La Habra, CA Filming & Production: Student Filming (2026)

Section 5.54.010 defines a "student" as a person studying at a school or college who can provide proof of enrollment. Section 5.54.040, which lists the exceptions to Chapter 5.54's permit requirement, states in subsection I that students are subject to the permit requirements but are exempt from any and all fees under the chapter, a narrower exemption than the outright exclusions given to news crews, private family filming, criminal investigations, emergencies, cable public-access programming, city filming, small enclosed-building shoots and studio filming. Because the exemption covers fees only, a student production must still file the full application the director requires under Section 5.54.050, at least thirty days before filming, including a description of the location, dates and hours, equipment list, and a traffic control plan approved by the traffic engineer if the shoot could affect street movement.

The director may waive the thirty-day advance-filing window in his or her discretion. Student productions must still carry the one million dollar liability policy and worker's compensation coverage Section 5.54.050 requires of every applicant, since only fees, not insurance or procedural steps, are waived. The director investigates and issues a written decision within fifteen calendar days of a complete application (Section 5.54.070), and a denial or a later revocation follows the same appeal path available to any other permittee: written appeal under Section 5.54.080 and, for a summary revocation, a forty-eight hour hearing before the city manager under Section 5.54.100.