Redondo Beach, CA Special Events & Permits: Commercial Filming on Public Right-of-Way (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitting department
- Fire Department, Chief or designee
- Application lead time
- 5 business days minimum
- Insurance minimum
- $1,000,000 liability and property damage
- Street closure overlap
- Separate permit needed under § 3-7.1901
- Violation class
- Misdemeanor under § 6-5.11
Summary
Redondo Beach Municipal Code Section 6-5.03 requires a Film Permit from the Fire Department for nearly all commercial filming in the City, and a production that also closes a street or uses the public right-of-way for a special event must separately satisfy the temporary street closure permit in Section 3-7.1901.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), no person shall conduct any filming in the City without a permit issued by the City. (b) This chapter does not apply to: (1) Filming for news media, including reporters, photographers or camerapersons in the employ of a newspaper, news service, or similar entity engaged in on-the-spot print media publishing or broadcasting, of news events concerning those persons, scenes or occurrences which are in the news and of general public interest; (2) Filming conducted solely for noncommercial purposes, including, but not limited to, personal, private or family use, which does not require the placement of equipment, parking of vehicles, or other use or control of public property to the exclusion of others; (3) Filming conducted entirely within the premises of a validly permitted and licensed motion picture, television, radio, or photography production studio; and (4) Filming by or for the City or other governmental agencies.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4889554; v14 updated 2026-05-12).
Full Breakdown
Redondo Beach treats commercial filming and special events as overlapping but distinct permit tracks rather than folding filming into the special-events chapter. 02 to include still photography, motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, digital media and student films, to obtain a Film Permit before shooting, with narrow exemptions for on-the-spot news coverage, purely noncommercial personal filming that does not tie up equipment, vehicles or public property, filming done entirely inside a licensed production studio, and filming by the City itself. 05, and must disclose the exact location and schedule, personnel and vehicle counts, any pyrotechnics, gunfire, animals or low-flying helicopters, and a parking plan.
1901 separately requires a temporary street closure permit before closing any street or alley for a commercial promotional activity or special event. 1901, each reviewed by a different City department and each carrying its own insurance, indemnity and deposit conditions.
Violations & Fines
Filming in the City without the required Film Permit, or misrepresenting a material fact to obtain one, is a misdemeanor under Section 6-5.11, with each day of continued unpermitted filming a separate offense; the Chief of the Fire Department can also immediately suspend or revoke a Film Permit under Section 6-5.10 if conditions are violated or the filming becomes a public safety hazard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a film shoot need more than one City permit?
Is student filming exempt from the Film Permit rule?
What insurance does Redondo Beach require for a film permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redondo Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Redondo Beach to another location·View the California special events & permits overview
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