Film permits in
Vancouver

Application method

Two distinct permits. City Film and Special Events branch for streets, sidewalks and plazas; Park Board for parks and seawall. Applied for through an online film permit account; an officer is assigned within three business days. A Master Film Licence Agreement must be executed before any permit can issue.

Minimum lead time

10 working days before the intended start. The Master Film Licence Agreement is a separate track the City warns can take two weeks or longer. Park Board applications: at least 2 weeks. Stunts and significant SFX: written proposal at least 10 working days ahead.

Daily permit fee

$1,300 per day of filming, covering all locations that day plus prep and wrap, and including parking signage and hooding. Student film permit $46. Excludes tax.

Late night / early morning surcharge

$2,000 for each day of filming with activity outside standard filming hours.

Lost meter revenue

$600 per day Downtown including the West End; $300 per day outside Downtown.

Discounts

50% off the daily fee and the late surcharge for productions using at least 50% clean energy on site. 85% off the daily permit fee for ultra-low impact productions. Under 15 cast and crew, no traffic control, no diesel generator, no curfew extension.

Application fee and deposit

Non-refundable $100 application fee. Minimum security deposit $2,040, increased for larger projects; fees and City service charges are drawn down and reconciled by final statement. Out-of-town companies need a temporary filming business licence at $137 per production. A separate electrical permit is also required.

What requires a permit

Equipment packages beyond hand-held, street parking for production vehicles, exclusive use of City property, prop weapons or vehicles, actors in police uniform, stunts, or any need for VPD or fire assistance. Park property needs a separate Park Board permit. Drone use is declared on the film permit.

What is exempt

Filming inside large private properties with no impact on the public. The City's examples are the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Rogers Sugar Factory. A permit is still required if interior filming affects the public through lights or truck noise.

Fee vintages differ on the City's own pages: park filming 2026, park photography 2025, VPD rates 'as of January 1, 2024', traffic plan review 2025.

Who must be notified

Residential and commercial neighbourhoods where filming takes place, plus direct engagement with anyone acutely impacted. Many neighbourhoods have resident or business associations to contact before plans are finalised.

Notice period

At least two full business days for the neighbourhood to read and respond. The City's worked example: filming on a Friday requires notice received before end of business Tuesday.

Notification radius

not published

What the notice must contain

Must use the City-approved template and be sent to the Film and Special Events branch for approval before distribution. The template PDF is served as a forced download and could not be read.

When polling is required

Four triggers: late night work; a location used on more than one separate occasion; particularly invasive activity such as a major special effect; and scenes needing hours inside the filming curfew. Results are submitted with a polling map in the City's map style. These need more lead time and will likely require a community meeting.

Polling procedure and consent thresholds

source unreachable

Lead time for a closure

not published

Traffic plan review turnaround

Usually five business days or less for initial review of a submitted traffic control or management plan.

Closure cost

not published

When a closure is granted

Full closures are not the default. Baseline is intermittent traffic control of up to three minutes per ten-minute period on most streets outside rush hour. Sidewalks must stay open unless closure is approved, and pedestrians must not be directed onto the road. Where public safety may be compromised, filming is curtailed at the officers' discretion.

Traffic management plan

A traffic control plan is required for work affecting a travel lane on an arterial or collector, a part-time travel/parking lane, a bicycle facility or a pedestrian facility. A fuller management plan is required for very significant or long-duration impacts, and may need to be sealed by a professional engineer. Closing a bus stop requires 48 hours' notice to Coast Mountain Bus Company.

Permit required

Yes. A temporary special zone (TSZ) request submitted online once filming is conditionally approved, including a parking map and parking details worksheet. Only vehicles essential to filming park on street. Bus, consul and loading zones and rush-hour exemptions are not typically granted.

Cost

No separate parking permit fee. The $1,300 daily permit covers parking signage and hooding. Lost meter revenue applies on metered streets: $600/day Downtown, $300/day elsewhere.

Advance posting of no-parking signage

not published

When police are required

Where traffic control, weapons escort or public safety require it. Police are required for weapon escort whenever a gun is used, interior or exterior; must be on set if a special effect is visible to the public or is loud or concussive; and may be required for squib hits and stunts. Only quarter-load gunfire is permitted in Vancouver. Booked through VPD Emergency and Operational Planning a minimum of two working days ahead.

