Tampa, FL Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Tampa, FL, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Permitting body
- Tampa/Hillsborough Film Commission
- Filed with
- City zoning administrator
- Minimum insurance
- $1,000,000 certificate
- Governing section
- Sec. 27-282.17(1)-(3)
Summary
Shooting film or video anywhere in Tampa requires a location permit from the Tampa/Hillsborough Film Commission under Sec. 27-282.17, filed with the city zoning administrator before cameras roll. The application must list the production company, client, shoot dates, and every filming location, plus a $1 million certificate of insurance naming the city as additional insured.
Any person or entity conducting such activity within the City of Tampa shall obtain a permit for such activity from the Tampa/Hillsborough Film Commission, which permit must be provided to the City of Tampa zoning administrator for filing. The permit must include, at a minimum, the following information: the name, address and phone number of the film production company and its client, the type of production, the shooting dates and estimated total production days, the locations at which filming will occur, any city personnel or equipment being requested, and a hold harmless/indemnity agreement consistent with subsection (3) below.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 148).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 17 governs temporary film production activity in any zoning district in the city, and it starts with a mandatory permit: subsection (1) requires a permit for such activity from the Tampa/Hillsborough Film Commission, which permit must be provided to the City of Tampa zoning administrator for filing. The application has to include the film company's and client's name, address and phone number, the type of production, the shooting dates and estimated total production days, every location where filming will occur, any city personnel or equipment being requested, and a hold-harmless/indemnity agreement.
00) naming the City of Tampa as an additional insured, filed with both the city and the Film Commission before filming starts. Subsection (3) makes the production company solely responsible for any injury or property damage and requires it to hold the city harmless. The permit is the gatekeeper for everything else in the section, street or sidewalk closures (subsection 4), the required on-site notice sign (subsection 5), resident access placards (subsection 6), sanitary facilities (subsection 7), and cost recovery for extraordinary city services (subsection 9) all flow from having this permit on file first.
Individuals filming for personal use, news crews covering ongoing events, and students/faculty filming for education only are the three exceptions that don't need this permit at all.
Violations & Fines
Filming without the Film Commission permit on file with the zoning administrator, or without the required $1,000,000 certificate of insurance, violates Sec. 27-282.17 and is enforced under the citywide general penalty in Sec. 1-6: up to a $500 fine, sixty days in jail, and/or six months' probation, with each production day of noncompliance counted separately. The city can also recover its extraordinary service costs from an unpermitted shoot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues film permits in Tampa?
How much insurance do I need to film in Tampa?
What has to be in a Tampa film permit application?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tampa
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