City Guide Filming in New Haven, CT
Production Permit Fees
- Film Permit Fee - $0 - But other fees will apply
Minimum Insurance
- General Liability Insurance - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Property Damage Coverage - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- $2,000,000 General Aggregate
Additional Permits
Discounts
About New Haven
New Haven, in the state of Connecticut, is a city that is almost as alluring to filmmakers as Hollywood itself. Since the 1950s, directors have been capturing images of New Haven's historic architecture and its picturesque lighthouse as a backdrop for scenes featuring some of the most famous faces ever to grace the silver screen.
The lighthouse and Upper State Street Historic District are not the only two places in New Haven that have appeared in multiple films. Yale University and the New Haven Railroad have seen almost as many film crews as Downtown Los Angeles. They're both filming locations in New Haven that have been used to the max.
Two A-listers who have made regular appearances in New Haven are Julia Roberts and Harrison Ford. Julia Roberts graced the city with her presence in 1988 in the movie Mystic Pizza, which did a lot to put New Haven-style pizza on the world's culinary map. She returned in 2003 to star in a movie called the Mona Lisa Smile, which was filmed at Yale University.
Harrison Ford was seen strolling across the campus of Yale while filming the much-loved Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the early 2000s. Glen Close followed in his footsteps in the more recent production of Hillbilly Elegy, which made its cinema debut in 2020.
While the New Haven Railroad may have entered into bankruptcy in the early 1960s, that hasn’t stopped the renovated New Haven station, now under different management, or the trains, now owned by a non-profit organization, from being featured in over 30 films. Although that said, not all of the movies the NHR trains have been seen in were filmed in New Haven. Trains run on tracks, and these locomotives have traveled as far as New York and Boston to be seen in their starring roles.
If you're feeling inspired by the latest Brad Pitt movie, Bullet Train, but want to slow down the action a bit, New Haven could well be the filming location you're looking for. You can make a preliminary scout of filming locations in New Haven by having a browse through the ones available on Giggster.
After you've made notes on the ones that catch your cinematic eye, all you need to know is the filming regulations in New Haven and the state of Connecticut. Once you're in the know about those, and there are quite a few, you'll be ready to join the list of great productions that have been previously filmed in Elm City.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in New Haven?
Yes, you need a film permit in New Haven if you want to film. This applies whether you plan to film on public or private property or in any other location.
Large or very complex productions are required to attend a pre-production meeting before they can apply for a film permit in New Haven and may be asked to apply for a Special Events Permit.
When you are going to be using pyrotechnics, open flames, or running vehicle engines inside a building, you will need a special permit. If you are using tents during the film shoot, you will need a special permit. If you plan to feed cast and crew on set from food trucks or use an outside caterer, you will need a special permit. The same goes if your production will involve the closure of streets and sidewalks, filming on state roads, or if you plan on filming with a drone. You can also read more about these situations in the special requirements section of this article.
Student Film Permit
To obtain a Student Film Permit, you will be required to provide a letter of introduction from your educational facility.
Non-Profit Organization Film Permit
To obtain a Non-Profit Organization Film Permit, you will be required to provide proof of the non-profit organization's status.
Parks Film Permit
If you wish to use a park in New Haven as a filming location, you will need to apply for a separate Parks Film Permit.
Permit Management in New Haven
The Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism
Film permitting in New Haven is managed by the Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism (DACT).
While the DACT is the main permitting authority, depending on the complexity of your film shoot and the New Haven filming location you have chosen, you may also need to deal with the following:
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Trees
Building Department
Traffic and Parking Department
New Haven Police Department
New Haven Fire Department
New Haven Health Department
Office of Emergency Management
New Haven Permit and License Center
The DACT is fully aware of the complexity of applying for all of the different permits you may need to be able to shoot your production in New Haven. To help simplify the application process, they publish a Filming In New Haven Packet, which, among other things, contains a Film Permit Application Form.
Before you can approach any of the subsidiary departments regarding your additional film permits, you will need to complete and submit the film application form. The DACT will double-check your application and arrange any pre-production meeting required. They will also assist you in liaising with other departments, although it will be the production company, or its representative, who will have to make the permit applications should they need them.
NB: New Haven has a strict ordinance in place concerning noise levels, so filming, especially where generators are being used, is restricted to the hours of 7 am to 10 pm from Monday to Saturday and 9 am to 9 pm on Sundays. In some cases, depending on the filming location chosen, filming hours may be shortened.
