Marin County, CA Filming & Production: Student Filming (2026)

Marin County Code § 5.36.030 allows the board of supervisors to waive all or any portion of the Chapter 5.36 filming permit application fee when the filming is done for educational or public purposes, a provision student filmmakers and school or nonprofit productions can use to reduce or eliminate the fee that Section 5.36.020 otherwise charges for each eight-hour period of filming on county property. The waiver applies only to the fee; it does not excuse a student production from the underlying permit requirement in Section 5.36.010, which still requires a permit from the responsible department director before using county property, from the public works director before using county roads and right-of-ways, or from the Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services director before using county parks.

A student production must still submit the application required by § 5.36.020, still comply with whatever conditions the director imposes under § 5.36.040 to protect traffic flow and public access, still carry the liability insurance required by § 5.36.050 naming the county as an additional insured, and still return the site to a clean condition under § 5.36.060 or pay for the county's cleanup. Because Section 5.36.030 conditions the waiver on approval by the board of supervisors, a school or college project seeking a fee waiver should request it when the permit application is filed, rather than assuming a reduced or waived fee applies automatically to any project described as educational.