City Guide Filming in Miami, FL
Production Permit Fees
- Film Permit Application Fee - $125 Valid for 28 days.
Minimum Insurance
- Commercial General Liability Insurance Coverage for:-
- Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability per claim - $ 1,000,000
- General Aggregate Limit $ 2,000,000
- Personal and Adv. Injury $ 1,000,000
- Products/Completed Operations $ 1,000,000
- Business Automobile Liability, if using vehicles, $300,000
- Worker's Compensation Insurance Minimum Liability:-
- For bodily injury caused by an accident, each accident - $100,000
- For bodily injury caused by disease, each employee -$100,000
- For bodily injury caused by disease, policy limit - $500,000
Additional Permits
- Miami-Dade Police Officer - $69 per hour. Minimum 3 hours.
- Miami-Dade K9 - $8 per hour
- Open Burn Permit - $115.96 per location per day
- Public Transport Film Permit - $300
Discounts
About Miami
Miami fits the bill when you're looking for a classy filming location. Write down all your shoot location requirements, then wander around this coastal Florida city. As you get to know it in-depth, you'll find you've put a checkmark against everything that was on your list and will have added a few more positive points.
Miami has a downtown cityscape that can rival New York for stunning skyscrapers. There are streets in the older part of the city ideal for filming exciting car chases, and it has a spectacular waterfront lined with palm trees that will add a tropical feel to any shot. Miami is also partially bordered by the Everglades, making a fantastic and very scenic contrast to the city's urbanity if you need somewhere to dump a fake corpse.
Think of movies or TV shows that used Miami as a backdrop to their story, and no doubt the first one to come to mind will be the ever-popular Miami Vice. Another big box office success filmed in the city was the mid-'90s comedy classic Ace Ventura. While the first Ride Along movie was shot in Atlanta, number two in the franchise was filmed in Miami, which may have increased the production budget but not the box office takings.
Before you concrete your filming location in Miami, you should know there are filming regulations and guidelines to be adhered to. The first thing is to double-check whether the shoot location is within the boundaries of Miami City and not in Miami Beach. Filming in Miami Beach has a whole set of filming regulations.
If you're still scouting out the perfect place for your shoot, you can browse a fantastic selection of locations on Giggster.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in Miami?
Yes, you do. Before you begin filming in Miami, you should apply for a filming permit for each day of the shoot and each location you hope to shoot at.
Miami City is a popular filming location, so it's recommended to begin the application process for a filming permit at least seven working days before your intended start date if the project requires street closures. If you don't need streets shut down, a permit can usually be processed in three working days.
The first stage of applying for a filming permit in Miami City is to complete and submit a City of Miami Office of Film and Entertainment Indemnity/User Agreement. Your application won't be considered without it.
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, you should submit a plan outlining the relevant COVID-19 safety precautions you will take during the shoot.
Once you submit your basic application for a filming permit, the Miami City filming authorities will respond with an invitation to ProjectDox. This is where your application will be processed. If you don't have an eplan/ProjectDox account, you should open one for your application. Any documents required by the authorities must be uploaded to your ProjectDox account.
Permit Management in Miami
Miami City
Filming permits for Miami City are controlled by the City of Miami Office of Film and Entertainment. Applications for a filming permit at any location within the jurisdiction of Miami City must be made directly to the CMOFE, not FilMiami.org.
To ascertain that the location you have chosen for your film shoot falls under the jurisdiction of the Miami City Film Office, it's advisable to take a look at the map of districts published on the Miami City Authority's website before beginning your application.
The map denotes five districts with different colors and a search tool that allows you to check specific addresses. The Miami City Film Office does not deal with any address outside the five districts, so check carefully before continuing.
The same application procedure for filming permits in Miami City applies whether you are a commercial, non-profit, or student production.
What Insurance Do I Need in Miami?
The City of Miami has strict insurance coverage for film productions. The insurance certificates you will need to submit during the application process for your filming permit are required to follow a specified format. It's a good idea to ensure your insurance broker is fully aware of this as if the certificate is incorrect, your permit may be denied.