Police rates

Sergeant $217.90/hr, Officer $174.32/hr, Traffic Authority $80.98/hr. Including equipment and administration, excluding tax, stated as of 1 January 2024. Overtime rates with a minimum three-hour call-out.

When fire attendance is required

Fire services provide safety equipment and crew for special effects. A Fire Prevention permit is required for open burning involving structures, vehicles or facades, and for explosives or explosion-simulating substances. Submitted at least 10 days ahead with a $200 cheque. Standby crews may be imposed as a condition. Hydrant use requires a temporary hydrant permit.

Fire rates

Chief officer $115/hr, officer $100/hr, firefighter $82/hr. Fireboat $200/hr, ladder truck $150/hr, engine $110/hr, rescue van $80/hr. Firehall $600/day, training academy $1,500/day. Minimum 4-hour booking; 2-hour labour charge for cleaning equipment. Excludes tax.

Permitted filming hours

All filming activity including move-in and wrap: Mon–Thu 07:00–23:00; Fri 07:00–24:00; Sat 08:00–24:00; Sun 08:00–23:00; holidays 08:00–23:00. The City may narrow these further in some neighbourhoods.

Noise bylaw decibel limits

source unreachable

Curfew exemption process

No simple exemption form. An extension is obtained only by polling the neighbourhood, granted only when all other avenues are exhausted, never to accommodate a slipping schedule, and considered case by case. The curfew applies to the entire city, not just residential areas. No fixed lead time is published.

Municipal rules

The City does not permit drone flight itself. It is declared on the film permit. Transport Canada rules plus provincial and federal privacy law apply. Park property requires more information before approval. Flight path restrictions may be imposed over certain areas and parks to protect wildlife, such as birds nesting.

Separate municipal permit

None. Drone use is a declaration on the standard film permit; for parks it folds into the Park Board review.

Restricted airspace

not published

Park By-law treatment of take-off and landing

source unreachable

Several third-party sites assert a blanket Park Board drone ban with specific fines. None are primary sources and none are used here.

Controlling authorities

Parks, beaches and seawall abutting parks are the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. A separate permit. Protected heritage properties go through the Heritage Conservation Program with a development permit. The Art Gallery and Public Library are arranged directly with those institutions.

Additional lead time

Park Board: at least 2 weeks, with insurance certificate and site map; a site meeting may be needed first. Heritage: at least one week to process the development permit, preceded by photo-board documentation, overlays of proposed temporary alterations, a Letter of Assurance from a Registered Architect or Engineer confirming reversibility, and a letter of credit as security.

Off-limits and restricted locations

Filming is not permitted in the quarries at Queen Elizabeth Park. Between Victoria Day and the end of September, major park areas and high-tourist locations have restricted times, often completed by 09:00, 10:00 or noon, and weekends are generally not allowed. 'Hot' locations have reached their permit limit and no new permits are issued until staff decide otherwise; 'sensitive' locations are nearing that limit. These change on short notice.

Park filming fees (2026)

By tier and activity level, excluding tax: neighbourhood parks $268/$536/$1,072/$1,608; specialty parks $356/$712/$1,424/$2,136; premium parks $473/$946/$1,892/$2,838. Lunch tents $447; student $59. Site visitation $143; monitoring $111/hr. Refunds need 5 working days' notice.

Metro Vancouver regional parks

on request

Minimum general liability

$5,000,000 Commercial General Liability for filming permits. Higher limits and/or a licence agreement may be required depending on traffic impact, attendance, duration and location.

Additional insured

City of Vancouver, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, Vancouver Police Board, Vancouver Public Library Board and Vancouver Art Gallery, plus their employees, officers, agents and volunteers. A cross liability clause is required.

Proof and notice provisions

A 'Proof of Insurance Coverage for Film Companies' form completed by the insurer or licensed agent, submitted before filming begins. Policies must give 15 days' written notice of cancellation or reduction, and the broker must complete the certificate at least 15 days before the date.

Drone coverage

Valid aviation liability insurance in addition to general liability whenever a drone is used. Further detail sits in the Master Film Licence Agreement.

Watercraft and pyrotechnics coverage

not published