Required Motion Picture & Television Permit

This permit lets you film in public locations and park production vehicles in public places. You can use it in 300 square miles of public settings in the City. This includes 27,000 acres of City parks.

To get a Motion Picture and TV Permit, you need:

• Photo ID
• Insurance certificate: This must meet the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (OFTB) rules.
• Parks Film Shoot Request Form: If filming in a city park, fill out this form. The park manager will review it. Wait at least 48 hours for a reply.
• It is free to apply.

• The permit is valid only with an original signature and an official seal from a permit coordinator at the Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting (OFTB).
• You need extra permissions to film inside City buildings, bridges, subways or tunnels. Call the OFTB to get contact information.
• If you film outside and need traffic control or have scenes with fake guns, weapons or actors dressed as police, you must ask the New York Police Department (NYPD) Movie and TV Unit to come to the location. The police will send officers for free.

• Download and fill out the form: You must type on the form. Handwritten forms are not allowed.
• If filming in a City park, get approval from the park manager. Write the name of the park manager who approved the shoot on the permit form.
• Print and sign the form. Submit it with a copy of your photo ID at the OFTB office.