These are the types of insurance and the minimum liability each one should cover:-
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 Miami?
You'll be spoilt for choice where filming locations in Miami are concerned. The city has a wide selection of excellent external shoot locations that you won't know how to turn your camera lens next.
Miami has over hundred and forty parks, and with distinct characteristics. If you need a waterfront park with some woodlands and spacious green areas with palm trees, check out the Alice C. Wainwright Park on Brickell Avenue. If you want your actors to take a stroll, the skyline backdrop in the distance, then Dorsey Park on NW 1 Avenue is the location to scout. If neither of those fit the bill, there's another one hundred and thirty-eight in the city that just might.
Downtown, Midtown, Riverside Boulevard, or the Design District, with its weird and wonderful public artworks like the Fly's Eye Dome and its psychedelic street art, all have distinct features that will add something to an external scene. Whatever type of outdoor location you're looking for, including marinas and stadiums, Miami has them all.
If you're looking for a stage set to film something similar to the 2004 comedy Anchorman or the drama series Newsroom, you won't have to look too hard in Miami to find one. Warehouses, both decrepit and flash, dance studios with poles or without, photography studios, fitness studios complete with equipment, lecture rooms, auditoriums, interrogation rooms, and even a doctor's consulting room. The list is truly endless.
Posh pads with multiple décor styles ranging from deluxe to drab with furnishings dating from the right through 1920s right up to the modern day. Mansions, did someone say, mansions? There are more mansions for hire as shooting locations in Miami than you would think possible, and most have big private pools. Restaurants, cafes, professional kitchens, or prison cells don't limit your imagination. If your script contains a scene in a pool hall or speakeasy, don't break out in a pre-production sweat, thinking you'll never find one. Miami has them all, and they're all on Giggster.
Special Requirements in Miami
Covid 19
A Covid 19 Plan – You will be required to submit your Covid plan during the permit application process and you will be required to have a Covid contact on site during the shoot.
Using State Roads
When your filming is on a state road or the shoot involves the closure of a state road you will be required to obtain a special permit from the Florida Department of Transport.
Filming At Miami International Airport
If you want to shoot scenes at Miami International Airport you will need to apply for a permit to film from the FilMiami.org at least fourteen days prior to your estimated shoot date. All filming at MIA must have a Miami-Dade police officer present during the shoot and an inspection carried out by a K9 before starting. Applying for a MIA filming permit is no guarantee of getting one.
Filming On The Water
When you are filming shots on the water you are required to notify the Coast Guard of your activity. You don't need a permit or Coast Guard attendance if your production entails the use of less than seven boats or the scenes don't include weapons, explosions, or any other special effects.
If your production involves any of the previously mentioned or more than seven craft you will be required to apply for a special permit from the Coast Guard which can take anywhere up to four months to be approved.
Filming On Public Transport
All filming on public transport is managed by the Miami-Dade Office of Film and Entertainment. To film on MetroRail, MetroMover or MetroBus requires a special permit which needs to be approved by the Miami-Dade County Department of Transit and Public Works. This can take anywhere up to or exceeding thirty working days.
Filming With A Drone
To be able to use a drone for filming in Miami there are certain filming regulations you must follow. Rules and regulations for flying drones are controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration. There are guidelines you must follow even if your drone weighs less than 55lbs.
If your proposed drone flight involves flying the drone over people, at night or at high speed you will need to apply for a waiver from the FAA.
It's prohibited to fly a drone within five nautical miles of an airport so ensure your chosen shoot location is far enough away to avoid problems.
If you're filming on city property with a drone you may need to have a police officer present during filming. The final decision on this will be made by the Film Office.
Special Effects
If you're planning on setting something on fire or blowing something up, whatever it may be, you will need to apply to the Miami-Dade County Fire Department for an Open Burn Permit. It may be required for the Fire Department to make preliminary checks depending on the activity involved. This is decided by the MDFD when they receive your permit application.
