City Guide Filming in San Pedro, CA
Production Permit Fees
- Permit Application - $863 for up to ten locations
- Permit Rider Fee - $137 per rider per permit change
- FilmLA Monitor Fee - $41 per hour as required
- Fire Review Fee - $282 per permit for cast and crew over 15 people
- Fire Safety Officer - $196.99 per hour. Minimum 4 hours
- Fire Safety Advisor - $56.55 per hour. Minimum 4 hours
- Student Permit Fees - $33 for simple productions
- Student Permit Fees - $124 for complex productions
- Non-Profit Permit Application Fee - $69
- Non-Profit Permit Rider Fee - $34
- Notification Service - $215
Minimum Insurance
- General Liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Vehicle Liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Harbor Department - $3,000,000
- Workers Compensation - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Aircraft Use - $5,000,000
- Drone Use - $2,000,000
Additional Permits
- Special Effects Permit Fee - $288
- Animal Exhibition Permit $250 plus $25 for each additional day
Discounts
About San Pedro
There's one neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles that can easily outshine all the others for filming locations — San Pedro. Once a city in its own right, San Pedro became part of LA over a century ago, but even it's somehow managed to retain a unique character and ambiance that sets it apart from the rest of the city.
Those features include a coastal frontage, beaches, the Los Angeles Waterfront area, LA Harbor, and Los Angeles Port in part. San Pedro's historic downtown district, with buildings dating from the 19th century, hasn't been overlooked by filmmakers either. The list of movies shot in San Pedro can almost rival the metropolis of the film itself, Hollywood.
San Pedro has long been a favorite filming location for directors of long-running TV series. Columbo, Dexter, CSI, Starsky and Hutch, and NCIS had their San Pedro moments. The diversity of blockbuster movies shot there defines San Pedro as a unique filming location in Los Angeles.
San Pedro has seen more than its fair share of dangerously dubious characterizations being acted out on its streets. Three memorable examples occurred in To Live and Die in LA, protagonized by William Defoe in 1985, in the 2002 movie Red Dragon starring Anthony Hopkins, and in the 2006 The Black Dahlia featuring Scarlett Johannson.
From biographical movies such as Raging Bull to comedies like Private Benjamin to romantic dramas like Some Kind of Wonderful, there's no limit to San Pedro's suitability as a filming location, no matter what the genre demands.
The authorities in San Pedro are rightfully proud of the neighborhood's filmmaking history and are more than happy to promote the fact it's a film-friendly area. While that may be so, there are still guidelines and regulations for filming in San Pedro that you'll need to follow if you're going to shoot scenes there.
Explore Giggster's filming locations in San Pedro, before you make the final decision of whether this Los Angeles neighborhood works for your production.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in San Pedro?
San Pedro may be film-friendly, but that friendliness doesn't extend as far as allowing filmmakers to run around the neighborhood willy-nilly doing what they please where they please. To that end, any filming you're doing for commercial purposes, be it a TV commercial, episodic TV, some b-roll, or an upcoming Oscar-winning movie, must be permitted.
Most applications for a filming permit for San Pedro can be actioned within a three-business-day time limit. If your production is complex, more time may be needed to process your application, so don't leave it to the last minute.
Depending on the type of production you're going to be filming or the specific locations you've chosen to do it at, you may need to apply for additional permits or permissions. This applies to filming outside the standard filming hours, using special effects or animals during shooting, or filming on Los Angeles beaches. You can find more about additional permits and permissions in the special requirements section of this article.
Acquiring a filming permit to film anywhere in Los Angeles County or the City of Los Angeles, including San Pedro, incurs fees that must be paid in full before you can collect your permit and your film shoot can commence.
Non-Profit Organization Film Permit
When your production is being made for a non-profit organization, you may be eligible for a discounted film permit. To receive the discounted fee, you will need to provide documented evidence of filming for a non-profit organization.
Student Film Permit
If you're shooting a student production, you may be eligible for a special discounted permit fee. You will be required to submit proof of your studies and what educational facility you attend. A letter written on headed paper and signed by a tutor is usually sufficient evidence of proof of studying.
Permit Management in San Pedro
FilmLA
Most filming permits for Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles, including the neighborhood of San Pedro, are managed by FilmLA.
