Photography and Filming Permits

The National Park Service (NPS) allows filming and photography when it is consistent with the protection and public enjoyment of park resources, and it avoids conflict with the public's normal use and enjoyment of the park. Aesthetic values such as scenic vistas, natural quiet, and dark night skies are resources that we value. We are also sensitive to the environments around our park sites. There are restrictions associated with party size, the use of commercial vehicles, generators, artificial lighting, commercial film equipment, props, sets, and audio devices. Commercial vehicles must be in compliance with all federal and state laws and local ordinances. Inclement weather imposes road restrictions and limited access.

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Restrictions

The National Park Service cannot accommodate a project if:

• damage to natural, cultural, wilderness, and recreational resources which cannot be mitigated is expected;
• other activities are already planned or expected to occur at the same time and place, and filming or photography would be incompatible;
• the activity involves access to areas normally closed for reasons of resource protection or safety;
• the level of activity within the park is already so high that staff would be unavailable to work with the film crew;
• the project includes a portrayal of activities that are not permitted within a national park;
• the production company is unwilling or unable to obtain necessary insurance; or
• the production company is unwilling or unable to reimburse the National Park Service for costs or comply with National Park Service bond requirements.

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Permit Requirement

A permit is required when the filming, videotaping, sound recording, or still photography involve the use of talent, professional crews, set dressings, or props; when they involve product or service advertisement; or when the activity could result in damage to park resources or disruption of visitor use. If you are uncertain whether your project requires a permit or not, contact the park for additional information.

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Permit Application Procedures

Applicants should read the summary of filming guidelines to facilitate an understanding of the permit process. If site scouting is planned prior to the application period, contact the park SUP coordinator for guidance and restrictions on specific locations.

Application

Applications must be requested by phone, e-mail, or letter. Completed applications must be returned to the park with payment. There is a $50 non-refundable application review fee. We cannot accept credit cards at this time. Money orders, cash, or checks payable to the National Park Service are accepted.

Application Forms

• Short Form (pdf - 56kb)
• Long Form (pdf - 107kb)

Your request will be evaluated on the basis of the information in your application. If substantial staff resources are expended in the evaluation of the request, the applicant will be billed for the additional costs. Therefore you are encouraged to attach maps, diagrams, script pages, storyboards, vehicle and equipment lists, crew lists, call sheet, itineraries, shot lists, etc., with your application to assist park staff in evaluating your request. Most requests should be processed within 14 days if the application is complete and without alteration. Requests involving multiple locations, complex logistics, or coordination with other visitor activities will require a minimum of 21 days to process. Projects that require environmental or cultural resource evaluation must be submitted no less than 30 days before the start of proposed activities and may require additional time dependent upon project complexity. In compliance with the requirements of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, applicants must submit their social security number or Federal Tax ID number when filling out the application for permit. Park managers will not sign location releases supplied by applicants.

Please submit applications as far in advance as possible.

Mail To:

Acadia National Park
ATTN: Special Use Permit Coordinator
P.O. Box 177
Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Or Overnight Mail To:

Acadia National Park
ATTN: Special Use Permit Coordinator
RT 233 McFarland Hill
Bar Harbor, ME 04609

Documents can be faxed to 207-288-8792 but permits will not be processed until payment has been received.

Insurance Requirement

Proof of insurance issued by a U.S. company must accompany the application. The insurance certificate must identify the production company by name and business address; if the permittee uses a different name than listed on insurance policy, the relationship between insured company and permittee's company must be identified. The United States Government will be named as an additional insured on the insurance certificate. If further specificity is needed, the U.S. Department of Interior, Acadia National Park, P.O. Box 177, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, should be used.

Generally the minimum acceptable amount of liability insurance is $1 million for each occurrence. High-risk activities or activities that may have the potential for resource impact require higher liability amounts. Smaller, low-risk projects or still photography may be eligible for a reduction to $500,000. Contact the park for details. A request for a permit may be denied if there is no proof of adequate insurance. Personal or homeowners liability is not acceptable. The certificate should be generated by the insurance company. Hand-written certificate holder information is unacceptable. We will accept a faxed copy of the certificate until your insurance company can mail us the original.

Bond

A refundable damage bond, drawn as a separate payment, may be required for those projects that have a high potential for resource damage or potential for site restoration. The bond amount is determined by estimating the cost of monitoring and site restoration should you fail to adequately care for or complete clean-up of the site. This amount will be specified in the permit. The permittee is responsible for removal of equipment, props, and trash, and restoration of the site to original condition or in a condition satisfactory to the National Park Service. If this is not done, all or part of the damage bond will be retained to offset clean-up/recovery expenses. If it is not needed, the bond will be released when the on-site National Park Service representative signs off that site restoration is complete and all site-use charges have been paid. If a surplus remains after the costs have been reimbursed, the surplus is returned to the permittee. If the bond does not cover all the costs, the permittee will be billed for the difference.

After the approval of an application, and before the activity begins, the permittee should meet with the SUP coordinator to accomplish the following:

• review the final terms/conditions, scheduling, and any special instructions pertaining to the respective project
• provide an original certificate of insurance, and if required, a bond
• pay estimated costs, if required
• sign and obtain a copy of the special use permit

IMPORTANT: Any activities not specified in the permit will not be allowed. No activities on National Park Service property may begin until the permit has been approved by the park and agreed to by the permittee. All permits include the requirement that the site be cleaned and restored at the end of your use. Normal visitor use patterns should not be interrupted for longer than five minutes, and only as specified in the approved permit.

