Film Permits

City of Sonora permit

Required to film within Sonora city limits. The City prefers at least 2 weeks to process applications. Fee: $100*

• Download the City application and return it to the Film Commission (film@gotuolumne.com).
• The City requires a policy rider naming the City of Sonora, its officers, officials, employees and volunteers as additional insured.
• An indemnification agreement between the City and the production company is required.
• *Additional permits (e.g. encroachment permits) may add costs.

City of Sonora  ·  94 N. Washington St, Sonora CA 95370  ·  (209) 532-4541

Tuolumne County permit

Locations outside city limits that aren’t federal or state land require a County permit. The County prefers at least 2 weeks to process applications. Fee: free*

• Download the County application and return it to the Film Commission (film@gotuolumne.com).
• Proof of insurance is required for an application to be processed.
• *Additional permits (e.g. encroachment permits) may add costs.

Tuolumne County Film Commission  ·  193 S. Washington St, Sonora CA 95370  ·  (209) 533-4420

State Parks: Railtown 1897 & Columbia

Tuolumne County is home to two State Historic Parks — Railtown 1897 in Jamestown (working trains, historic depot, roundhouse and scrap yard) and Columbia State Historic Park, a living-history town closed to vehicle traffic. Both permits go through the California Film Commission, which requires at least 4 business days to process applications.

How a State Parks shoot comes together

1. Check feasibility first. Call the park manager, Robbie Bergstrom (209-768-1860, robert.bergstrom@parks.ca.gov), to confirm the timing and scope work for the park. The Film Commission can always help connect your production to the right person at a park.
2. File the paperwork. Once feasibility is verified, complete a Film Permit Supplemental (DPR form 245A) with State Parks and submit your permit application to the California Film Commission.
3. Approval & fees. State Parks works with the park to approve the shoot and set cost-recovery fees.

Timing & tips

• The more lead time, the better. Park schedules are typically set by the 15th of the month prior, so parks like a minimum of 30 days for complicated projects — and even 30 days can be too late for complex ones. A simple review can turn around in 5–7 business days.
• Visit the location or send a scout, and include them in meetings with the park — it helps to have someone who knows both the park and the production when working out logistics.
• For Columbia, consider filming outside business hours. Monitoring costs a bit more, but it allows the most flexibility.
• The roads through Columbia SHP belong to the County, so depending on scope you may need a County permit for the road as well.
• Filming at a concession business inside Columbia requires the business’s permission along with your park permit — the park notifies concessionaires but doesn’t get involved in the arrangements.

Costs

• The CFC permit itself is free. Both parks typically charge a $250/day cost-recovery review fee ($100/day for simple productions), and most large projects also require one or more paid monitors — see the permit monitor fee list and CFC insurance requirements.
• At Railtown 1897, the California Railroad Museum Foundation operates the trains and charges separately for any locomotive movement or train staging.
• CFC guide to filming in State Parks

Railtown 1897 SHP  ·  10501 Reservoir Rd, Jamestown CA 95327   |   Columbia SHP  ·  11255 Jackson St, Columbia CA 95310

United States Forest Service

The Stanislaus National Forest makes up over half of Tuolumne County. Not sure whether land is private or public? Contact the Forest Service and they’ll let you know. Allow at least 15 business days to process an application; complex shoots take longer. A permit is required for groups of 9 or more (cast and crew), or for any shoot that could affect forest resources.

• Fill out the filming & photography request (PDF) and email it to SM.FS.R5StanPermit@usda.gov with a detailed map of filming and staging areas (1:24,000 topo).
• Insurance, fees, and payment are covered in the permit information sheet (PDF): $1 million general liability ($5 million with aircraft), plus a daily use fee by crew size and a cost-recovery fee.
• The forest’s Commercial Filming & Photography page has the current rules, including when a small crew needs no permit.
• Stanislaus National Forest — maps, road status, and seasonal closures.

Stanislaus National Forest Headquarters  ·  19777 Greenley Rd, Sonora CA 95370  ·  (209) 532-3671

Yosemite National Park

Tuolumne County is home to part of Yosemite National Park, including Hetch Hetchy. Yosemite has no specified timeframe for permit processing, and requires a permit application, proof of insurance, and a pre-film conference; filming is highly regulated, especially May through October. Miscellaneous fees apply.

• Yosemite filming information