City Guide Filming in Fort Worth, TX
Production Permit Fees
- Fort Worth Film Permit Fee - $0
Minimum Insurance
- General Liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Bodily Injury - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Property Damage - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Automobile Liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Worker's Compensation - $1,000,000 per occurrence
Additional Permits
- Right of Way Closure Fees
- Street Use Permit Fee - $250
- Security Deposit - $700
- Stockyards Commercial Filming Fee - $2500 per day
- DFW Airport Film Permit Fees
- Half a day - $600 from zero to four hours
- Full day - $1000 from four to eight hours
Discounts
About Fort Worth
Fort Worth has always been historically associated with riders of the open range, cattle, and cattle herding. It is a history that garnered this Texas city the nickname of Cow Town and has been continuously celebrated up to the present day. Seeing cowboys herding longhorn cattle in Fort Worth isn't a rarity, but a twice-daily occurrence at the Fort Worth Stockyard.
With cattle and cowhands being such an ingrained part of Fort Worth's culture, and with the countryside surrounding the city being dedicated to cattle ranching, you might expect that most of the films shot in the city would be of the Western genre. Surprisingly, they're not.
Fort Worth doesn't even closely rival other US cities like New York when appearing in films. It has made a handful of appearances in some notable movies over the years, though, and so hasn't been ignored by the filmmaking industry.
1992 saw country singer George Strait star in a movie called Pure Country, which was filmed at several locations in Fort Worth. Tough Enough, made in 1983, also featured the Cowtown Coliseum in a story about a country singer, played by Dennis Quaid, who turned to prize fighting to earn money.
In more recent years, Miss Juneteenth, a 2020 movie propagandized by Nicole Beharie based on real-life events, came to life around Fort Worth. A brief visit to Downtown Fort Worth was produced in 2018 during the female-led comedy Never Goin' Back. Chuck Norris and friends visited the stockyard’s White Elephant Saloon during the long-running TV series Walker, Texas Ranger.
In truth, Fort Worth makes a worthy backdrop for many different film genres. The Fort Worth authorities are also happy to see their city on the big screen and welcome filmmakers with open arms.
While the welcome to filmmakers is warm, you will be expected to follow filming regulations, so make sure you are aware of those before you start shooting. If you are scouting for locations and not convinced Fort Worth is the right place for your production, look at Giggster. You'll soon change your mind.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in Fort Worth?
Yes, you will need a film permit to film in Fort Worth, and depending on the location you have chosen to shoot at, you may be required to obtain more than one.
You will need to apply for a Fort Worth film permit if your production requires:-
The use or closure of a city street
The use or closure of a city sidewalk
The use of public property
To film in Sundance Square
If you want to film at Fort Worth Stockyards
When you want to film at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
To film in city parks or on the municipal golf course
To film in the West 7th District
If you want to film at Billy Bob's Texas
To film at Panther Island
To film in Fort Worth with a drone
Permit Management in Fort Worth
Fort Worth Film Commission
The Fort Worth Film Commission manages all initial applications for film permits for Fort Worth. Don't be under the misconception the application process is straightforward, involving completing a standard form and submitting it because it's not.
Before you can apply for a Fort Worth film permit, contact the Fort Worth Film Commissioner to discuss the details of your project. The film commissioner will then decide if Fort Worth suits your production. If yes, you'll get the go-ahead to apply for a permit. If the answer is no, start scouting for a different location.
If, after you've been given the okay to move forward with your permit application, your production requires additional permits, the film commission will assist you in obtaining them.
Contact details for the Fort Worth Film Commissioner can be found on the official City of Fort Worth website in the Film Permit section.
What Insurance Do I Need in Fort Worth?
You cannot start filming until you provide adequate proof of insurance. In some cases, depending on the chosen location of your shoot, you may be required to obtain additional insurance.
If you can’t meet any of these requirements, you’ll need to explain in writing why you can’t meet the requirement to the Office. They will determine if the shoot can go ahead without the necessary insurance.
