FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, has introduced a Low Impact Permit Pilot Program in partnership with the City of Los Angeles.
Beginning on April 27, the Low Impact Permit Pilot Program will allow filmmakers working on low impact film shoots to obtain City of Los Angeles film permits at a significantly reduced price. Aligned with Mayor Karen Bass’ Executive Directive 11, the program advances FilmLA’s goal to encourage on-location production in the region by making permits more accessible and affordable. The program leverages FilmLA’s permit coordination expertise and MyFilmLA technology to make participating seamless for qualifying permit applicants.
FilmLA’s Low Impact Permit Pilot Program is a filming incentive created through public/private partnership. FilmLA’s Board of Directors has pledged to contribute funds from its operating reserve to cover the FilmLA staff and technology cost of the program for up to six months. The City of Los Angeles, by waiving collection of the LAFD Spot Check Fee, will make Low Impact Tier permits even more affordable for filmmakers.
“The City of Los Angeles, under the leadership of Mayor Karen Bass, is leaving no stone unturned in its commitment to support our signature entertainment industry,” said Board of Public Works president and city film liaison Steve Kang. “FilmLA, as the City’s partner in film permitting and production coordination, plays a central role in that effort. Improving affordability for filming in Los Angeles remains a top priority. I want to thank the FilmLA Board for its leadership and financial support of this first-of-its-kind incentive. This pilot program goes beyond reducing permit costs. It serves as a real world test of practical reforms and a tiered pricing model designed to make Los Angeles more accessible and competitive for creators at every level.”
FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches said, “We believe that when community impact is small, regardless of the project type or production budget, the City and FilmLA review process should be simple. With this pilot program, the City will offer low impact filmmakers full permit protections at the lowest possible cost.”
The Low Impact Pilot Program is intended for use by filmmakers whose work on- location has demonstrably low impact on the surrounding community. Projects that meet City-approved Low Impact criteria require less government review and no direct on-set public safety supervision to carry out their work. By default, these projects often operate with small production budgets.
“The FilmLA Board is pleased to provide the financial flexibility to set this pilot program into motion,” said FilmLA Board of Directors chair Kristin Larson. “Our hope is to welcome and encourage filmmakers with smaller production footprints to take full advantage of what Los Angeles has to offer as a backdrop.”
The City of Los Angeles and FilmLA will use this pilot program to gather data about permit application volume, rates of customer satisfaction, the workability of program criteria for tiered film permit pricing, and funding support required beyond FilmLA’s initial contribution to make this a sustainable permit tier for the long term.
More information about the Low Impact Permit Pilot Program, including pricing, eligibility, terms and conditions can be found in the FilmLA Knowledge Base here.
