New York Film Commission: State and City Film Offices
A practical breakdown of the state office, the city film office and the other New York agencies that control locations, and how a fixer moves your production through each one.
Planning a shoot in New York from outside the country means dealing with more than one authority before a single camera rolls. New York State runs a Governor's Office of Motion Picture & Television Development to guide productions and administer tax credits, while New York City runs its own film office that actually issues the permit you need to work on the street. Beyond those two, county and regional film commissions, the Parks Department, the MTA and the Port Authority each control pieces of the map. This guide sets out what each office does, what it does not do, how the New York City film permit application works, and how a fixer manages that whole sequence for you.
As Fixer in New York, we bring local expertise to international productions filming in New York. Our team's deep knowledge of local regulations, crew networks, and production infrastructure ensures your project runs smoothly from pre-production through delivery.
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New York's Film Offices: State and City
Two different bodies, two different jobs
New York has two principal public bodies for production, and they are not interchangeable. One is a state office that guides, connects and administers tax credits. The other is a city film office that issues the permit for filming on most exterior property owned by New York City. Knowing which one to approach, and for what, is the first decision on any New York shoot.
New York State Governor's Office of Motion Picture & Television Development (MPTV)
MPTV, a division of Empire State Development, guides filmmakers through the state's programs and acts as a liaison between production companies and city and local governments, state agencies and a network of local film offices that help with local logistics and paperwork. It administers New York's film and television tax credits, and a production must hold an allocation certificate issued by MPTV to claim the Empire State film production credit. MPTV also maintains a state location library of more than 32,000 images and lists more than 130 qualified production facilities across New York State. The New York City film permit itself is issued by MOME's Film Office. Empire State Development states that neither it nor the State of New York endorses or recommends any office listed on that page.
NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), Film Office
MOME's Film Office is different in kind from a typical film commission: it issues the permit itself. The Film Office issues permits to productions filming on location in New York City, decides what is permitted in consultation with the NYPD Movie & TV Unit, and supplies free police assistance, free parking privileges and access to most exterior City-owned locations at no charge. Its permit covers roughly 300 square miles of public settings across the five boroughs, including 27,000 acres of city parks, though filming in a park still requires the Parks Department's permission before the film permit application is submitted. MOME's jurisdiction stops at the City's own property, however: it has no jurisdiction over private property, or property owned by the MTA, the Port Authority, or state or federal government, and international productions should plan to contact the office at least a month ahead of the shoot.
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Other New York Film Commissions and Agencies
Beyond the state and city offices, several New York regions run their own film commissions. Empire State Development lists the Buffalo Niagara Film Office, the Rochester/Finger Lakes Film Commission, the Hudson Valley Film Commission and the Westchester County Film Office among its statewide network of local and regional film offices, endorses none of the offices it lists, and each works with productions on locations and logistics within its own footprint.
Buffalo Niagara Film Office
Funded by Erie County, the City of Buffalo and Destination Niagara USA, this office coordinates film permits across the Buffalo Niagara region, notifies municipalities and agencies, collects insurance certificates, and coordinates road closures, traffic control and on-street parking, alongside a location database covering its eight-county region.
Rochester/Finger Lakes Film Commission
A 501(c)(3) non-profit funded by Monroe County and operating under the Greater Rochester Visitors Association, this commission is the primary contact for productions in the region, offering location scouting assistance and an online production guide. For permits it works with each municipality's own permit office rather than issuing permits itself, since every city, town or village handles filming differently.
Hudson Valley Film Commission
A 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded to create economic and educational opportunities from film, television and photography production, the Hudson Valley Film Commission solicits productions, promotes locations and recommends local crew, cast and qualified production facilities. It does not issue permits; its own FAQ directs productions to the relevant county's permit page.
Westchester County Film Office
Operating as Westchester County Tourism & Film, this office asks to be a production's first call for filming in the county. It explains the permit process, directs productions to whichever of Westchester's 44 municipalities, or a federal or state agency, actually issues the permit, and helps locate filming sites.