Note that these requirements are minimum requirements. Larger and more complex shoots may require additional insurance which will be determined by the Office.
What Kind of Filming Locations Are Available in Fort Worth?
You might set a new trend if you're the producer determined to break the mold and film a western in Fort Worth. If it's a period piece and you prefer to have bison in the scene rather than longhorns, all you need to do is head to the open spaces of the Fort Worth Nature Center and Reserve to find some.
The reserve isn't the only external shoot location around Fort Worth Lake Worth; the lake shares a name with the city and is perfect for fishing or boating scenes, and you don't even need to go out of the city limits to shoot them. Who knows, you may even be the one to catch an expected shot of the mysterious, and so far camera-shy, Lake Worth monster.
Fort Worth has some park areas. If you need somewhere to shoot skateboarding scenes, film athletics, get your actors on countryside hiking trails, or want to see them wandering through an urban forest, you'll find the right filming location in Fort Worth.
Downtown Fort Worth and the West 7th district have distinct characteristics and are well worth scouting for external shoot locations. The historic Stockyards are great too, but filming there doesn't come without quite hefty additional fees.
As far as internal shoot locations in Fort Worth are concerned, you'll be able to find pretty much anything you're looking for. There are white space studios, green space studios, photography studios, and every other type of studio imaginable, including recording studios with practice rooms.
If you're looking for a home or apartment, choose between bungalows surrounded by gardens with modern interiors, houses with lots of character covered in vines, or ones with contemporary décor and open fireplaces. You'll come across everything from mansions to minuscule flats.
Fort Worth has various business-type locations, from atmospheric Mexican and French restaurants to fully-equipped bars and coffee shops with espresso machines. If your script calls for an event space, take a quick look, and you'll come across locations ideal for weddings, parties, bar mitzvahs, or whatever kind of celebration your scriptwriter envisages. That includes an enormous concert hall that can accommodate a crowd of over two and a half thousand.
Whether you need a theater, boardroom, parkour gym, or a discotheque, Fort Worth will deliver it.
Special Requirements in Fort Worth
Street Closure Permission
When your film shoot will involve the closure of a public right of way, a sidewalk, or a street, then you will be required to apply for the appropriate permission from the City of Fort Worth Planning and Development Department. This is a completely separate procedure from applying for a film permit.
When making the application to the CFWPDD, you will be required to submit a written synopsis of your film project, a site plan, a valid insurance certificate, and a traffic control plan. For short-term closures, you will need to submit your paperwork at least three working days in advance.
If the expected closure exceeds three days, you will need to submit your application two months in advance. You will also need to provide proof you have contacted the neighborhood local to the closure and that the residents have no objections.
Right of Way Closure Fees
Street Use Permit Fee - $250
Security Deposit - $700
Insurance requirements for a Right of Way Permit are the same as those previously mentioned in the insurance section of this article.
Additional Documents Required By FWFC For A Film Permit
As well as the regular application paperwork, the Fort Worth Film Commission will request you to submit paperwork that you usually wouldn't be required to in other cities.
You will be required to submit a Production Schedule that includes the following :-
The dates and times of the shoot plus rain dates
The number of cast and crew that will be employed in the shoot
The location of the feeding station
A list of all equipment that will be used
Any public areas which may be affected during the film shoot
How many city employees you will need
The time and date of any special effects, loud noises, use of animals or aerial photography
Filming At Fort Worth Stockyards
If you have chosen the Fort Worth Stockyards as one of your Fort Worth filming locations, as well as applying for a film permit from the FWFC, you will need to make a separate application to the Stockyards Heritage Organization.
While the application for a film permit is cost-free, filming at the Stockyards isn't. The daily filming fee may be waived for students if they are able to produce the correct documentation.
