Folsom, CA Filming & Production: Student Filming (2026)

Chapter 5.80, the Folsom Film Permit Ordinance, makes it unlawful to conduct 'production activity' (filming, videotaping, or photographing for motion pictures, television, commercial, or new media use) on public or private property without a film permit issued by the city manager (Section 5.80.040(A)). The chapter carves out six exemptions in Section 5.80.040(C), and the sixth is aimed squarely at students: filming by students enrolled in a local Folsom college, high school, junior high school, elementary school, or other educational or public agency institution, done solely for noncommercial educational purposes, is exempt from the permit requirement entirely, provided the activity does not impact public streets or public places.

That exemption is narrower than it first appears. It only covers noncommercial, education-related shoots by enrolled students; a student working on a paid commercial project, or a school-sponsored production that closes a street or occupies a public park, falls back under the general permit requirement and the full application, insurance, and fee process in Sections 5.80.050 through 5.80.110. The other five Section 5.80.040(C) exemptions cover spot news reporting, purely personal video or still photography, wedding and school-picture photography, activity inside a licensed production studio or sound stage, and filming for a criminal investigation or court proceeding. Students filming a documentary or class project confined to a school campus or private property, with no street or park impact, do not need to contact the city manager's office before rolling camera.