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Who Needs a Permit?
Film & Print permits are required for individuals and businesses wishing to conduct commercial film, television, video, photography, and all other media use projects taking place on public property, at residential locations, when City services are required, like reserving meters for production parking, or when productions may have an impact on traffic, residents and City services.
How to Apply for A Citywide Permit
Citywide permits are the only permits that do not require an officer escort, with some exemptions at the discretion of the Film & Print Office. Miami Beach Citywide permits allow for small teams (typically twelve or less people in total) with minimal equipment (must be easily and quickly transported) to film on Miami Beach streets, sidewalks, City beaches, and parks that do not require rental fees, assuming the production does not block pedestrian or vehicular traffic or impact private business or concessionaire without specific coordination. Equipment allowed includes a camera, tripod, reflectors, and battery-operated lights. No generators or cabling allowed. No reserved or authorized parking is permitted, including vehicles on beaches or parks. Miami Beach Citywide does not include residential areas, aerial or driving shots, which require additional coordination and permitting in the City of Miami Beach.
Minimum Requirements
1. Valid Indemnity Agreement
Indemnity agreements must be completed by the President or a legally authorized individual representative of the applicant. The Indemnity agreement must be notarized by a notary public which is found worldwide or in lieu of this, the company can place their government-issued corporate seal.
- Please "Download Agreement" below
- Complete Agreement and Notarize
- Send the Indemnity Agreement to the Film & Print Office via email to film@miamibeachfl.gov and/or upload with your online application.
- Place the original in the regular mail.
- Mail to:
Miami Beach Film and Print Office
1755 Meridian Avenue, Fifth Floor
Miami Beach, FL 33139
- Mail to:
- Indemnity agreements are valid for 3 years.
Please give us a call if you have any questions regarding the agreement at 305.673.7577 or email us: film@miamibeachfl.gov.
2. Valid Certificate of Insurance
of one million ($1,000,000.00) dollars or of equal value in foreign currency with the territory of the United States covered.
The certificate must name the City of Miami Beach:
1700 Convention Center Drive,
Miami Beach, FL 33139
as the certificate holder and the City also needs to be listed as Additional Insured.
If your company is required to carry Worker’s Compensation per State or Provence requirements, please also include proof of coverage.
Film & Print Office
Film Line: 305.673.7070
Main Line: 305.673.7577
General Inquiries Email: film@miamibeachfl.gov
Mailing Address:
City of Miami Beach
Film & Print Office
1700 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Physical Address:
Shama Johnson
Film and Print Production Liaison
1755 Meridian Avenue, Suite 500
Miami Beach, FL 33139
| 305.673.7577
3. Apply For a Permit Online
Submit your print or film permit request using the Civic Access Online Portal. The link will take you directly to the Film and Print list of permits. Once on the portal you must either login to your account or sign up for a new account.
Please view the instructional video on this page detailing the process for locating all Film and Print permits, then proceed to register an account and submit your permit application. Ensure that you have the required Indemnity Agreement and Certificate of Insurance PDF documents prepared before initiating the permit application process, as outlined above.
Please note that the City of Miami Beach and the City of Miami are two separate cities. If you wish to apply for a permit for the City of Miami, for areas like Downtown Miami, Wynwood, Little Havana, Little Haiti, etc., please visit: Get a Film Permit - Miami
Additional Permits & Guidelines
Please contact the Film & Print Office directly for more information at 305.673.7070 or film@miamibeachfl.gov
Drone Use
For permitting consideration, please provide:
- FAA-issued pilot or operator license
- Drone registration number
- Pilot/operator’s insurance naming The City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139 as certificate holder
- Manufacturer detail showing the weight of UAS to be less than 55 lb
- Date and times of each UAS filming use
- An overhead map showing the flight path/ vector of use for the proposed UAS filming area, including height from the ground and projected speed with a notation of where the drone operator will be stationed.*
*When mapping the area, please keep in mind that the area of use must be free and clear to all general public during the use of a UAS for filming. Only the cast and crew hired by the production (and named under the worker’s compensation policy of the production) are allowed within the designated area as per FAA regulations, this includes the use of streets, beaches, sidewalks, and parks.
Securing an area for drone use can be done by hiring off-duty officers and possibly Ocean Rescue if appropriate. The Film office will review all requests with the production to determine staffing levels and may be able to recommend more affordable alternatives.
