Santa Rosa, CA Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)

030. Subsection (D) lists activities that must still get a Temporary Use Permit within a 12-month cap, such as car washes run by qualifying nonprofit sponsors and off-site contractor construction yards. Location filming is instead listed under Subsection (C), "Exempt temporary activities," alongside on-site construction yards under one acre, emergency public health and safety activities, garage sales limited to three days and three times a year, and Council-approved uses of public property. ," and puts approval in the hands of the Director of Transportation and Parking rather than the Director who normally issues Temporary Use Permits under this chapter.

That routing reflects the department's authority over the parking, loading and traffic impacts that production vehicles, equipment trailers and crew parking create around a shoot location. This location-filming approval covers use of a specific site; if the production instead needs to close a public street, sidewalk, alley or parking area, it falls under the separate special event permit process in Chapter 11-40, administered by the City Manager.