What Insurance Do I Need in New Haven?
All production companies hoping to film in New Haven are expected to be in possession of liability insurance.
All film permit applications submitted to the DACT must be accompanied by a valid insurance certificate. Therefore, as you will need to submit a film permit application, even if you are filming at one internal location and it's on private property, there's no escape.
The DACT have minimum requirements concerning insurance coverage, but if yours is a large-scale production or one involving stunts or special effects, they may require you to contract more than the minimum stated. To ensure you get the correct amount of coverage, it's a good idea to consult with the DACT before purchasing 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 New Haven?
One filming location in New Haven that has a tendency to steal the limelight is Yale University, and you can find out more about filming there in the special requirements section of this article, as here the focus is really on the rest of the city and what it has to offer.
Downtown New Haven is pretty much where it's all happening, and at the heart of that is New Haven Green. Around that 16 acres of public green space, which is used for everything from picnics to live concerts to student rallies and every other type of social gathering imaginable, there are a number of streets worth investigating.
Chapel Street, and more specifically, the Chapel Street Historic District, are where you'll find a plethora of brick buildings with architecture interesting enough for the area to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are also several historic cafes, as well as the Yale University Art Gallery.
Keep scouting around, and you'll find Broadway, which is the main commercial area of Downtown. If you're hoping to come across somewhere with a vibrant student-oriented nightlife, then check out Ninth Square. If you're not, then avoid it like the plague, or you'll never get any filming done because the cast and crew will be too hungover to do a decent job.
Other fascinating filming locations in Downtown New Haven, especially if you want to spook your audience a little, are the Grove Street Cemetery and the Green Crypt at the Center Church. If you need some 1920s authenticity, then take a look at Louis' Lunch, a burger bar that's been open forever and still uses equipment from the early 20th century.
For out-of-the-city scenic shots without actually leaving the city, take a look at Five Mile Point Lighthouse. Located on the edge of New Haven Harbor, fronted by a beach and backed by trees, it's a spot that offers immeasurable filming opportunities.
For water scenes, New Haven is almost incomparable. Not only have you got Long Island Sound for offshore filming, but three rivers run through the city, the Quinnipiac, the Mill, and the West. Though the Quinnipiac River wins hands down for scenery, the other two are not bad at all. To find more open countryside with a slightly wilder appearance, you only have to go as far as West Rock Ridge State Park to the north of the city or Maltby Lakes to the west, and you'll discover exactly what you're hoping for.
Special Requirements in New Haven
Filming At Yale University
Yale University welcomes production companies with open arms and offers numerous unique filming locations that range from an early 20th-century hall to a state-of-the-art football stadium, as well as its iconic and very Gothic-looking masonry tower.
Before you will be permitted on campus to look for filming locations that suit your script, you will need to request a scouting date. To get this, you will need to complete a lengthy questionnaire outlining the details of your filming and submit it, along with a copy of the script and an insurance certificate, to the University's Market and Trademark Licensing Department.
NB: You can find the downloadable copy of the filming request form on the University's official website on the Filming At Yale University page, where you will also find a guideline for filming there should your request be approved. Expect the application review process to take about ten business days.
Filming In Parks
Should you wish to film scenes of your production in a park in New Haven, apart from a film permit from DACT, you will need to apply for a separate filming permit from the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Trees. You can download the application form from the department's website, complete it and then either submit it by email or in person at the following address:
720 Edgewood Avenue
New Haven
CT 06510
NB: The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Trees does not publish a standard processing time for film permits or a set standard of fees for park usage.
Filming With Special Effects
To be able to include any special effects in your film shoot in New Haven, you will need to have a Special Effects Permit. The special effects permit is issued by the City of New Haven Fire Marshal.
The term special effects includes:
Open flames
Pyrotechnics
Smoke effects
The use of vehicles in internal settings
The use of hazardous materials
To obtain a special effects permit, you will need to present yourself in person at the Fire Marshal's office, which is located at:
2nd Floor
952 Grand Avenue
New Haven
CT 06511
Filming on Sidewalks
If you plan to film on a sidewalk in New Haven, you will need to contact the city's Building Department for permission. The Building Department also permits the use of tents in the city. It's best to consult with the department before making any concrete plans, as they will advise you if the closure you require is viable.