FilmLA is a non-profit organization that oversees all aspects of film permitting in and around LA. The current procedure for applying for a film permit for San Pedro is conducted online via the FilmLA app.
The application process is relatively uncomplicated and doesn't take long to complete. All you have to do is fill in the details requested on the form about the production company and the shoot locations you've selected.
Once you've submitted the film permit application, you will be contacted by a FilmLA Production Coordinator. The Production Coordinator assigned to you will oversee your application, advise you when needed, and assist in liaising with other city departments, such as the Los Angeles Fire Department, should that be necessary.
What Insurance Do I Need in San Pedro?
If you want to obtain a film permit for filming in San Pedro, you should fulfill the insurance requisites stated by FilmLA. Without the correct insurance, you won't be issued a permit.
The minimum insurance requirements stated by FilmLA don't apply to every filming project. If yours is a complex production, involves stunts or special effects, filming in or on the water, or is in some locations, you may be required to have higher coverage. The project coordinator assigned to your production will advise you on insurance during the application process. If you have any doubts, FilmLA has an insurance specialist you can consult about your specific insurance requirements.
FilmLA and the County of Los Angeles must be named on the insurance certificate as additionally insured. There may also be other authorities you should mention as additionally insured.
The correct wording for naming FilmLA and LA County as additionally insured on the insurance certificate can be found on the FilmLA website in downloadable PDF format.
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 San Pedro?
San Pedro is a treasure trove of filming locations that will leave you wanting for nothing. The only feature this Los Angeles neighborhood is missing is a desert, but there is a beach that could double as one if you needed it.
External shoot locations in San Pedro are incredible. Along the LA Waterfront, you'll find a seaside vibe almost on a level with Miami. Think a unique lighthouse with a green light or enormous cruise ships moored at the LA World Cruise Center — which is, incidentally, where the popular late '70s TV series Love Boat was filmed.
The USS Iowa also makes for a captivating backdrop, but if you're not looking for nautical, you'll find the streets in Downtown San Pedro are paved with movie gold. Think stylish shop fronts with real character, historic houses, and even parking lots with beach views. Alternatively, there's everything from a container shipyard to a one-hundred-and-ten-foot wooden clipper with sails for hire. Need a battleship for a scene? Yes, you can film on the foc'sle deck of one of those, too, and it's complete with gun turrets, but missiles are definitely not included.
When you need to shoot in interior locations, you'll come across retro-themed rooms fully fitted with furnishings from the 1970s and much more. On the more unusual side, and perfect for a horror or sci-fi drama, is a complex of underground concrete bunkers on the coastline. They'd also be ideal as a shelter for survivors of an apocalypse if that's what you're looking for.
Diversity is what you'll find when you're searching for filming locations in San Pedro, and that's without even mentioning the neighborhood's public green spaces, beaches, or nature center. When looking for different styles of shoot locations within the minimum radius possible, you'll soon discover that San Pedro fits the bill.
Special Requirements in San Pedro
Special Effects Permits
Any film shoot taking place in Los Angeles County, including in San Pedro, that involves the use of open flames or special effects such as pyrotechnics is required to be in possession of a Special Effects Permit. Special Effects Permits are issued by the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Public Safety and Film Unit.
To obtain a special effects permit, you should download the application form from the FilmLA website, you'll find it in the Los Angeles County special requirements section, complete it and return it to the LAFD by mail, fax, or by email.
The mail address is as follows:-
Los Angeles County Fire Department
Fire Prevention Division – Public safety and Film Unit
14425 Olive View Drive
Sylmar
California, 91342
There is a standard fee for a special effects permit which you will be required to pay during the safety inspection process.
Special Effects Permit Fee - $288
Filming On LA County Beaches
Filming on all LA County beaches requires you to follow a strict set of guidelines. There are also specific beaches which have extra guidelines you'll need to adhere to.
Some of the basic regulations for filming on LA County beaches are as follows:-
If your shoot requires the presence of a lifeguard, it must be stated on your film permit. Having a lifeguard present is compulsory when you're filming outside of normal filming hours. FilmLA will assist you in hiring the correct personnel.
When you'll be using a tent on the beach, it must be stated you are doing so on your film permit.
Driving vehicles on the sand is not permitted.
Motorized craft can not be launched from a beach.