Stockyards Commercial Filming Fee - $2500 per day
Filming At DFW International Airport
All commercial productions who want to film at DFW Airport are required to apply to the airport's Communications and Marketing Department. Applications for a film permit must be submitted at least ten working days in advance of the estimated filming date.
DFW Airport Film Permit Fees
Half a day - $600 from zero to four hours
Full day - $1000 from four to eight hours
Film permit applications for filming at the airport can be downloaded from the airport's official website and are located on the Still and Motion Picture Policy page.
What Does it Cost to Film in Fort Worth?
There is no charge for a Fort Worth film permit application or a film permit issued by the Fort Worth Film Commission.
Additional Fees
Any fees your production may incur will come from hiring individual locations, permits for road or sidewalk closures, or the use of public property.
Geographical Jurisdiction of Fort Worth?
Fort Worth covers a total area of around three hundred and fifty square miles. That's a fact that places it among the top twenty largest cities in the US and ranks it number five in the list of the biggest cities in Texas. That's a massive urban spread that's inhabited by almost a million people and of which only eight square miles is occupied by water. As Fort Worth has expanded over the years, it's encompassed several other cities, Saginaw and Haslet to name just two, that while they are now completely surrounded, still remain independent. Fort Worth's easterly reach surpasses the city of Euless and encompasses a stretch of terrain bordered by Arlington to the south and North Richland Hills to the north. Fort Worth's most southerly region is bordered to the east by Forest Hill, to the south by Burleson and Crowley, and to the west by Benbrook and Lake Worth. Eagle Mountain and Avondale border Fort Worth to the northwest. If your film shoot location should fall in Haslet for example, and will be conducted on public property, you will need to apply for a film permit from the Texas Film Commission. If your chosen film location should encroach into the area controlled by the Arlington authorities then you will need to make a film permit application to the city's Office of Communications.
Outreach in Fort Worth
Conducting outreach will be crucial to getting a film permit in Fort Worth. You should carry out a notification service before submitting your initial application and if your production will cause right-of-way closures.
The Fort Worth Film Commission will require you to distribute a notification to all residents and businesses within a one-block radius of each of your shoot locations. That notification must include:-
A summary of your production schedule
The dates and times the production will be active
The FWFC must approve notification letters before distribution.
Out Of Hours Notifications
The regular filming hours in Fort Worth are:
Monday to Thursday and Sunday – 7 am to 9 pm
Friday and Saturday – 7 am to 11 pm
Should you wish to film outside the set hours, you will need special permission from the FWFC and notify all the residents and businesses of the planned activity. Whether you obtain permission to film out of hours is entirely at the discretion of the FWFC.
Right of Way Closure Notifications
When your filming requires any right-of-way closure, you must distribute notifications to all residents and businesses within a one-block radius of the affected street or sidewalk. The notification must be distributed at least three weeks before the closure, and a copy of the distributed letter to the Planning and Development Department.
Should you wish to film outside the set hours, you will need special permission from the FWFC and notify all the residents and businesses of the planned activity. Whether you obtain permission to film out of hours is entirely at the discretion of the FWFC.
Community Management in Fort Worth
The Fort Worth Film Commission doesn't demand film production companies to have a community manager on-site during filming. It's a wise production company that employs a community manager, though.
With a community manager on your team, you'll have someone to deal with curious onlookers who could disrupt filming, angry passers-by who forgot they were informed of your forthcoming presence weeks before, or that one opportunist who wants to appear in the film even though they're not an extra.
Having a community manager around while you're shooting is like having a first aid kit ready in case you get burned. You might not need it, but it comes in handy if you do.
Conclusion
There are more pros for using Fort Worth as a filming location than there are cons against it. Yes, admittedly, you may have to do a bit of initial paperwork and distribute notifications to the local community before getting started. The good thing is the Fort Worth Film Commission is there to assist you throughout the procedure. They will help you stick to the guidelines for filming in Fort Worth, which means it'll be a positive and rewarding experience for all involved.