Film permits in
Winnipeg

Application method

No self-serve portal. Email the Film Liaison a completed Production Registration Form plus script, crew/cast list, location list, schedule and insurance certificate. Registration is mandatory for any filming on public land or in community centres, arenas, parks or libraries.

Control Code

Registration produces a project-specific Control Code that unlocks every other city permit. Roadway/sidewalk/parking, noise and firearms, fire and pyrotechnic, hydrant use.

Everything routes through the Film Office

Productions may not approach city departments directly, even where a prior working relationship exists.

Film Coordination Fee

Effective 1 June 2023. Feature films: Tier 1 $2,830, Tier 2 $2,270, Tier 3 $1,700, Tier 4 $1,135, Tier 5 $565. MOW and low-budget series: $1,415 / $1,135 / $850 / $565 / $283. The production selects its own tier at registration.

What the fee excludes

Charged on top of Winnipeg Parking Authority fees, emergency medical personnel and Winnipeg Police Service Special Duty Officers.

Regional road lead time

2 weeks' notice for any Regional Road.

General lead time for non-regional streets

not published

What requires a permit

Filming on public property; interrupting vehicle or pedestrian traffic; dolly or tripod on streets or sidewalks; cables across sidewalks; generator on a sidewalk or street; impacting public parking; excessive noise; production vehicles of two axles or more; firearms; pyrotechnics or fire.

Sidewalk clearance

Work or equipment leaving less than 1.5 metres of sidewalk requires a full sidewalk closure, for accessible passage.

Exemptions

No categorical exemption list. Productions that trigger no permit must still register if filming in a public area.

The Film Office site is on legacy.winnipeg.ca; the modern URL 302-redirects there. SFX coordinators must supply MSDS sheets before the Control Code issues.

Who must be notified

Residences and businesses affected. Letters must be hand delivered, and the office asks crews to speak to business occupants in person rather than taping notices to doors.

Notice period

Minimum 2 business days before filming, hand delivered during weekday hours.

Pre-approval of the notice

Every papering letter must be submitted to and approved by the Film Liaison before distribution. Scouting letters must also be copied to the Liaison.

Notification radius

not published

Required notice contents

not published

Polling or signed consent

not published

Regional road lead time

2 weeks' notice for any Regional Road. Non-regional streets have no published minimum.

Police booking for closures

At least 5 days in advance, booked through the named WPS contact with the Film Liaison copied.

On-street closure cost

Winnipeg Parking Authority 2026: administrative fee $171.00 for the initial block face and $66.00 each additional; paid parking loss $18.25 per space per day low demand, $33.00 high demand, Monday to Saturday; change orders $44.00. GST added.

When a closure is granted

Case by case, weighing current construction and lane closures, metered parking impact, Transit routes and stops, Regional Road involvement, access to residences and businesses, and whether there is time to paper the neighbourhood.

Camera cars and vehicle mounts

The Highway Traffic Act does not apply on a closed road. Most vehicle mounts breach the HTA; a non-compliant rig may require a police escort or a road closure. Up to a week may be required for WPS, MPI and the Province to review.

Barricades

Required for all road, regional and block-party closures; rented from commercial suppliers, not the city.

Provincial highways

Filming on provincial highways requires an application and Traffic Control Plan to Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure; the traffic authority sets conditions and the number of certified flag persons.

Traffic management plan on city streets

For the use of municipal roads, a traffic management plan is required for submission to the City of Winnipeg.

Permit required

Yes, where public parking is impacted and for production vehicles of two axles or more. Off-street production parking is offered at Winnipeg Parking Authority Lot 117 at The Forks.

Cost

Administrative fee per block face Monday to Sunday: $171.00 initial, $66.00 each additional. Metered loss billed Monday to Saturday at $18.25 (low demand) or $33.00 (high demand) per space per day. Sunday and holiday meter loss is not charged.

Advance signage check

Signs should be verified at least 2 business days ahead. By noon Friday for signs going up over a weekend. The 24-hour mark governs enforcement: posted 24 hours or more and vehicles are ticketed and towed; less and they are courtesy towed nearby at the production's expense.

Vehicle removal on the day

Attend 2 to 3 hours before truck move-in and make best efforts to find owners. Five or fewer vehicles: email WPA dispatch with the Control Code, location, on-site contact and plates. More than five: phone the Film Liaison.

