Gary, IN Filming & Production: Student Filming (2026)

Gary regulates filming through section 36-14 of the Municipal Code, which requires filmmakers to follow the city's established permitting procedure, including submitting all required legal documentation to the Gary Office of Film & Television. Applications and their fees must reach the office by close of business, 5:00 p.m. Central time, on the Friday before the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting the following Wednesday, since the board approves permits at that meeting. Every applicant, including a student filmmaker, first pays a $50.00 nonrefundable application fee under the fee schedule at section 20-1(e-1).

For a student film specifically, item (4) of that schedule sets the permit fee at $50.00 per location per day, well below the $500.00 per-location, per-day fee for a feature film and the $250.00 fee for a short film, video, or documentary listed in the same table. All permit fees, not just the application fee, are due once the Board of Public Works and Safety approves the shoot, and if the board denies the request, the $50.00 application fee is not refunded. A production needing approval on short notice can pay a $150.00 urgency permit surcharge to get a request heard within 48 hours of a board meeting, and the schedule adds separate hourly charges of $50.00 for a police or fire officer and $50.00 for a film office liaison or monitor if the shoot needs either.

The film office can also negotiate reduced or waived fees, and the schedule states that waivers apply to productions that hire at least 50 local residents.