FilmLA will extend its Low Impact Permit Pilot Program within the city of Los Angeles through April 30, 2027, in an effort to reduce permit costs and encourage local film production.
FilmLA, the official film office of L.A. County, partnered with the city to allow low-impact film productions to apply for permits at a lower cost. The program aims to simplify the permitting process by offering tiered pricing depending on the size and scope of the production, according to FilmLA.
This is part of a wider citywide effort to increase film and television production in L.A. as it has increasingly moved out of the city to other states or countries with more favorable tax incentives. In the first six months of the program, which began in April of this year, 422 low-impact permits were issued, saving filmmakers over $400,000 in fees, according to FilmLA.
“Our independent and small productions are essential to our creative economy and we’re seeing success in our efforts to ensure productions of all sizes can succeed right here in Los Angeles,” Mayor Karen Bass said of the program in a statement.
To qualify as a low impact production, no more than 30 cast and crew are permitted on set, among other criteria. Under the low impact permit, productions can shoot in up to three locations in L.A. over three consecutive days.
According to FilmLA, the majority of these projects are independent online content and short film productions. Music videos, photography shoots, documentaries, commercials and TV shoots have also received low impact permits, according to FilmLA.
With the program, permit cost is reduced by 58 percent, saving filmmakers an average of almost $1,000 per permit, according to FilmLA. The application fee is $350 compared to $931 for a standard permit, and there is a $156 notification fee per location, compared to $232. The program also waives the $285 City Fire Department spot check fee.
“On an independent production, every line of the budget determines what makes it to the screen,” said Larry Laboe, executive director of NewFilmmakers L.A., in a statement. “Lower permit costs for small shoots let more filmmakers work on location in Los Angeles with the full protection of a permit.”
The program’s staff and technology costs are supported by FilmLA’s board of directors, who will continue financially supporting the program through April 2027.
According to an October report from FilmLA Research, overall on-location filming in L.A. County totaled 4,171 shoot days from July through September of this year, a 4.8 percent decrease from the same period last year. With local production continuing to decrease, the program aims to stimulate growth.
The program’s success is being evaluated by FilmLA to make recommendations for a potential free micro-shoot permit, which the L.A. City Council approved on Oct. 16. The proposed program would create a free permit for productions involving 10 or fewer people which use only handheld filming equipment and do not interfere with access to the public filming location, according to the ordinance.
“In April, we said that when community impact is small, regardless of the project type or production budget, the City and FilmLA review process should be simple,” said FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches in a statement. “More than 400 Low Impact permits later, the pilot has shown that it can meet that goal.”
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