Permit Information
& Requirements

Sailboat Bend Residences 6

Welcome

Welcome to Greater Fort Lauderdale! We are thrilled that you have chosen Broward County to shoot your production project.

Film Lauderdale is a full-service concierge Film Commission. We “hold your hand” and are a “back-office” for productions. We provide location, logistics, resource, State and Federal entity assistance.

 

Our Film Commission issues film permits for all Broward County properties (including parks, buildings, venues, roadways, bridges, parking facilities, etc) and on behalf of most of the 31 municipalities within the County. Each municipality has their own requirements and depending on the scope of the project, separate permits and additional documents may be required. Most municipalities require permits for filming on private property in addition to public property, so it is best to check with the Film Commission when you are uncertain whether a permit would be required for your project. With a few exceptions, most County property and municipalities require at least three business days to process a standard permit request. Requests that involve more in-depth coordination and services (i.e. stunts, road closures, pyrotechnics, etc.) should allow at least two weeks of processing time. NOTE: County and municipal offices are closed on weekends and holidays (some municipalities are also closed Fridays).

The permit must be submitted by an authorized representative of your company. You will be asked to include details about your project with the application submission, including (but not limited to) a locations breakdown, times, dates, rain dates, special arrangements or needs for parking, city/county services, size of cast and crew, number and types of vehicles, and approximate budget. Depending on the size of the project, a script or story board may also be required to help officials in determining what special services may be needed.

Harley-Davidson at campsite in Fort Lauderdale
Permit Application

First-time users of Filmapp must register upfront. Each time you log in after that, Filmapp automatically populates key fields on the applications, saving you time. There is a dashboard where you can manage all of your applications, as well as submit questions and track the responses.

 NOTE: Your project’s permit will be active for 28 days of filming. You can add as many locations/municipalities to your application within the 28 day period. Contact film@filmlauderdale.org if you have any questions about the 28 day period timeline.

Stores and restaurants in downtown Fort Lauderdale Florida USA
Bicycles parked on Fort Lauderdale seafront. Southnern Florida, USA

Our office is committed to assisting you with all your location and permitting needs. There are no permit fees for production projects shooting in Broward County, with the exception of cost recovery for Special Services provided by the County or Municipalities for things like police services, road closures, facility rentals, etc.

Insurance Requirements

Securing a film permit requires that the production company provide Certificates of Insurance that additionally insure Broward County, as well as the jurisdiction in which you plan to film (click here for link to certificate holder language per jurisdiction). Insurance certificates must also include the following details:

  • The name of the insured production company.
  • The name of the insurance company.
  • A policy which provides at least $1,000,000 of Comprehensive General Liability for each instance of claim.
  • If the company is using company owned vehicles, $300,000 Automobile Liability.
  • The statutory limits for workers compensation and employers liability (this is required for productions with 4 or more cast/crew).
  • The policy number and dates of policy coverage, including an expiration date that falls after the shoot date.
  • The following clause must be included under “Description of operations/locations/vehicles” section:
    * FOR GENERAL LIABILITY: THE CERTIFICATE HOLDER IS NOTED AS ADDITIONAL INSURED WITH RESPECT TO LIABILITY.

Policy limit requirements may change on a per project basis when stunts, pyrotechnics, watercrafts, unusual vehicular activity, etc. is involved in the production.

Please upload your certificates where indicated within the application or email it to film@filmlauderdale.org.

Municipalities for Certificate Holder language