Watch the video on this page to learn how to find the Film & Print permits and apply using the Civic Access Portal.
Residential Filming Guidelines
No matter the size of the production or the type of residence. Filming or shooting stills on residential property without a permit is a code violation and can result in a citation being issued. Permittees will be given all instructions and guidance on how to coordinate a residential permit at the time of application.
You can also call our office for more information before you apply at 305.673.7577 or review our Film and Print Guidelines here."
Vehicle Beach Access
For each production vehicle that needs to access the beach including any catering vehicles.
The passes require an off-duty escort at all times, the cost is 1st pass free, and each additional $202.
During the summer months from June through September, passes are half-price as an incentive: 1st pass free, each additional $101.
Special Events Permits
As opposed to a staged concert done only for the benefit of the camera without amplified sound and using casted extras.
We realize that it may be difficult to determine which category your production will fall under, please call our office to discuss your proposed production so we can guide you to the proper department if necessary. If you would like to review the Special Event Permitting requirements, please go to the link below.
Permit Timelines
The City of Miami Beach offers complimentary permits! That’s right, free! We do not charge permit fees, square footage fees, usage fees, or any other fee. You only pay for what you use a la carte, like meter rentals, and off-duty officers.
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Permits are issued Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Film & Print Office works quickly and collaboratively to help support and expedite all of your production needs. We attempt to issue all permits within a few hours of all deliverables being submitted by the client. The more complex the permit request, the more time the client needs to complete the coordination.
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Citywide permits average about 2 business days of coordination for first-time applicants.
but then can be pulled within a day. Larger permits that require police staffing and meter rental average 3 to 4 business days.
2021-01-01
Any closures, driving shots, stunt work, drone work, and regular residential uses, 2 business days, 3 to 4 business days, around 7 business days
Of course, it is always best to err on the side of applying with as much time as possible, to give some leeway.
All timelines are from complete delivery of all information/diagrams and materials needed to process permit.
Productions are encouraged to reach out in advance for general information if they are not familiar with the process
Best efforts will always be made to process requests in less time if possible, but no guarantee can be made.
Wherever one permit request triggers multiple categories, the longest lead time should apply.
*TIMELINES BELOW SHOULD BE STRONGLY ENFORCED DURING HIGH IMPACT PERIODS*
| City Wide Permit | 2 business days |
| Extended City Wide (Photo only) V | 3 business days |
| Permit triggering PD/Ocean Rescue Staffing | 3 business days |
| Site Specific - Public Property - Non Exclusive Use Private Commercial Property | 3 business days |
| Site Specific - Private Commercial Property | 3 business days |
| Site Specific - Public Property - Non Exclusive Use Private Commercial Property | 3 business days |
| Reserved Municipal Parking - Lots/Street Meters | 3 business days |
| Driving Shots / Non-FDOT roads / no or low interference with traffic (ex. Single block ITC max 5 min, rolling roadblock only) | 3 business days |
| Generator Safety & Placement | 3 business days |
| Temporary Structures - Exception | 3 business days |
| Parks Rentals | 3 business days |
| Vehicle Beach Access Permits | 3 business days |
| Low Impact Residential | 3 business days |
| Aerial Photo/Filming - Drone | 5 business days |
| Stunts / Pyro | 5 business days |
| Reserved Residential Street Parking | 5 business days |
| Site Specific Residential (short term - during residential production hours, no high impact activities, does not trigger Internal Review) | 5 business days |
| Helicopter Landing - Non FDOT Areas | 7 business days |
| FDOT Permits | 7 business days |
| Right of Way Permits (Street Closures/Lane Drops/Sidewalk Closures/ Water Meters) | 7 business days |
| Site Specific Residential (long term productions, outside of residential production hours, triggers Internal Review, high impact activities) | 10 business days |
| Fire Permits ( Fireworks, Pyro, bonfire, Stunts) | 14 calendar days |
| Environmental & DEP Field Permit Review | 30 days |
| DEP Field Permit | 21 Days |
| Turtle Monitor Hire *if available by FWC/DEP | 14 days |
| Helicopter Landing - FDOT Areas | 3 months (or as per FDOT) |
| High Traffic Streets / Causeways Closures - Require Commission approval | 3+ months |
