Simi Valley, CA Filming & Production: Student Filming (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit fee for students
- Waived under Section 5-32.05(e)
- Permit still required
- Yes, from City-designated officer, Sec. 5-32.03(a)
- Insurance requirement
- Certificate up to $1,000,000, City as coinsured
- Personnel reimbursement
- Not waived; production pays for police/fire staff
- Violation penalty
- Infraction; each day is a separate offense
Summary
Simi Valley requires a location filming permit from the City Manager's office for any motion picture, television, or commercial still photography on public or private property, but Municipal Code Section 5-32.05(e) waives the permit fee entirely for student films made to satisfy a post-secondary course requirement, along with charitable nonprofit productions.
"Motion picture, television, still photography" shall mean and include all activity attendant to staging or shooting commercial motion pictures, television shows or programs, commercials, web productions, and student films produced to satisfy a post-secondary school course requirement at an educational institution in any medium including film, tape, or digital format. ... No person shall use any public or private property, facility, or residence for the purpose of taking motion pictures, television, or commercial still photography without first applying for and receiving a permit from the officer designated by the City. ... Permit fees for charitable films and filming produced to satisfy a post-secondary school course requirement at an educational institution shall be waived. Reimbursements for City personnel shall not be waived pursuant to this subsection.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
03(a), issued by the officer the City designates. 05(b) must list the shoot address, dates and hours, a description of the activity, the number of personnel, any use of animals, gunfire, pyrotechnics or low-flying helicopters, and the vehicles and equipment involved along with a parking plan. 05(e) waives the permit fee outright for "filming produced to satisfy a post-secondary school course requirement," the same waiver given to nonprofit charitable productions, though the production still must reimburse the City for any police, fire or traffic personnel assigned to the shoot.
06 still requires a certificate of insurance capped at $1,000,000 naming the City as coinsured, a signed hold-harmless agreement, and, at the City's discretion, a refundable cleanup deposit. 03(b), unlike student productions, which stay inside the permit system, just without the fee.
Violations & Fines
Filming without the required permit, or violating any permit condition, is enforced under Section 5-32.07: the City may first give verbal or written notice of the violation, and if the production doesn't correct it, the City can revoke the permit and shut down the shoot on the spot. A student filmmaker who willfully ignores the chapter's requirements or a permit's terms and conditions is guilty of an infraction, with every day, or part of a day, the violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Simi Valley student filmmakers need a permit at all?
What does the student waiver actually cover?
What has to go in the permit application?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Simi Valley
California rules heatmap·Compare Simi Valley to another location·View the California filming & production overview
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Student Filming in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle student filming.