Contra Costa County, CA Filming & Production: Street Closures (2026)
Key Facts
- Road-closure permit timeline
- Issued within 10 working days
- No traffic control
- Issued within 2 working days
- Traffic control >3 min
- Issued within 4 working days
- Clock starts
- Only once application complete + insurance provided
- Other agencies
- Noted on permit per §56-8.418
Summary
Filming permits that require closing a county road take longer to process: Section 56-8.410 gives the Department of General Services up to ten working days to issue a permit requiring road closures, compared with two days for permits with no traffic control and four days for ones needing traffic control lasting more than three minutes.
(a)Permits shall be issued within the following time limits:(1)Permits not requiring traffic control exceeding three minutes shall be issued within two working days of completion of application.(2)Permits requiring traffic control exceeding three minutes shall be issued within four working days of completion of application.(3)Permits requiring road closures shall be issued within ten working days of completion of application.(b)An application shall not be deemed complete until all required information is provided, all fees are paid, the application is properly signed, and evidence of adequate insurance coverage is provided to the director of general services.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Ordinance Code: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
410(a) sets three tiered processing windows for filming permits under Chapter 56-8, based on how much the shoot disrupts traffic: permits that do not require traffic control lasting more than three minutes must issue within two working days of a completed application; permits requiring traffic control exceeding three minutes must issue within four working days; and permits requiring road closures, the most disruptive category, get ten working days. 410(b), the clock does not start until the application is complete, meaning all required information is provided, all fees are paid, the application is properly signed, and the director of general services has received evidence of adequate insurance coverage.
408, is a minimum $1,000,000 combined single limit policy naming the county as an additional insured, which in practice must be in hand before a road-closure request can even start its ten-day clock. 418 requires the director to flag any other local agency with jurisdiction over the closure on the permit itself, since a county road closure for filming can also implicate the CHP, a city police department, or Caltrans depending on location. 602 to reasonably reflect the county's actual cost of supporting the closure.
Violations & Fines
Filming that closes a county road without the Chapter 56-8 permit is unlawful under Section 56-8.402's general permit requirement, and an incomplete application, missing insurance, an unpaid fee, or a missing signature under Section 56-8.410(b), keeps the county's ten-working-day issuance clock from ever starting, delaying any road closure indefinitely until the file is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get a filming permit for a road closure in Contra Costa County?
What makes a filming permit application 'complete' for a road closure?
Does the county coordinate with other agencies for a road closure permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Contra Costa County
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