Park City Film Guidelines

We encourage and welcome filming in Park City and Summit County. Here are a few guidelines and regulations that you need to observe when filming in Park City and Summit County including the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

Park City Municipal Corporation regulates and permits the 3 square mile area within the boundaries of the McPolin Farm, Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain Resort and the junction of State Road 248 (Kearns Boulevard) and Highway 40. All unincorporated areas are regulated and permitted by Summit County. Outlying towns and cities do not require permits, however each City must be contacted for approvals. Please be advised that there are noise and light ordinances, as well as parking and traffic regulations in most areas. Please follow all regulations and take them into consideration when planning your project.

A Park City or Summit County business license is required for any film project. The cost of a Park City Municipal business license is $46 plus all additional parking and base camp fees based on actual production plans. A certificate of insurance with a face value of at least $2 million aggregate is necessary to receive your permit/business license. Park City Municipal Corporation and/or Summit County should be named as primary or additional insured. (The insurance limit may be increased at City/County discretion for larger or more complicated productions.) The film permit is $250 in Summit County. Additional permitting may be required for street closures, use of public employees and/or equipment, and special shooting, i.e., night shots or special effects. All sets, temporary structures, etc., whether on public or private property, are subject to inspection by the Park City Municipal Corporation or Summit County Building Departments to ensure building and fire code compliance. There may be a charge for the inspection. Any use of fire and/or explosives must meet the provisions of the Uniform Fire Code.

Police officers may be required when street closures or traffic delays are expected and can be arranged through the Park City Police Department and/or the Summit County Sheriff. Please allow at least two weeks lead time to insure that the required number of officers are available. Please provide the Police or Sheriff's office with a schedule of shooting dates and times and the number officers that will be required. Any street closures or intermittent traffic control (ITC) are subject to approval. In Summit County, the production company is responsible to coordinate security directly with the officers. The Sheriff's Department will post a sign-up sheet and advise officers to call the listed contact name and number if they are interested. The minimum hourly rate is $25 per hour per officer and should be paid directly to the officer. Vehicles are an additional $7 per hour and should be paid to Summit County. If you are filming on a state highway, appropriate permits can be obtained from the Utah Department of Transportation and security should be provided by the Utah Highway Patrol. Please contact Alison Butz at Park City Municipal, 435-615-5151, for current rates and procedures for Park City Police.

A current and up-to-date location schedule should always be on file with the Film Commission. When filming in an area that may disrupt or impede traffic in a residential or commercial area, the production company is required to notify neighbors and businesses of the planned impact. This may be done with a flier or by going door to door. The film commission and other local groups are also available for assistance in informing area residents and businesses.

Filming on Main Street, Park City

Main Street is one of the signature locations of Park City and is quite popular for filming purposes. Because Main Street is a thriving center of commerce with many restaurants and retail shops, we have devised a set of guidelines to facilitate filming requests. We encourage you to patronize local establishments - many times you will find they can assist your crews and be a great local source of goods and services.

These guidelines refer to "Main Street" - the actual public street that stretches from upper Park Avenue, through Heber Avenue and lower Main Street past the Marriott Summit Watch. The Marriott Summit Watch and the Town Lift plazas are private property and are not included in these guidelines. Swede Alley (behind and parallel to Main Street) is also considered separately from "Main Street."

Because Main Street is such a high traffic area, we encourage filming in the early mornings before noon and late at night after midnight. This way there is less impact on our businesses and it makes for an easier shoot for you. We recommend avoiding some of our busiest time periods - December 18 through January 1, the Sundance Film Festival (usually the last 2 weeks in January), President's Day week (February), Art Festival weekend (1st weekend in August), Fourth of July, and Miners Day (Labor Day.) We also recommend avoiding Friday evenings between 6pm and midnight and Saturdays and Sundays between noon and midnight. Of course we do realize that occasions and projects arise that may not fit into these guidelines. We will evaluate such projects on a case by case basis.

In addition, a sign-off sheet is required from impacted businesses before the location can be secured. Pertinent information on the details of filming should be provided to the HMBA and all impacted merchants prior to filming. The Park City Film Commission and HMBA are happy to assist your location manager in contacting local businesses and disseminating information. We do understand the nature of filming and that unexpected delays do occur due to weather and other unplanned and uncontrollable circumstances. Any changes must be circulated quickly among the Park City Municipal Corp., the Film Commission, the HMBA and all impacted businesses. Proper notification will ensure necessary permitting changes and approval.

Parts of Swede Alley can be rented for production vehicles and vital elements of base camp. We recommend that the majority of camp be set up at an approved off-site location. Main Street and Swede Alley have limited space available and setting up base camp elsewhere can provide you with additional space and flexibility. There is not a lot of parking in the Main Street area, so we encourage you to shuttle your crew from the headquarters hotel or the central base camp to the Main Street location.

Closing Main Street for filming requires advance approval from City Council, which requires at least a one month notice. However Intermittent Traffic Control (ITC) is permitted for periods of one minute or less. Off-duty police officers are required to direct the flow of traffic. Police can be arranged through the Park City Municipal contact, Melissa Caffey or the Park City Police Department. Though the Park City Police Department is not always available for ITC, the PCPD may assist with arranging security through other law enforcement agencies.

Filming in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest

The Kamas Ranger District handles film permits for the Kamas district of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

To ensure that permits are issued in time for filming, the Forest Service requests that application form 2700-3 be submitted three to four weeks in advance of filming. Proof of liability coverage, with the US Government named as co-insured, must be presented with the application.

The fee structure for filming in the National Forest is as follows:

Filming Special Use Fee 
1 to 10 people - $150 per day
11 to 30 people - $200 per day
31 to 60 people - $500 per day
Over 61 people - $600 per day

Film Monitoring Fee 
1 day filming - FREE
2 or more days - $200 per day

Recreation Use Fee
(Filming in Mirror Lake Fee Demo Area)
$3/day per vehicle (including staff, equipment and cast vehicles)

Additional Fees
Additional fees may be charged for use of campground or picnic sites. Fees vary depending on the campground or picnic area requested. Sites are subject to availability due to prior reservations. Inquiries about availability of these sites may be made to the Kamas Ranger District Office, 435-783-4338.

Additional fees will be charged in the following situations:

1. Selection of filming site not currently cleared for this use under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Filming locations cleared under NEPA within 150 feet of Mirror Lake Highway, on designated roads, or in parking lots include: Bald Mountain Area, Upper Provo River Falls, Smith-Morehouse Reservoir, Highline Meadow, Butterfly Lake, Mirror Lake, Pass Lake, Lost Lake, Lilly Lake, and Washington Lake.
2. Large production (greater than 100 people), multiple site filming that require additional film monitoring to protect natural resources and a performance bond in form of a deposited check, that will be held in an account until the site is reviewed and cleared of any potential damages.

Filming must not do any ground disturbing activities such as digging, construction of facilities, use of heavy equipment off roads, explosions, fires, or vehicle crashes.

Filming is restricted to non-holiday, weekdays, unless otherwise agreed to in advance of issuance of the permit.

Upon approval, a Special Use Permit will be issued with a bill for collection. Checks should be made payable to "USDA Forest Service," and payment must be received prior to filming.

NOTE: Some areas of the forest are especially sensitive to impacts from vehicles, domestic animals, and people. These areas include wetlands, streams, lake shorelines, and most meadow areas. Filming requests in these sensitive areas will require special surveys to determine possible environmental impacts. The request may be denied.