San Ramon, CA Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)

San Ramon Municipal Code Section D6-27(D)(1) classifies commercial filming, defined as the temporary use of an approved site for filming commercials, movies, videos, and similar productions, as an allowed temporary use requiring a Temporary Use Permit issued by the Zoning Administrator. This sits in Subsection D (Allowed temporary uses) of the Temporary Use Permit chapter, distinct from the exempt uses in Subsection C such as garage sales or temporary model homes. Before approving a filming permit, the Zoning Administrator must make an additional, specific finding beyond the general temporary-use standards: that approval would not result in a frequency of filming uses likely to create incompatibility between the filming activity and the surrounding neighborhood.

That frequency finding means a production company or location that has hosted repeated filming activity can be denied a permit even if a single shoot would otherwise be acceptable, because the cumulative impact on neighbors is part of the required review. Applications for a Temporary Use Permit follow the general procedures of Section D6-27(B), which bars any temporary land use, filming included, from being established, operated, or conducted without a valid, maintained permit. If a filming project separately spills into the public right-of-way, closes a street, or otherwise impacts public property, San Ramon Municipal Code Section B1-122 independently lists commercial filming among the activities that also trigger a special event permit through the Parks and Community Services Department, so a large production can need both approvals depending on where the activity actually occurs.