Film permits in
Calgary

Application method

A three-step chain across two organisations. Step 1: submit the Film Production Information Sheet to the Calgary Film Commission (a department of Calgary Economic Development). Step 2: submit The City of Calgary Film Production Intake form (form x832). Step 3: submit the Film Services Application (form x833). Police requests go on a separate Calgary Police Service Request Form (x834). All three City forms are web forms on forms.calgary.ca, not email attachments.

Intake response and approval window

A Film Permits & Services Coordinator is assigned and responds to the intake form within up to 2 business days. Step 3 approvals are quoted at between 5 and 21 business days depending on the services requested.

Lead times by service type

Published per service, not as a single number: streets, sidewalks and parking 5 to 10 business days; noise exemption 5 business days; parks and athletic fields 5 business days; City-owned facilities 10 business days; drones 10 business days; transit 14 business days; emergency services (police and fire) minimum 3 weeks. Helicopters, balloons and low-flying aircraft are stated as varying.

What requires a permit

Any motion picture, TV programme, commercial, music video or commercial still photography shot on City of Calgary property. Scouting City property also goes through the Film Friendly Team, though public plazas and parks may be toured without contacting The City.

What is exempt

Television stations preparing news or current affairs programmes. No other exemption is published. There is no student, low-budget or small-crew carve-out in the City's film material.

Film permit versus street use permit

Both regimes exist and they overlap. The general Street Use Permit covers exclusive use of any City road right-of-way and explicitly lists film production among its uses; a Temporary No Parking permit is only issued alongside a Street Use Permit. For a production, the Film Services Application is the front door and the Film Friendly Team coordinates the underlying street permit, but the street-use rules, fees and 12-hour signage requirement are the ones that bind.

Application or permit fee

not published

Street and sidewalk use fee

$31.50 per day for street or sidewalk use. The same rate appears on the general Street Use Permit page, which also lists an annual street use option at $7,528.10 per year and planning and coordination at $158.05 per hour. All fees plus 5% GST.

Standard terms and conditions

A signed Acceptance of Terms and Conditions form is mandatory before applying. It is expressly not a permit. It binds the production to release and indemnify The City, to restore the property to its prior condition before the permit expires, and to comply with all federal, provincial and municipal law. The City reserves the right to impose further conditions case by case.

Calgary Economic Development's own production-permits URL now 301-redirects to calgary.ca/film, so The City is the single window in practice even though step 1 of the application still starts on the Calgary Film Commission's site. Payment is by Pay-on-Demand prepayment or Net-30 invoice.

Who must be notified

Two channels. The production delivers a Filming Notification Letter to nearby residents and businesses. Separately, the Film Team uses that same letter to inform City departments, Councillor offices, emergency services and Community Associations. The production does not contact Councillors directly, which is unusual among Canadian cities.

Notice period

Minimum 2 business days before filming activities begin. The same 2 business day figure is repeated for street and parking permits and for noise exemption permits.

What the notice must contain

Distribution date; all filming dates and times at that location; location and address in a Google-findable format; a description of activities and community impact covering indoor or outdoor filming, access impacts to sidewalks, roads and buildings, cast and crew size, after-hours filming and noise exemptions, special effects, prop weapons and lighting, large equipment or drones, and emergency services presence; production company name; location manager and a phone or email contact available before and during filming; and a clearly marked Google map (default or satellite) of the filming area.

On-street signage

Separate from the letter, 'Notice of Filming' signs must be placed in the area to notify citizens. This is in addition to the temporary no-parking signage, which is a different sign obtained from an authorised third party.

Notification radius

not published

Polling or signed resident consent

not published

A Filming Notification Letter with maps of impacted areas is a mandatory attachment to the application for every production, alongside the Certificate of Insurance and the Acceptance of Terms and Conditions form.

Lead time

Through the film route, streets and sidewalks are 5 to 10 business days. Where police traffic control is involved, which covers detours and road closures, the binding figure is a minimum of 3 weeks. The general Street Use Permit page tiers closures by impact: high impact minimum 15 days, moderate impact 10 days, lower impact 5 days.

Cost

Itemised and published. Street or sidewalk use $31.50 per day; traffic control planning $158.05 and up; large detours involving a lane or road closure $557.14 and up ($585 including GST); NPAT signage design and production $328.57 and up ($345 including GST). Police officers to staff the closure are charged separately at the paid duty rates. All plus 5% GST.