The Building Department is located at:
5th Floor
200 Orange Street
New Haven
CT 06510
Feeding Your Cast and Crew
If you want to employ the use of food trucks or caterers to feed your cast and crew, then you will need to apply for a Temporary Food Service Permit. These permits are issued by the City of New Haven Health Department, which is based at:
54 Meadow Street
New Haven
CT 06519
Crediting New Haven & Filming Locations
One of the requisites for filming in New Haven is giving the city credits. All productions filmed there are expected to acknowledge the City of New Haven as a filming location and thank, as well as mention the filming locations used.
What Does it Cost to Film in New Haven?
Applying for a film permit from the DACT is cost-free, but all other permitting departments you may need to apply to for permissions will charge. Charges vary depending on the size and complexity of your production and the services needed for the film shoot. Each department assesses film projects on a case-by-case basis, so until you start communicating with them, you won't know exactly how much you will need to pay. What you do need to be aware of is that all departments you have to deal with will add a 15% supplement charge to cover administrative costs.
Additional Fees
DACT collaborates with area businesses, city residents, and other government offices and agencies to facilitate filmmakers with their requirements. Other city departments and agencies may require fees, bonds, or deposits to cover the costs of services, personnel, permits, or any necessary remediation at the end of the production activity.
Geographical Jurisdiction of New Haven?
The City of New Haven covers approximately 20 square miles of territory in southwest Connecticut. Roughly one and a half square miles of those terrains are taken up by water. From the time it was first settled in the early 17th century, New Haven has grown to become home to around 135,000 people. From being one of the first planned cities in North America, it has now developed into an urban spread with over 40 distinct neighborhoods.
New Haven is bounded to the south by New Haven Bay and Long Island Sound. West Haven borders the city to the southwest and East Haven to the southeast. To the east is the further reaches of East Haven and Lake Saltonstall. To the northeast is the Quinnipiac River Marsh Wildlife Area, while to the north is West Rock State Park and the city of Woodbridge. To the west lies the grounds of the Tradition Golf Club and the city of Orange.
If your chosen filming location should encroach into the West Rock Ridge State Park, although it falls within the geographical boundaries of New Haven, you will need to apply to the State of Connecticut Film, TV, and Digital Media Department for a filming permit. This also applies should you wish to film in the West Rock State Park.
Outreach in New Haven
If you're going to be filming in New Haven, no matter what part of the city it may be, the DACT will expect you to conduct outreach, and they have a set procedure in place you should follow.
The DACT will expect you to distribute printed notifications to all the households and businesses that may be affected by your filming activities. The notification must be delivered at least three working days before the proposed filming start date and should include:
The name of the production company
The title of the production
What type of production it is, be it a feature, documentary, or episodic TV
The precise dates, times, and locations filming will take place
What road or sidewalk closures will occur
A contact name, number, email, and address
If yours is a production that is classed as a mid to high impact on the local community, then you will be expected to submit a notification plan to the DACT before you start conducting outreach.
Two other things to consider if yours is a high-impact production are:
You may be required to publish the details of your filming activities in mediums like the local press or TV channels. In this case, it's recommended to employ a community manager or a public relations company to conduct outreach for you.
You may need to negotiate compensation with local businesses for the interruption of business if your film shoot occupies parking spaces outside their premises or interrupts the normal customer traffic flow.
Community Management in New Haven
The DACT is adamant that, while filming increases the city's revenue, and they're thankful for that, production companies don't disturb the normal functioning of the local community. Sending out the notifications and negotiating the business compensation in this city so it doesn't consume your budget requires a master diplomat, so having an experienced community manager on your team is essential.
Having the right community manager and filming in New Haven will be a breeze and totally problem-free. You'll need someone to deal with the public, too, because by the time you’ve finished dealing with the different departments and the attached bureaucracy, you’ll need to get all the permits you require, and you'll probably have run out of patience to do it diplomatically yourself so delegate the job to someone else.
Conclusion
Although applying for the many potentially necessary film permits in New Haven may originally seem daunting, the DACT is there to help you navigate the process. They have a very informative website that will be your guide through the process.
All the wonderful filming locations available in and around the city make the permit application worthwhile. You’ll have everything you need in one place, so once the permitting is done, it should be smooth sailing from there.