Orange County (NY) Film Office
Run by Orange County Tourism, this office collects the county's municipal film permit forms, some of which are municipality-specific while others use a general countywide application, and will work directly with a municipality on a production's behalf when time is short. Forms must be submitted at least 30 days before filming begins.
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How to Get a Film Permit in New York City
The MOME process, step by step
Getting a film permit in New York City runs through MOME, and the process is documented on its own site. Whether you need a permit at all depends on what you are shooting.
- A permit is required if your production uses equipment beyond a hand-held camera, a camera on a tripod or hand-held items such as bounce-boards and boom mics, requests parking privileges for production vehicles (excluding personal cars, mini-vans, SUVs and pick-up trucks), asserts exclusive use of City property, uses prop weapons or prop vehicles, includes actors in police uniform or stunts, or needs NYPD or FDNY assistance.
- No permit is required for a shoot using a hand-held camera, a camera on a tripod, hand-held props and/or hand-held equipment that does not assert exclusive use of City property, does not use prop weapons, prop vehicles, stunts or actors in police uniform, and does not request parking privileges.
Film Permit Application
Productions apply through MOME's Online Permit Application under a single Project Account, filing a separate permit for each shooting day and including rigging, de-rigging and rain dates. Every exterior shot needs a detailed scene description covering props, extras, weapons and animals, and any vehicle seeking parking privileges must be listed on the application. The permit fee is $500 for each consecutive 14-day period or portion of your project, and it is non-refundable; MOME evaluates fee waiver requests case by case and can take up to three business days to decide. You will also need commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence naming the City of New York as additional insured, and your broker or agent, not you, must email proof to MOME at least 48 business hours before you submit the online permit application. MOME states that permits can be issued within 48 business hours, but applications are still due at least 2 business days before a standard shoot, three to four days ahead for more complex productions needing NYPD Movie & TV Unit review, and 7 business days ahead for Times Square, which MOME's student filming guidance says also needs prior permission from the Times Square Alliance. A pre-production meeting with MOME is required for all feature films, television movies, series or specials, elaborate exterior commercial shoots, music videos shooting exteriors with celebrities, or shoots using multiple locations, ideally three weeks out and no later than five business days before the shoot. Where your permit authorizes held parking, you must notify the local community board, City Council member and known merchant and block associations, and post notification letters and any required no-parking signage, at least 48 hours before your earliest permitted time.
Locations Outside MOME's Jurisdiction
Some of the city's most requested locations need approval from another body first, or sit outside MOME's permit altogether. MOME's permit does cover city parks, but filming in a NYC park needs the Parks Department's permission before you submit your MOME application, and Parks routes each request to the individual park manager, who is allowed at least five business days to respond; several parks, including Central Park, Prospect Park, the High Line, Bryant Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park, are handled directly by their own conservancy through a separate application. The MTA issues permits to film on subways, buses, trains and historic bridges, and MOME states you must make arrangements with the MTA well in advance, from one to three weeks or more; the Transit Authority's Special Events Unit will provide an estimated cost for your request. The Port Authority arranges shoots at airports, on PATH trains and at certain piers, bridges and tunnels. Filming inside a building the Department of Citywide Administrative Services oversees, such as a Municipal Building, Borough Hall or a city or state court, may require a separate DCAS permit, which carries a $3,200 administrative fee and may involve additional costs for staff services. Outside New York City, regional film office pages describe filming permits as municipal, issued city by city, town by town or county by county, with the local film office coordinating rather than issuing. MOME notes that permits may be required to film in state parks in the five boroughs, so check with the agency that manages a location before you plan around it.
Drone Filming
Flying a drone adds a further layer of production licensing on top of your film permit. Under FAA Part 107, the operator needs a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or must fly under the direct supervision of someone who holds one. New York City separately requires a permit to take off or land any FAA-registered, FAA-compliant drone within the City, generally filed at least 30 days ahead of the flight, or 14 days in limited cases, for a $150 fee, alongside community board and site notification. Because the rules and lead times differ from a standard MOME film permit, treat a drone segment as a distinct approval to plan for, not an add-on to your main application.
