Council land and property can be used for a range of creative purposes but will require a filming permit.
You need a permit for the following activities:
- still photography
- television
- feature films
- advertising
- television commercials
- documentaries
- music videos.
Using drones
We only consider applications with drones if you show that you can maintain a 30-metre exclusion zone from people not involved with filming at all times. This must apply during take-off, landing and the travel path.
How to apply
Follow these steps to apply for a filming permit:
- Complete our filming permit application form [ PDF, 681.61 KB] . Please read the form carefully, as it has a checklist of what we need. (PDF, JPEG and JPG documents only)
- Complete our filming notification letter template [ DOCX, 147.13 KB] to upload with the application.
- Submit your application online.
After you submit your application, you'll receive an application number which will be sent to the permits team for processing. We'll notify you once we complete your assessment.
Read our permit user guide [ PDF, 1.09 MB] if you need help to:
- submit an application
- register as a user
- reset your password
Low-impact filming
You must meet these criteria for us to consider your filming as low impact:
- All equipment associated with filming is handheld.
- No equipment is placed on Council land.
- No filming or associated occupation occurs on any Council assets, except for footpaths and nature strips.
- You do not obstruct pedestrians.
- You maintain a minimum of 1.5 metres' clearance on the footpath at all times.
- You do not need reserved parking.
- All filming occurs between 7am and 10pm.
- You are not using drones.
If these criteria apply to you, please provide these documents:
- Low-impact filming checklist (page 4 of application form)
- Certificate of currency for minimum of $20 million public liability insurance
- Site plan
- Notification letter
- Equipment list
- Risk Assessment
When to submit your permit
You will need to submit your application 10 business days before the proposed filming date where one of these apply:
- A road closure is proposed
- Filming is occurring in a council park, building, facility or oval
- Reserved car parking is required.
You must submit your application 7 business days before the proposed filming date for filming on our footpaths only.
Filming permit applications cannot be fast-tracked you must adhere to these timeframes for us to consider your application.
How much will my permit cost?
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Assessment fee | $116.79 |
| Inspection fee (required when traffic management is implemented) | $172.54 |
| Out-of-hours inspection fee (required when traffic management is implemented) | $524.58 |
| Low-impact filming | $116.79 |
| General impact filming | $477.00 |
| Major impact filming | $1427.71 |
| School/university student filming | no charge |
| Victorian fundraising registered and non-profit organisations | no charge |
Please note, the assessment fee is:
- paid online
- non-refundable
- deducted from the general and major-impact filming fee.
Parking fees
If you need parking in the area, you must complete the parking request information on pages 5 and 6 of the filming permit application form [ PDF, 681.61 KB] . Our parking services team will assess this. We charge a daily rate for each parking bay you need.
| Type | Fee |
| Commercial street - first day | $130.00 |
| Commercial street - subsequent days | $76.00 |
| Non-commercial street - first day | $85.00 |
| Commercial street - subsequent days | $44.00 |
If you're filming on private land and only need parking, please contact parking services on 9205 5555.
Parks, sports grounds and council buildings
If you need to use our facilities, parks, sports grounds or other open spaces, the appropriate team will refer and assess your application. This is to ensure the location is available and the application meets our hiring conditions.
If approved a separate booking fee will apply. Student or not-for-profit groups may be eligible for a reduced rate.
Filming Approval Act 2014
There is Victorian legislation to standardise the process for obtaining commercial filming permits on local- and state government-managed public land.
The Filming Approval Act 2014 [ PDF, 134.98 KB] provides a framework for approving filming permits. It outlines 8 film-friendly principles the guidelines for commercial filming on public land.
Visit the Film Victoria website for more information.