Audio and lighting restrictions apply to prevent disruption of visitor activities and/or disturb visitors. Large reflectors, silks, camera track, jibs, cranes, generators, large props, crowd scenes, foggers, and oversized vehicles are discouraged and are only authorized on a case-by-case basis, dependent on location, time of year, time of day, and other mitigating factors.

Park Entrance Fees

Commercial photographers and their crew who obtain a filming permit from the National Park Service are recognized as not being in the park for recreational purposes for the duration and purposes of that permit, and as such, are exempted from paying entrance fees. All vehicles entering the park must show a copy of the approved film permit at entrance stations.

Cancellations

A minimum cancellation fee of $100 per scheduled monitor will be charged to the permittee if the SUP coordinator is not notified within 48 hours. In addition, you are responsible for all National Park Service costs up to the time of cancellation. If the cancellation is weather related, we will attempt to make accommodations. Administrative costs are mandatory and non-refundable. Cost of overtime and site clean-up are additional and will be billed as they occur.

Denial of Permit

Filming permits may be denied for any of the following reasons:

• Resource damage - If it is determined by the superintendent or his/her designee that the filming activity represents a threat to the resource, including wildlife.
• Supervisory requirements - If supervisory requirements for the proposed filming project will place unreasonable burdens on staff capacity, irrespective of the permittee's willingness to pay supervisory costs.
• Disruption of visitor activities - If the proposed filming would conflict with the visitors' normal use of the park.
• Prohibited or restricted activities - Permits will not be issued that would allow filmmakers to enter areas closed to the general visiting public, or that would allow activities not permitted to the visitor except for cooperative activities as an agent of the National Park Service.

Monitoring

For filming activities that are perceived to interfere with visitor use, or further congest highly visited areas, or have the potential to impact park resources without proper supervision and care, at least one employee of the National Park Service will be assigned to the film crew. Degree of monitoring is based on crew size, equipment, props, scope of project, location(s), time of day, and time of year.

• When a project involves substantial numbers of people and equipment, or if it involves a location that is environmentally sensitive or heavily visited, supervision will be on-site and continual.
• A ranger or representative may spot-check during the filming to assure compliance when the operations involve only a few people or minimal amounts of equipment, or take place in areas where there is little, if any, possibility of resource impact, inconvenience to visitors, or violation of permit conditions.
• The superintendent may bring in other employees to assist in those instances when the scope of the project exceeds the park's ability to properly manage the activity. The resulting staff costs will be recovered from the permittee.

Before initiating any location set-ups or dispersal of equipment, a National Park Service representative MUST be on site. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the revocation of the permit.

Revocation

As noted in permit conditions, non-compliance with any of the permit conditions could result in revocation of the permit.

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Costs

The National Park Service is required to recover all costs associated with permits for filming and photography. All administrative costs involving permit application and processing are nonrefundable and will be charged to the permittee. The park may require that charges be paid before work can begin on National Park Service property. Any additional costs will be posted as they occur. Charges must be paid within 14 days of the invoicing.

Note: Because costs are based on the services provided, the National Park Service does not differentiate between profit and nonprofit documentary projects. By law the National Park Service may not waive recovery of costs for projects that are produced to promote an industry, influence Congressional initiatives, or influence the outcomes of elections.

Permittee will be billed for monitoring, scouting, conferencing, and any other personnel services provided for filming activities according to the cost recovery schedule:

Hourly rate = $60/hour for 2-hour minimum

Cancellation = $100 minimum (see above)

Location Fees

Public Law 106-206 (P.L. 106-206), codified at 16 U.S.C. 460l-6d, instructs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to charge a location fee for all commercial filming and still photography permits. The location fee is in addition to cost recovery charges that are currently being collected.

Commercial filming is defined as digital or film recording of a visual image or sound recording by a person, business, or other entity for a market audience, such as for a documentary, television, or feature film; advertisement; or similar project. Under P.L. 106-206 all commercial filming requires a permit and is subject to a location fee and cost recovery.

All commercial filming permits and still photography permits are statutorily subject to cost recovery and a location fee, neither of which may be waived. The location fee is determined by the type of activity (commercial filming versus still photography) and by the number of permitted days and the number of people on park lands associated with the permitted activity.

Location Fee Schedule:

Motion Pictures/Videos
1-2 people camera and tripod only	zero
1-10 people	$150/day
11-30 people	$250/day
31-49 people	$500/day
More than 50 people	$750/day
Commercial Still Photography
1-10 people	$50/day
11-30 people	$150/day
More than 30 people	$250/day

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Conditions

Special conditions and restrictions will be noted on the permit and we will specify the number of people and the exact types of equipment allowed. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply to the operation of vehicles and equipment. The monitor on duty will not allow equipment, vehicles, and activities not specifically stated in the permit. No posting of signs is allowed without the specific approval of the SUP coordinator.

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Aircraft

Use of aircraft, helicopters, or gliders is strictly regulated in the park. Wildlife nesting habitat, expectation of solitude in the backcountry areas, and safety are our primary consideration with regard to overflight activities. Therefore, aerial filming is rarely allowed. Parachuting is prohibited.

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Contact Information

For more information about filming and photography permits, contact the Special use Permit Coordinator at 207-288-8793.