Restrictions

Permitted parking is for oversized technical production vehicles only, not crew or VIP parking. Vehicles may not be left in a permitted area over a weekend without prior approval.

Lot 117 rate

not published

Towing of vehicles that cannot be relocated is billed by the towing company directly to the production on 30-day terms.

When police are required

Where police assistance is needed for road closures or intermittent traffic control, and where a non-compliant camera rig operates on an open roadway. Officers are hired off-duty through the WPS Special Duty Program and paid in advance unless otherwise advised.

Special duty rates

Per hour before GST: Constable $135.00, P/Sergeant or D/Sergeant $139.00, Sergeant $147.00, Staff Sergeant $159.00, vehicle surcharge $41.00. Plus one hour of officer time per cruiser for pickup and drop-off.

Minimum call-out and cancellation

Minimum three hours per member. Cancellation inside 24 hours incurs 3 hours per officer booked; cancellation after attendance incurs 3 hours plus 50% of booked time beyond that; early termination incurs half the unworked time. Time rolls to the next half hour.

Special duty booking notice

WPS states 14 days for Special Duty generally, shorter requests case by case. The Film Office checklist gives 5 days for police at closures. Treat 14 days as the safe figure.

Firearms

A permit under the Firearms Bylaw is required any time a firearm is discharged, including blanks. Police must also be notified where a firearm or replica is brandished.

Fire permits

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service issues Pyrotechnic Special Effects, Flame Effects, High Hazard Display and Consumer Fireworks approvals. Film requests are emailed to WFPS with the Film Liaison copied.

Fire permit and inspection rates

Effective 1 January 2026: pyrotechnic special effects, high hazard and flame effects permits $271 each; low hazard no charge; cancellation $44. Site inspection $418 for under 3 hours, $190 per additional hour; $190/hr outside office hours or for supervision during the display.

Ambulance / EMS rates

not published

Residential hours

No film-specific hours. The general noise bylaw governs. Section 69 activities are prohibited within 150 metres of a residential property before 07:00 and after 21:00 weekdays, and before 09:00 and after 21:00 Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays.

Film curfew trigger

The WPS film application treats working after 21:00 or before 07:00 as the trigger for a noise notification or permit.

Noise permit cost and lead time

Noise permits are issued at no cost by the Winnipeg Police Service and are not issued for construction work. Applications should be submitted at least four weeks before the event. A noise permit does not by itself authorise an event on public property.

Noise bylaw decibel limits

source unreachable

Municipal permit

None. The City does not issue drone permits, but the Film Office must be notified in advance of all drone work involving landing or take-off on City property.

On top of Transport Canada

For drones over 250 grams, arrange with Transport Canada and file flight plans with NAV CANADA. Registered films under a Control Code must forward NAV CANADA-approved flight plans to the Film Liaison in advance, including last-minute changes.

Restricted airspace

not published

City parks

Filming on public property including parks, libraries, arenas and community centres requires a City permit through the Film Office; park space is booked through Public Works park rentals.

Provincial property

Requests for provincial property, Bird's Hill Park, the Legislative Building, the Law Courts, go to the Provincial Film Liaison at the Province of Manitoba.

Park rental rates

Commercial rates include a picnic site at $151 per 4 hours (non-profit $74), a half picnic shelter with park space at $203 per 4 hours (non-profit $129), and wedding photos or ceremony at $100 per 2 hours. Cancellations more than five days out carry a $52.50 charge; inside five days the full rental is charged.

Heritage process

not published

Off-limits locations

not published

Minimum general liability

Commercial General Liability per occurrence, scaled to budget: $2,000,000 for budgets of $2M or under; $5,000,000 where a control number is needed for City services and the budget exceeds $2M; $10,000,000 where that includes regional street closures, stunts or SPFX and the budget exceeds $2M.

Additional insured

'City of Winnipeg', in that exact wording. The certificate goes to the Film Liaison, with the insurer addressing it to the Insurance Branch, Risk Management Division.

Required clauses

A cross liability clause (severability of interest) and a fifteen-day notice of cancellation or termination. The certificate must be supplied before filming begins.

Drone, watercraft, pyrotechnic limits

not published

The Winnipeg Film Group offers reduced-rate insurance for smaller productions with limited funds.