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How a Fixer Works with New York's Film Offices
A New York shoot rarely touches only one of these offices. A local fixer's job is to work out which authorities your locations actually trigger, and then prepare every one of those applications for your company to file, and track each authority's deadlines in parallel, so your production team deals with a single point of contact.
- Preparing the MOME Online Permit Application under one Project Account for the applicant company to file, with a separate permit for each shooting day and a scene description detailed enough to be approved without delay.
- Coordinating with your insurance broker or agent to get commercial general liability proof, naming the City of New York as additional insured, to MOME at least 48 business hours before the online permit application is submitted.
- Tracking the different lead times each authority needs, from MOME's own 2 business day minimum to the Parks Department's at least five business days, the MTA's one to three weeks or more, and the 7 business days Times Square requires.
- Requesting Parks Department or conservancy approval, MTA arrangements or Port Authority coordination before a MOME application is even filed, for locations outside the City's own jurisdiction.
- Where the permit authorizes held parking, handling community board, City Council and merchant or block association notice and posting the required signage at least 48 hours before the earliest date and time on the permit.
- Scheduling the pre-production meeting MOME requires for larger productions, and bringing the right people, your production manager and location manager included, to it.
- Liaising with MPTV where a production needs an allocation certificate for the New York State Film Tax Credit.
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Common Questions
Do I need to contact the film commission directly or through a fixer?
You can contact MOME, MPTV or a regional film office directly. In practice, though, a New York shoot usually touches several of these bodies at once, MOME for City property and, separately, the Parks Department, the MTA, the Port Authority or DCAS depending on your locations, each with its own approval route and lead time, and MOME with its own insurance and notice requirements. A fixer's value is preparing all of those applications for your company to file and tracking every authority's deadlines for you, so your team deals with one point of contact rather than four or five.
How long does permit approval typically take?
It depends on the authority and the location. MOME states that its own film permits can be issued within 48 business hours, though applications are due at least 2 business days ahead of a standard shoot, three to four days for more complex productions, and 7 business days for Times Square. Locations outside MOME's jurisdiction run on different clocks: the Parks Department allows its park managers at least five business days to respond, and MOME's own guidance tells productions to arrange MTA filming one to three weeks or more in advance. There is no single New York City turnaround time, so confirm the relevant authority's own lead time for your specific locations.
What spend qualifies for commission support or rebates?
MOME's "Made in NY" Marketing Credit provides advertising in New York City rather than money and is not accepting new applications. Support for production budgets comes from the state: the New York State Film Tax Credit program is limited to qualified feature-length films, television series, relocated television series, television pilots and films for television (commercials, music videos and "reality" programming are excluded), and productions that comply with its requirements may be eligible for a credit of 30% of qualified New York production expenses, with an additional 10% on qualified labor expenses for productions with a minimum budget of $500,000 in listed upstate counties, extending to all qualified costs in those counties only where more than 50% of principal photography days are shot there, funded at $700 million a year through 2036. To qualify, a production generally needs a minimum budget of $1 million where most shooting days are in New York City, Westchester, Rockland, Nassau or Suffolk, or $250,000 elsewhere in the state, and must apply for its MPTV allocation certificate before principal photography begins.
Can the state or city film office issue me a filming permit?
MOME's Film Office issues the New York City film permit for most exterior City-owned property, working with the NYPD Movie & TV Unit to decide what is permitted. MPTV, the state office, guides productions, connects them with the right local film office or agency, and administers the state's tax credit program. Other locations are permitted by other bodies, such as the MTA, DCAS or the relevant municipality.
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Let Us Run New York's Permit Process for You
Our team handles the MOME, MPTV and regional film office requirements on every shoot we support, tracking each authority's own deadlines, insurance requirements and notice periods so your production doesn't have to. Tell us your locations and shoot dates, and we'll tell you which offices your locations trigger and the filing deadline each one publishes. Contact Fixer in New York to discuss your next project.