City Council

(10)\n25-1509-S1\nECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOBS COMMITTEE REPORT\nrelative to instructing relevant Departments, with assistance from\nFilmLA, involved in the film permitting process, to report on a unified\nCitywide Filming Conditions Framework; and related matters.\nRecommendations for Council action, as initiated by Motion\n(Nazarian - Harris-Dawson):\n1. INSTRUCT the the Board of Public Works (BPW), with the\nassistance of, Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP), Los\nAngeles Police Department (LAPD), Department of\nTransportation (DOT), Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD),\nBoard of Public Works (BPW) Bureau of Street Services (BSS),\nwith assistance from FilmLA, and any other relevant\ndepartments involved in the film permitting process, to report to\nCouncil within 90 days on a unified Citywide Filming Conditions\nFramework. This report shall include recommendations for:\na. Standardizing Notification, Survey, and Monitoring\nRequirements\ni. Eliminating Signature Surveys except for simulated\ngunfire, pyrotechnics, or amplified sound between\n10:00 PM and 7:00 AM.\nii. No signature requirements for base camps, crew\nparking, or catering.\niii. Exempting the Downtown area from "residential"\nsurveys based on land-use patterns.\niv. RAP, DOT, LAPD, and FilmLA shall align on clear,\npublished criteria for when monitors, Motion Picture\nOfficers (MPO), Fire Safety Officers (FSO), or traffic\nofficers may be required.\nv. Create a unified, transparent appeals and override\nprocess administered by the BPW Film Liaison.\nb. Standardizing Departmental Operational Procedures\n​\ni. Require one working day response standards for all\nfilming inquiries across departments.\nii. Remove detailed parking overhead map\nrequirements from standard permit applications.\niii. Extend DOT posting deadline to 5:00 PM that are 24\nhours before production.\niv. Mandate that departments maintain at least 80%\nfull-time staff assigned to filming to support timely\nreview and issue resolution.\nv. Create a centralized, real-time calendar of upcoming\ncity events, including their date, time, and location,\nfor production companies to reference when\nscouting and selecting filming sites.\nc. Ensuring Fair and Predictable Access to City Facilities\n​\ni. RAP shall publish a citywide Filming Conditions\nMatrix clarifying when park monitors are required.\nii. RAP shall limit monitors to activities involving\namplified sound, full closures, pyrotechnics, drones,\nor special effects.\niii. RAP\nshall\nevaluate\nand\nreturn\nwith\nrecommendations to fully waive or reduce standard\nfilming fees (e.g., to $1) for productions that do not\nrequire exclusive park use or additional City staffing.\nd. Clarifying that Private-Property Filming Does Not Trigger\nCity Fees\n​\ni. No City fees shall be required solely because filming\noccurs on private property when:\n​\n1. No public right-of-way is used.\n2. No City services are requested.\n3. The property is not in a Very High Fire Hazard\nSeverity Zone during Red Flag Days.\n4. The production does not require public-safety\npersonnel.\ne. Ongoing Review and Transparency\n​\ni. Require annual Council review of all Citywide filming\npolicies and conditions.\nii. Establish a public portal for productions to report\nnew or burdensome conditions that may require\nCouncil review.\niii. Require FilmLA to participate in coordinated\ncommunity and industry outreach to explain the new\nstandardized framework.\n2. RESCIND all existing Neighborhood Special Filming Conditions\nestablished or instituted through legacy practice, and\nREQUEST the City Attorney to PREPARE and PRESENT any\nnecessary Ordinances to repeal such conditions established by\nprior Ordinance, unless specifically reauthorized by Council.\n3. INSTRUCT the Board of Public Works, with assistance from the\nCAO and CLA, to designate or establish a City Film Liaison\nposition within the Board of Public Works to:\n​\na. Coordinate interdepartmental filming issues.\nb. Administer appeals.\nc. Oversee development of the Citywide Filming Handbook.\n4. INSTRUCT the Board of Public Works Film Liaison and FilmLA\nto publish the unified Citywide Filming Conditions Framework as\na Citywide Filming Handbook, maintained by the Board of\nPublic Works Film Liaison and FilmLA, consolidating all filming\nrules—including\nstandard\nconditions,\ndepartmental\nrequirements, and micro-shoot definitions, notification\nstandards, appeals processes, and contact information—and\nupdated at least annually.\n5. INSTRUCT FilmLA and the Board of Public Works Film Liaison\nto conduct a coordinated outreach campaign to neighborhood\ncouncils, business groups, industry stakeholders, and location\nmanagers to explain the elimination of Special Filming\nConditions, the micro-shoot rules, and the updated Citywide\nFilming Conditions Framework.\nFiscal Impact Statement: Neither the City Administrative Officer nor\nthe Chief Legislative Analyst has completed a financial analysis of this\nreport.