When a closure is granted

Time-of-day restricted rather than discretionary. Major roads cannot be closed during peak traffic. Generally weekdays 07:00 to 08:30 and 15:30 to 18:00. Downtown core streets cannot be closed on weekdays, nor parked on during peak traffic times, at all.

Traffic control plan

Required. Plans must be drafted using professional software, be clear and easy to interpret, and be submitted in PDF format only. Traffic control planning is a billable service at $158.05 and up per hour.

Hoarding permit trigger

A hoarding permit is additionally required on top of the street use permit where the closure impacts peak traffic hours (06:00 to 09:00 and/or 15:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday) or where the closure stays in place longer than 24 hours. Note these peak windows differ from the ones quoted on the film page.

Provincial highways inside city limits

not published

Permit required

Yes. Permits are needed to restrict parking or film on Calgary streets, sidewalks, alleys, vehicle overpasses or cycle tracks. A Temporary No Parking permit restricts parking along a curb lane and is only issued together with a Street Use Permit. Every vehicle must display its parking permit in the driver's side window facing the roadway.

Production vehicle parking cost

on request

Advance posting of no-parking signage

At least 12 hours before the restriction period begins. The permit holder is responsible for obtaining the signage from an authorised third party. The City does not supply or install it. Twelve hours is short by Canadian standards.

Basecamp, lots and parkades

City-owned parkades and surface lots require 10 days' notice and are booked through Calgary Parking on a separate Event Rental Request Form covering the lot number, lot use (parking, event staging, vendor booths), dates and times inclusive of set-up and take-down, sent to a public Calgary Parking mailbox. Payment by credit card, cheque, EFT or in person.

Parking restrictions

Do not block, or park within 5 metres of, fire hydrants, driveways and bus zones. Downtown core streets cannot be parked on during peak traffic times. The Fire Department separately requires that production vehicles, trucks and trailers not block fire access roads, exits or fire protection equipment.

When police are required

Pay Duty Police Officers are required for traffic control, detours and road closures, and for lead and follow services on live roadways (rolling closures). A Prop Firearm Permit is required for any filming involving a weapon, including replicas.

Police rates

Published in full: Constable $157.70 per hour, Sergeant $183.55 per hour, Staff Sergeant $199.47 per hour, marked vehicle $45 per hour to a maximum of $540 per vehicle per day. All plus 5% GST. Calgary Transit Police Officers are billed separately at $142 per hour with a three-hour minimum.

Minimum call-out and cancellation

A minimum three-hour charge applies per officer and per vehicle. A three-hour charge is also levied if cancellation notice is given less than 24 hours ahead.

Police lead time

Minimum 3 weeks for review and processing of any Calgary Police Service request, and separately a minimum of 3 weeks for Calgary Police to process a Film & Theatre Firearms Discharge Permit application.

Prop firearms

A City of Calgary Film & Theatre Firearms Discharge Permit is required for all productions using firearms and replicas, including airsoft, pellet, BB, purpose-built and cast models. And for any weapon visible to the public, including a holstered one. On City property the application goes to the film mailbox; on private property it goes directly to the Calgary Police firearms support mailbox. The designated handler must hold a valid Possession and Acquisition Licence. Live ammunition is never allowed on set.

When fire attendance is required

The Calgary Fire Department must be informed of all filming activity in Calgary. Including on private property, where contacting CFD is the production's own responsibility. Inspection is triggered by all built sets (interior and exterior), indoor filming, stunts and special effects including smoke, haze and pyrotechnics, tents with an occupant load over 500, hazardous equipment such as generators and lighting, and filming in forested or brush-covered areas where wildfire risk exists. An inspection is conducted before the first day of filming. CFD decides whether periodic inspections suffice or a standby Fire Safety Officer is needed, and may assign a full-time standby FSO at the production's expense as an enforcement measure.

Fire rates and minimums

Published: open flame $159 per location; pyrotechnics $381 per location; fireworks $381 per location; safety codes officer standby $120 per hour, rising to $231 per hour on nights and weekends with a two-hour minimum. The fee schedule separately states that a one-hour minimum charge may apply. All plus 5% GST.

Refuelling is bound by City of Calgary Bylaws 13M2004 and 60M90: not within 7.5 m of a building, not in covered parking, not on public streets or walkways, and not in the downtown core between 06:00 and 18:00 Monday to Saturday unless carrying under 400 litres. Diesel generators may be refuelled on public streets only where there is no public access.