A full breakdown of the guidelines for filming on LA County beaches can be downloaded from the FilmLA website in pdf format.
Filming With Animals In Los Angeles County
Should the script you're working from involve the use of an animal, you will be required to obtain an Animal Exhibition Permit. Animal exhibition permits are issued by the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control. You will need a permit whether the animal in question belongs to you or if it's hired for the occasion.
Applications for a permit are downloadable from the FilmLA website. You'll find the form in the section dedicated to the special requirements for Los Angeles County. Completed applications can only be mailed to the relevant office along with the required payment in check form. Online or faxed submissions are not accepted.
Mail the completed form and check to:-
County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control Facility License Program
12440 E, Imperial Highway
Suite 603, Norwalk
California, 90650
Cost of an Animal Exhibition Permit
Permit - $250
Each Additional Day - $25
What Does it Cost to Film in San Pedro?
There are standard fees applicable to obtaining a filming permit for San Pedro. They are the fees you would pay if you were filming in many other places in the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. But, and there's always a but somewhere along the line, the final fees for your permit will be at the discretion of FilmLA and can be affected by several factors. FilmLA and any other authority involved in the issue of your permit will consider the complexity of your shoot, the number of cast and crew the company has, the number of vehicles, the length of the shoot, and the disruption to the local community.
Additional Fees
All fees incurred must be paid before you can collect your film permit. Fees can be paid online by the FilmLA app, and credit cards are accepted.
Geographical Jurisdiction of San Pedro?
San Pedro is a neighborhood community in the southern coastal area of the City of Los Angeles that covers an area of approximately twelve square miles. As well as being home to almost ninety thousand residents, it's the location of some of Los Angeles' best features, including the LA Waterfront and part of the Port of LA, as well as multiple yacht marinas and the LA World Cruise Center. The southern border of San Pedro is rimmed by several beaches, including Cabrillo Beach, Friendship Beach, and White Point Beach, and faces out onto the North Pacific Ocean. The Port of Los Angeles and Terminal Island forms San Pedro's eastern border. The neighborhood of Wilmington borders San Pedro to the northeast, Lomita to the north, and Rolling Hills to the west. The Deane Dana Friendship Nature Center borders San Pedro to the southwest, as does the Royal Palms Beach Park.
Outreach in San Pedro
Outreach in San Pedro is part and parcel of the service provided by FilmLA. FilmLA conducts outreach automatically on behalf of the production company after the permit application is received and before they issue a film permit.
FilmLA distributes notifications detailing the proposed filming activity to the residents and business owners within a certain radius of the chosen film locations. FilmLA requires at least three working days before the estimated shoot date.
Penalties may be incurred for the late submission of permit applications. If the worst comes to the worst, FilmLA may refuse your permit application if the time does not permit you to make the correct notification distribution.
If requesting a filming permit for a major production or one that may cause undue disruption in the community, submit your application as early as possible.
Another good reason for submitting your permit application early is that if anyone who receives the notification should question or complain about the upcoming activity, you may be asked to conduct a survey.
If FilmLA should request you conduct a survey, you will be required to contact all of the residents and businesses within a set radius of the proposed film shoot location. The correct forms are downloadable from the FilmLA website, and once you've completed the survey, submit the completed paperwork to your project coordinator.
Community Management in San Pedro
The filming of movies and many other types of productions has been a frequent occurrence in San Pedro over the decades, and while it is a film-friendly neighborhood of Los Angeles, you never know when trouble might arise or in what shape it'll appear.
Having a community manager on the production team on-site during the shoot means fewer interruptions. A community manager will be able to deal with complaints from aggravated members of the public who want to spout off because you're blocking the sidewalk. They'll also be able to put any disgruntled local authority employee, who has nothing better to do than ask to see your film permit, firmly in their place.
Having a community manager on the team means you can get on with the important stuff and leave them to deal with the trivia. You'll be asked to have a FilmLA monitor present at the shoot to delegate the responsibility of liaising with the locals to the community manager.
Conclusion
There's a reason so many successful movies and TV series have been filmed in San Pedro, and the reason is because this Los Angeles neighborhood is unique. Choose the best locations, follow the filming guidelines for San Pedro, and there's no reason your production won't be the next one to have long-running success.