Filming Permits and Location Permissions

There is no single national filming permit which makes a production lawful everywhere. The permissions needed depend on who owns or manages the location, whether roads or public space are affected and what the production actually intends to do.

Planning permission is only one part of that picture. A shoot can be fine in planning terms but still need a landowner agreement, council film permission, a parking suspension, a temporary road closure, police liaison or another licence before the crew can operate.

This guide is mainly about filming in England. London has a particularly developed film-office system, while arrangements elsewhere vary between councils and location managers, so always check the relevant authority for the location.

Do I need a filming permit?

It depends on the location. Private property normally requires the agreement of the owner or person controlling the site. Local authority land, streets, estates, parks, schools and other publicly managed locations may require notification or formal permission through the council or its film office.

Film London describes each London borough as having a Borough Film Service for local-authority managed locations, while also warning that places which look public may actually be privately owned or managed. Outside London there is no equivalent single national process, so the relevant council or land manager should be checked directly.

A filming permit or location agreement does not grant planning permission. Equally, planning permission does not give the production the right to occupy somebody else’s land.

Private land and location agreements

On private land the production will usually need a location agreement dealing with access, dates and hours, areas which can be used, reinstatement, insurance, security and any restrictions imposed by the owner.

The owner should not assume that signing a location agreement settles the planning position. If the proposed filming is development, a separate planning route may still be needed. Our commercial filming guide explains the difference between an activity which is not development and one relying on Class B or Class E.

Filming on council land or public space

Local authorities can control filming on land and buildings they own or manage. That can include parks, housing estates, civic buildings and some streets. The application process, fee, lead-in time and insurance requirement vary between authorities.

Where the location is in London, Film London recommends dealing with the relevant Borough Film Service. Its permission guidance is a useful illustration of how ownership and management determine who needs to be approached.

Roads, highways and traffic management

Filming on or affecting a highway can require much more than a location permit. Depending on the proposal, the production may need approval for traffic management, lane restrictions, temporary signals, parking suspensions, equipment on the highway or a temporary road closure.

The highway authority decides the appropriate legal mechanism and lead-in time. In London, special legislation allows traffic authorities to close roads specifically for filming, and Film London advises that road-closure enquiries should go through the borough film service or Transport for London on red routes. Elsewhere, the route will depend on the highway authority and the statutory powers available to it.

Do not promise a road closure before the authority has confirmed that it can be delivered. Notice periods can be substantial and emergency access, bus routes, other events and local conditions can affect what is possible.

Parking suspensions and production vehicles

A production which needs bays kept clear for camera vehicles, generators, lighting, wardrobe or unit vehicles may need parking suspensions or dispensations from the authority controlling the parking place.

That is separate from planning permission and separate again from any permission needed to place equipment on the highway. Unit-base planning also needs its own check, especially where caravans or substantial temporary facilities are involved. See our film unit base guide.

When should the police be involved?

Routine filming does not mean every production needs police permission. Liaison becomes important where a scene or production activity could reasonably be mistaken for a real emergency or create public-safety concerns, for example staged incidents, emergency-service vehicles or uniforms, or unusual traffic activity.

Film London advises productions to contact the Metropolitan Police Service Film Unit in relevant circumstances. Outside London, use the appropriate police force and follow any local filming protocol.

Insurance and other production permissions

Location owners and film offices commonly require public liability insurance before granting permission. Film London says appropriate public liability insurance should be obtained early for productions seeking filming or commercial photography permission in London. Check the amount and wording required by the particular authority or landowner rather than assuming one policy limit works everywhere.

Other permissions can include child performance licences and specialist consents associated with the location. These are not planning permissions, and Planning Geek does not provide legal or production-licensing advice on them, but they should be identified early enough not to disrupt the shoot.

Drones need their own check

A landowner’s permission to film does not authorise a drone flight. The operator remains responsible for Civil Aviation Authority requirements, airspace restrictions and any permission needed for take-off or landing. See our drone filming guide.

Permit and permission checklist

• identify the actual owner or manager of every location
• check the council or film-office process for public locations
• identify any highway, traffic-management or parking requirements
• agree realistic lead-in times before confirming shoot dates
• flag scenes which need police liaison
• check insurance requirements and any specialist licences
• keep the planning, landowner, highway and aviation permissions as separate workstreams

For the planning side of a location, Planning Geek can help establish whether development is occurring and whether permitted development, prior approval or a planning application is needed.

Filming and photography planning resources

Location filming can involve planning permission, permitted development, private or public land permissions, roads, protected sites, production bases and drone restrictions. Use the guide which best matches the issue you are dealing with.

Filming Permits Page Created: 11th October 2026