Permitted filming hours in residential areas

not published

When a noise exemption is required

Where loud noise is expected on site between 22:00 and 07:00 Monday to Saturday, or between 22:00 and 09:00 on Sundays and statutory holidays. Named examples are explosives, music on outdoor speakers, helicopters, construction sound and vehicle noise.

Noise bylaw limits

Community Standards Bylaw 32M2023, Part 8. Day-time is 07:00–22:00 weekdays and 09:00–22:00 Sundays and holidays; Night-time is the remainder. Section 24: continuous sound in a residential development must not exceed 65 dBA Leq day / 50 dBA Leq night. Section 26: in the Downtown, 75 dBA Leq day / 60 dBA Leq night. Section 27: non-continuous sound over 15 minutes must not exceed 85 dBA Leq day / 75 dBA Leq night in a residential development or Downtown. Section 30: non-residential developments, 85 dBA Leq or 5 dBA over ambient, day or night. Section 23 adds a general nuisance test on top of the numbers. Where ambient already meets the cap, a sound must exceed ambient by 5 dBA to be an offence.

Noise exemption lead time

Two published figures that do not agree. The film page and the bylaw itself say a minimum of 5 business days: s.34(2) of Bylaw 32M2023 requires the written application to the Director 'at least 5 business days prior to the proposed activity'. The City's general Apply for a noise exemption permit page instead says at least 7 days before the event and no more than 30 days before. Recorded as published because both figures come from The City; see open questions.

Noise exemption fee

None. There is no fee to obtain a noise exemption permit, and the film fee schedule lists no noise line item.

Exemption duration and conditions

Maximum length of a noise exemption permit is 14 days. The Director may waive any requirement, issue the permit where compliance is impractical, impose any conditions considered appropriate, and revoke a permit where the applicant has not taken sufficient measures to minimise noise. It is an administrative decision by the Director. There is no Council hearing, unlike Halifax.

Speakers, generators and idling

Provisions a production will hit even inside permitted hours. Section 31: no outdoor speaker system on a parcel within 150 m of a residential development between 22:00 and 07:00. Section 25: air conditioners, fans and generators are capped at 70 dBC Leq day / 60 dBC Leq night at a residential point of reception. Section 28(7): a truck must not be left running longer than 20 minutes while stationary in, or within 150 m of, a residential development, at any time. Section 28(3): no loading or unloading a truck in or within 150 m of a residential development during Night-time.

Bylaw 32M2023 repealed and replaced Community Standards Bylaw 5M2004. Section 33 exempts emergency vehicles, City street work, and Calgary Stampede activities from Part 8. But grants no exemption for film production, so a shoot is held to the same thresholds as any other noise source.

Municipal permit required

Yes, and the trigger is broader than launch site alone: a permit is required for drone use when launching or landing from City of Calgary property, and also for flying over any City park or greenspace.

Lead time

Two published figures that do not agree. The film services pages state a minimum of 10 business days for drones. The City's Drones in Calgary parks page states that a drone of 250 grams or more requires a Calgary Parks Green Space Application that can take up to 8 weeks for approval. See open questions.

Fees

on request

Municipal bylaw basis

Parks and Pathways Bylaw 11M2019 s.11. A person must not operate a drone in a park. Section 11(2) permits a drone under 250 g only in an area of a park designated by the Director, Calgary Parks for drone use; s.11(3) permits a drone of 250 g or more in a park only under a permit issued by the Director, Calgary Parks. Bylaw 11M2019 repealed and replaced Parks and Pathways Bylaw 20M2003. Fines for operating a drone in a park run $150 to $250.

Documentation required

For drones 250 g to 25 kg: proof of Transport Canada drone registration, a Pilot Certificate for Basic (or Advanced, depending on the operation) Operations, and a map of the flight path and launch and landing locations. For microdrones under 250 g, an SFOC-RPAS is required when flying at an advertised event. Drones should be launched and landed from a manicured surface such as mowed grass, gravel or pavement.

Restricted zones

Named rather than mapped. The film page prohibits the airport, all splash parks and all cemeteries, and bars drone use within 30 metres of natural areas and trees, launch, land or flight path, without a Wildlife Sweep by a qualified biologist. The parks page adds long-grass natural areas including Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Nose Hill Park, Ralph Klein Park and Weaselhead Park, plus near wildlife, playgrounds and over public gatherings or advertised events.

The City's rules sit on top of, not instead of, Transport Canada RPAS regulation; the Parks bylaw definition of 'drone' points directly at the Canadian Aviation Regulations SOR/96-433, and s.1(2) of Bylaw 11M2019 states that nothing in it relieves a person from complying with federal or provincial law.

