Travis County, TX Filming & Production: Student Filming (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Travis County Code § 232.028(c)
- Application deadline
- At least 14 days before the event
- Approving authority
- Parks Director or designee
- Scope
- Travis County Parks property only, not Austin parks
- Violation penalty
- Eviction plus trespass warning under § 232.010
Summary
Travis County Parks require a special events application before anyone films or photographs on park property for commercial use, stock photography, student projects, television, or movies. The application must reach the Parks Director at least 14 days before the shoot, and approval depends on a public-safety review. Unauthorized filming triggers the same penalties as any other park rule violation: eviction and a trespass warning.
Organizations and individuals wanting to film or take photographs on Travis County Parks property for commercial use, stock photography, student projects, television, or movies must complete a special events application and obtain approval before doing so.
d. Unless waived by the Parks Director (or designee), with the exception of overnight County parks, special events are not permitted after the County park closes. In consideration of a special event, full disclosure of the request to use the County park after closing must be included in the special event application and liability release. [Order # 2025-09-30 Item 53, 09/30/2025]
Effective on: 9/30/2025
Full Breakdown
028(c) of the Travis County Code lists student projects specifically among the filming and photography uses that require prior approval: organizations and individuals wanting to film or take photographs on Travis County Parks property for commercial use, stock photography, student projects, television, or movies must complete a special events application and obtain approval before doing so. 028(a), which the Parks Director (or designee) may waive but which otherwise must be submitted at least fourteen days before the event or shoot. 028(b), no filming event can be approved if the Parks Assistant Director of Public Safety and Resource Protection (or designee) determines that the safety of persons or property is reasonably in question.
This rule covers only Travis County Parks land in the unincorporated county; it does not reach the City of Austin's own parks or the Capitol grounds, which are state property with separate film-permit processes. 05, can confiscate any park permits already issued, evict the group for at least 48 hours, and issue a criminal trespass warning. There is no separate filming-specific fee schedule in Chapter 232; the special events application itself is the gate, and the Parks Director's approval covers commercial, stock-photo, television, and movie shoots on identical terms.
Violations & Fines
Filming or photographing in a Travis County park without an approved special events application is a park rule violation under 232.010: Rangers may confiscate any permits on hand and evict the crew for a minimum of 48 hours with a criminal trespass warning. A repeated or aggravated violation extends the trespass warning to 30 days, and any accompanying Class C misdemeanor can push it to six months. Trespass warnings, though not evictions, can be appealed by emailing tcpp@traviscountytx.gov within seven days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do student filmmakers need a permit to shoot in Travis County parks?
How far ahead of the shoot must the application be filed?
What happens if a crew films without approval?
Does this rule apply to filming in Austin's city parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Travis County
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Travis County to another location·View the Texas filming & production overview
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