Washington, DC Filming & Production: Location Permits (2026)
Film location permits in Washington, DC, sometimes called film shoot permits, production permits, or filming authorizations, cover commercial photography, video shoots, and motion picture production.
Key Facts
- Application fee
- $30 one-time, per production
- Daily occupancy fee
- $150 per day, per location
- Governing sections
- D.C. Code § 2-1204.11d; § 10-1141.03
- Permit transfers
- Not allowed between locations (subsection (f))
- Fee deposits
- Special account under D.C. Code § 34-1252.03
Summary
Washington, D.C. requires a dedicated film permit before any motion picture, television or media production occupies public space or a public right-of-way. Issued by the Mayor under D.C. Code § 2-1204.11d, it carries a $30 one-time processing fee plus a $150-per-day, per-location occupancy charge, and cannot be transferred to a different site once granted.
(a) The Mayor may issue a permit for the occupation of the public space for motion picture, television, and other media productions ("film permit") pursuant to § 10-1141.03. (b) The Mayor may impose a one-time fee for processing of the film permit application in the amount of $30 per production. (c) The film permit fee shall be $150 per day per location to occupy public space or a public right-of-way. (d) The Mayor may periodically revise the schedule of fees by rulemaking. (e) The fees received by the Mayor from applications for and issuance of the film permits shall be deposited into the special account established by § 34-1252.03. (f) No permit may be transferred from one location to another.
Full Breakdown
C. C. 03. A production must pay a one-time $30 application-processing fee before the permit is reviewed, and once issued the occupancy fee is $150 per day per location, not a single flat charge for an entire shoot, so a two-day shoot at one block runs $300 in occupancy fees on top of the $30 application charge. C. Law 18-111, § 2071(b)) are a floor, not necessarily today's exact number. C. 03, not the District's general fund, keeping film-permit revenue tied to the District's production-incentive program.
Productions cannot stretch one permit across multiple addresses: subsection (f) bars transferring a film permit from the location named on the application to a different location, so adding a second shooting site mid-production means applying for and paying for a second, separate permit rather than amending the first one.
Violations & Fines
A production that occupies D.C. public space or a public right-of-way without an approved film permit, or that overstays a permit's terms, is subject to permit revocation under D.C. Code § 10-1141.03(c), the same public-space permit authority § 2-1204.11d(a) invokes for film permits. Under § 10-1141.03(e), the Mayor can order equipment, staging or vehicles removed and the site restored at the production's expense, and any prepaid occupancy fee is refunded only in proportion to the space actually vacated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a DC film location permit cost?
Can one DC film permit cover several filming locations?
What law lets DC charge for film location permits?
Where does DC's film permit fee money go?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington
Compare Washington to another location·View the District of Columbia filming & production overview
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