FilmLA offers reduced student-permit fees in unincorporated LA County and contracted cities for students at accredited programs. Application is $25 plus $25 daily location fee. Faculty signature, school insurance, and academic-only use are required.
Student filmmakers from accredited programs (USC, UCLA, AFI, LACC, Chapman, etc.) get steeply discounted FilmLA permits under LA County Code §22.140.045 student provisions. The application fee drops to $25 plus $25 per location-day, against the standard $795 base. Conditions include: enrollment verification with faculty signature, school-issued certificate of insurance covering production, films used only for academic credit (not commercial distribution), maximum crew of 15, no pyrotechnics or stunts requiring monitor coverage, and a 30-day production window. FilmLA also offers a nonprofit student-portal for scheduling. Students completing thesis work that may be screened at festivals must convert to commercial permits before any monetization.
Misuse of a student permit (commercial distribution, exceeding crew size, missing faculty signoff) is treated as filming without a permit under §22.140.090, with fines up to $1,000 per day plus blacklisting of student and program.
See how Santa Monica's student filming rules stack up against other locations.
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