demonstration or for the production of any play or motion pictures and video productions without first applying for a permit to so utilize the public streets, sidewalks and public places. ... 9.15.060(1)(d) if the use will involve three hundred (300) or more persons, the applicant shall simultaneously submit an application as provided for under Chapter 6.20, and meet all requirements thereof.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-17, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
050 makes it unlawful to use those areas for a show, play, sale, commercial display or demonstration, or for the production of a motion picture or video production, without first obtaining a permit. 060 spells out how: the production company applies in writing to the Police Department, describing the activity, the specific area and how it will be used, whether the shoot will cause any permanent change such as marring the street or sidewalk surface, the number of people involved, and the exact date and time.
20 and meet all of that chapter's requirements as well. If the production will interfere with normal traffic, the application must be filed at least ten days ahead of time, and if the Chief of Police determines officers will be needed for traffic control, the applicant must agree in writing to pay the actual cost of those officers' time. 070, the Chief of Police reviews the application and, within five days, forwards it to the Mayor with a recommendation and an estimate of potential cleanup or damage costs; the Mayor then grants, denies, or conditions the permit on the applicant posting a bond to cover that estimate.
Any permit granted is good for a temporary period of no more than thirty days, and a denial must be explained in writing to the applicant.
Violations & Fines
Filming on a Provo street, sidewalk or public place without the Section 9.15.050 permit is unlawful and defaults to a class B misdemeanor under the general penalty section 1.03.010(1): up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both, in addition to any bond forfeiture for uncompensated cleanup or damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a city permit to film a video on a Provo street?
How long before filming do I need to apply?
What if our production expects a large crowd?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Provo
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Location Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Utah County handle location permits.