Orlando, FL Special Events & Permits: Commercial Filming on Public Right-of-Way (2026)
Key Facts
- Chapters that may be suspended
- 13, 18B, 24, 39 and 58, §3.07(2)
- Special events chapter affected
- Chapter 18B (Public Assemblies)
- Restoration duty
- Property must be returned to pre-production condition, §3.07(3)
- City may require
- A performance bond to secure restoration
- Last amended
- Ord. No. 2025-31, effective 11-10-2025
Summary
A valid Orlando motion photography production permit lets certain acts required or prohibited under the City's special events chapter be suspended for that shoot. Section 3.07(2) exempts permitted productions from Chapters 13, 18B, 24, 39 and 58, so filmmakers don't file a separate Chapter 18B special-events application on top of their production permit.
(1)Once a production permit has been issued, and notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code to the contrary, no other City permits shall be required for any of the activities forming a part of the production.(2)The provisions of Chapters 13, 18B, 24, 39, and 58 of this Code, insofar as certain acts are required or prohibited, may be suspended in connection with the conduct of a production pursuant to this Chapter.(3)If some or all of a motion photography production is to take place on public or private property not at a studio and the production involves the erection of temporary structures or temporary modification of an existing structure or the introduction of an object or substance onto the property, the applicant for the production permit shall be required to restore the property to the condition existing prior to the production.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
07 carries that out. Subsection (1) states that once a production permit issues, 'no other City permits shall be required for any of the activities forming a part of the production' notwithstanding any other Code provision to the contrary. ' Chapter 18B is Orlando's Public Assemblies/special events chapter, so a film production that would otherwise need a separate special-event permit for things like street use, temporary structures or crowd assembly instead operates under its Chapter 3 production permit alone. That relief isn't unconditional. 07(3) requires any production that erects temporary structures, modifies an existing structure, or introduces objects or substances onto public or private property not at a studio to restore the property to its pre-production condition, and the City may require a performance bond in an amount it determines to secure that restoration. This subsection was last amended by Ord. No. 2025-31 on November 10, 2025.
Violations & Fines
Failing to restore property after using the Chapter 18B exemption, or ignoring bond conditions the City set under Section 3.07(3), is grounds for the Film Commissioner to suspend the production under Section 3.05(2) and, for continued non-compliance, revoke the permit. Underlying violations of the Code sections that were suspended for the production remain punishable under Section 1.08 (up to $500 fine, up to 60 days jail) if the production doesn't actually hold a valid permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
If my film shoot needs to close a plaza like a special event would, do I need a Chapter 18B permit too?
Is the special-events exemption automatic once I file for a production permit?
Do I still have to clean up or restore the site after using this exemption?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orlando
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Orlando to another location·View the Florida special events & permits overview
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