Controlling authority for parks

Calgary Parks, through the Film Friendly Team, under Parks and Pathways Bylaw 11M2019. Section 30(1) is the operative hook: a person must not engage in a commercial activity in a park without permission from the Director, Calgary Parks, and the Director may refuse where the activity could negatively impact users or the natural environment or would be inconsistent with the purpose of the park.

Parks lead time

Minimum 5 business days for parks and athletic fields. The shortest lead time of any Calgary film service, tied with the noise exemption.

Parks fees

Itemised: non-refundable administrative fee $26.25 and risk management fee $5.75 on all bookings; green spaces $66.24 per day; pathways $66.24 per day; Bow River pathways $96.58 per day; community playfields $5.04 and up per hour; athletic park natural surfaces $60.50 and up per hour; athletic park artificial surfaces $158.50 and up per hour; specialty spaces $27.32 and up per hour. Plus 5% GST.

Park hours

Parks are open 05:00 to 23:00 daily unless otherwise posted, and a person must not enter or remain in a park from 23:00 to 05:00 without a permit. So a night shoot in a park needs the permit to cover presence, not merely noise. Pathways are open 24 hours; the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is sunrise to sunset; the skatepark portion of Shaw Millennium Park is 24 hours. A vehicle must not be left in a park between 23:00 and 05:00, and the in-park speed limit is 20 km/h.

Off-limits locations

Categorical for natural areas: filming cannot occur in, or within 30 metres of, natural areas including forests, wetlands and natural grassed areas, and filming in a natural area requires a site assessment by a certified ecologist. Filming cannot impact existing bookings. Productions must comply with federal migratory bird and nest protections. For facilities, The City states that because of the nature of the work carried out in some locations, filming requests may not be accommodated at all.

City-owned facilities and buildings

Minimum 10 business days. Published day rates for recreation assets: single arena surface $4,500 per day; twin arena surface $7,800 per day; flatwater aquatics $1,400 per day; leisure centre $3,500 per day, plus the $26.25 administrative and $5.75 risk management fees. For most other facilities, fees and security deposits are negotiated. All associated costs including service staff and City security are charged to the production. Special effects require additional permits and approvals.

Calgary Transit property

Its own track and the second-longest lead time in the system: minimum 14 business days. Off-peak only. Monday to Friday before 06:00, 10:00 to 15:00 and after 18:00, or any time at weekends. Hand-held equipment only. 'Filming in Area' signage is mandatory. Transit Peace Officers and/or a Supervisor may be required depending on location and schedule. Rates published: LRT car $597/hr, 40' bus $205/hr, 60' articulated bus $284/hr, community shuttle $159/hr (all four-hour minimum); transit staff $155/hr and Transit Police Officers $142/hr (three-hour minimum); parking lots $250/day; signage $25 per sign.

Heritage sites

not published

Calgary Parks is the only authority in the record that can refuse on substantive grounds. S.30(4) of Bylaw 11M2019 lets the Director refuse a commercial activity that could negatively impact park users or the natural environment. Elsewhere the City's published posture is procedural rather than discretionary.

Minimum general liability

Commercial General Liability for bodily injury (including death) and property damage of not less than CAD $2,000,000 inclusive limit for any one occurrence, maintained throughout production and for the term of any permit or licence of occupation. A Certificate of Insurance is a mandatory attachment to the application for every production.

Additional insured

Two entities, not one. And the second is not a City department. The certificate must name both Calgary Economic Development and The City as additional insureds. No cross-liability clause, address requirement or naming-convention rule is specified.

Higher limit for City facilities

A minimum of $5 million coverage is required when booking exclusive use of most City facilities. Two and a half times the $2 million baseline in the standard terms. This is a facility-booking condition rather than a risk-tier table, so it is triggered by location rather than by activity.

Release and indemnity

Both. The production releases The City, its officials, employees, agents, contractors and subcontractors of all liability except to the extent caused by The City's gross negligence or wilful misconduct, and separately indemnifies and agrees to defend and save them harmless. The indemnity carve-out is the lower bar of plain negligence. In exchange the production owns all rights including copyright in the production, and The City waives any right to enjoin its distribution, exhibition or promotion.

Additional coverage for drones, watercraft and pyrotechnics

not published

Security deposit

on request

The insurance obligation lives in the Film Production Standard Terms and Conditions PDF, not on any film web page. A producer reading only calgary.ca/film would never see the $2,000,000 figure or the additional-insured wording.