What Does it Cost to Film in Miami?
What it will cost you to film in Miami depends on the type of production you will be making. It is up to the Film Office to decide whether your production will incur additional fees other than that of the permit application. This is done on a one-to-one basis.
Additional Fees
All fees must be paid via your ProjectDox account or to the relevant authority. During the twenty-eight days validity period, you can add additional locations so you’re not restricted to the ones you initially submitted should your plans need to be changed.
Geographical Jurisdiction of Miami?
Miami City covers an area of over fifty square miles that's bordered to the east by Biscayne Bay, to the west by the Florida Everglades, to the north by Miami Shores and Hialeah and to the south by South Miami and Ponce Davis. The city consists of five governmental districts which include a total of thirty-six cities and neighborhoods. You can find a full list of all thirty-six cities and neighborhoods which fall under the filming permit jurisdiction of Miami City below in the data section. When your chosen shoot location falls under the jurisdiction of Miami Beach you will need to apply for a filming permit to the City of Miami Beach Film and Print Office. When your chosen location falls under the jurisdiction of Coral Gables you will need to apply directly to the City of Coral Gables for your permit. If you are unsure whether you should apply to FilMiami.org or a different authority, you will find a list of places that issue their own permits on the FilMiami.org website here.
Outreach in Miami
Whatever type of production you will be filming in Miami City, it is a statutory requirement that you notify all households and commercial enterprises within a five-hundred-mile radius of the shoot location. This must be done for every individual location on the shoot.
The information in the letter to be distributed should include the date, time, and exact location of the shoot, mention the site where any vehicles will be parked and for how long, and state whether or not any member of the police department will be present during the shoot.
The letter must also state you have all the required permissions and permits, the correct insurance, and that you will be following the safety procedures set out by the Film Office. The production company name plus a contact and number must also be included.
If unsure about the best wording, download a standard letter from the Film Office website.
Community Management in Miami
Miami is the sort of city where life buzzes along at an incredible pace. People are busy, have places to go and things to do and don't always appreciate lengthy interruptions to their daily routines. Businesses rely on passing trade to get their cash registers humming, their sales targets met and to see at least a semblance of profit from the takings at the end of the month. Get in the way of any of that and you could find yourself on the receiving end of a few complaints. Well, you won't be the initial recipient, the Film Office will be. That's something you need to avoid at all costs.
Even when you've gone to the time and trouble to distribute notifications to all and sundry with a five-hundred-foot radius of your shoot and had no comeback whatsoever, doesn't always mean you're in the clear. Joe Bloggs who owns the five and dime or Mary Smith who owns a fashion boutique near the shoot just might be having a bad day and decide to make a fuss just for the heck of it. Life, and people, can be unpredictable sometimes so you have to be prepared for all eventualities.
If you have any inkling your production might cause disruption or distress to the local community where you're shooting then you need a community officer on site. It pays to have one even when you're not expecting any trouble. The quicker a problem can be dealt with the less of a problem it'll become. It'll save you production costs in the long run too because there's nothing worse for wrecking your budget than delays in shooting.
Miami City Film Office doesn't provide Community Officers as part of their service so any officer you take on board will need to be part of the production team and paid from your expenses.
Conclusion
Now you've read through all there is to know about getting a filming permit for Miami City you know there's one important thing to do before you get started with your application. It is a lengthy article so if you've forgotten, here's a reminder.
The very first thing you need to do before applying for a filming permit in Miami City is make sure the location address you've chosen falls under their jurisdiction. Submitting to the incorrect film office is a common mistake in this part of Florida that many people make, so save yourself the time and stress by getting it right the first time.
It doesn't look very professional on your part either if you apply for a film permit from Miami City Film Office when you should have applied to FilMiami.org or the Town of Surfside authorities. It could cost you money too as not all local government organizations are great at giving you your money back.
Get it right the first time and you'll guarantee yourself a trouble-free shoot in a fantastic city that will add incredible nuances to every single scene. Good luck and don’t forget to save space on your awards shelf for an Oscar.