Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area - Applications for Film Permits (U.S. National Park Service)

The Application Process and Time Frame

As soon as you know which park you want and approximately when you need it, you should start the application process. We know that things change, but you are competing with other types of park use and we handle requests on a first-come, first-served basis.

Call the Office of Special Park Uses (805-370-2308) to discuss your project and to check the availability of the site on the dates that interest you. We can fax or e-mail the application to you. Feel free to add pages to explain your project. You can download the park map and indicate on it where you wish to work. You can FAX the completed application to our office at (805-370-1851 or 805-370-1850). We can temporarily hold dates while you arrange for the insurance certificate to be sent to us.

We need at least TWO WORKING DAYS to process the request and to arrange for staff to monitor your activities. For complex activities which might include multiple days, prep and strike days or night work, we need AT LEAST A WEEK'S ADVANCE NOTICE. For projects that involve set construction or use of a site for more than a week, you need to start talking with us at least a month in advance. The project might require a project clearance review.

(There may be that RARE occasion when all your plans blow up and you need a backup site TOMORROW! Give us a call and we will see if we can help you or direct you to someone else who can pull off a last minute miracle.)

Once we receive the insurance certificate, we will process the permit. Your insurance company can FAX an interim copy of the certificate and mail the original. We will calculate the administrative costs and the site use costs for the permit based on the information in your application. Generating the permit automatically generates an invoice for the permit. We will FAX the permit and invoice to you. We will accept a FAX signature on the permit, but we must receive payment for the permit costs before any activity may begin on NPS property. Call the office to arrange for delivery of the payment.

You will be billed for any additional costs such as overtime, site clean up, restoration, or additional utilities costs. We post the additional billing as costs are incurred. Payment for additional billing is expected within seven days of posting, unless you make different arrangement with us.

We will accept:

    * Walk-in's
    * Phone calls
    * FAX applications and signatures
    * Personal or Company checks (with Tax ID number), money orders
    * Permit Service checks
    * FedEx Express Mail or messenger service delivery and pick up

What Will it Cost?

Prices listed below are current cost recovery estimates for application evaluation, permit preparation, basic monitoring and one day site use. Permit can be issued for multiple days with no additional permit preparation charges. We update the costs each winter.

Application Charge:

The cost of processing a film application is $175.00. This cost is not reimbusable and must be paid, even if you cancel the permit before the use date.

NPS Location Fee:

This policy applies to all parks in the National Park System.

Location Fee Schedule
Type	Number of People	Rate	Day

Commercial Filming/Video	1 to 10 People	$150.00	1
	11 to 30 People	$250.00	1
	31 to 49 People	$500.00	1
	Over 50 People	$750.00	1

Still Photography	1 to 10 People	$50.00	1
	11 to 30 People	$150.00	1
	Over 30 People	$250.00	1

Cost Recovery
Filming, Photography or Base Camp	One Day Permit Estimates
15 people/6 hrs	$600
15 people/12 hrs	$810
Under 40 or 6 hrs	$1,300
Film (Full Day)	$1,900
Prep or Strike day	$950
Construction Day	$1,350
Base Camp	$675
Student Project	$450

* Projects with construction are subject to Project Clearance Review at permittee's expense and may require posting of a refundable bond
* Site use charges are based on the number of hours ON SITE, from vehicle arrival to vehicle departure.
      o Half day = six hours on site.
      o Full day = twelve hours on site.
      o Overtime rate = $65.00 per hour
* If you cancel, you are responsible for all NPS costs up to the time of cancellation. If you cancel less than 24 hours before the scheduled start of activities, you may be responsible for monitoring costs. If the cancellation is weather related, we will make accommodations.
* Administrative costs are mandatory and non-refundable.
* Permit costs must be paid before activities on NPS property can begin.
* Cost of overtime, call back for site clean up, are additional and will be billed as they occur. Payment for additional costs is due within seven days of date of invoice

Refundable Bond

Some projects involve activities which have a high potential for damage to resources, or a high potential for intense site restoration. In those cases, NPS may require the posting of a refundable bond. The bond amount is determined by estimating the cost of monitoring and site restoration, if the you failed to adequately care for or complete the clean up of the site.

If it is not needed, the bond is released when the on-site NPS representative signs off that site restoration is complete and all site use charges have been paid. If the you fail to complete the clean-up or pay all site use and monitoring costs, NPS will restore the site and use the bond to reimburse the actual costs of monitoring and site restoration, plus the cost of processing the payment. If a surplus remains after the costs have been reimbursed, the surplus is returned to the permittee. If the bond does not cover all the costs, we will bill you for the difference.