Commercial Filming and Photography

The National Park Service conserves and protects areas of untold beauty, grandeur and historical importance for current and future generations. The tradition of capturing images of these special places started with explorers who traveled with paint and canvas or primitive cameras. Sharing these images helped inspire the creation of national parks. Today, visitors to national parks continue to memorialize their visits through filming and photography.

On January 4, 2025, the EXPLORE Act was signed into law (Public Law 118-234). Section 125 of the Act changed how the National Park Service will manage filming and photography in park areas.

Key elements of the new law include:

• In most cases, permits and fees are not required for groups of eight individuals or less conducting filming and photography. In order to avoid permit and fee requirements, the filming or photography must:
• (1) occur in areas open to the public;
• (2) use hand-carried equipment only;
• (3) not require exclusive use of a site; and
• (4) not adversely impact park resources, values, and other visitors.
• Permits and fees are never required for filming and photography that is associated with a permitted event, such as a wedding, sporting event, demonstration or other activity.
• All filming and photography is treated the same under the new law. It does not matter whether it is commercial, non-commercial, or conducted my media or for news gathering.
• When a permit is required, the National Park Service may charge application and location fees.
• Individuals and groups exempt from permit and fee requirements for filming or photography remain subject to all other laws and regulations that apply in park areas, including those prohibiting disturbance or other negative impacts to resources.

Please contact Zion National Park for more information about filming and photography in the park.

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Requests for filming or still photography involving more than eight individuals require a permit and should be processed appropriately and all cost recovery and location fees collected as authorized.

Application

Applying for a Special Use Permit for filming and still photography when involving more than eight individuals. Download an application below

1. Complete, sign, and return the permit application form electronically to e-mail us
2. Submit a copy of your insurance naming the “United States Government” as additionally insured electronically to e-mail us
3. Submit an application fee of $150.00. Application fees must be submitted electronically through pay.gov by visiting: https://pay.gov/public/form/start/77183133

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Timeline

We need to receive the application AND the application fee a MINIMUM of three weeks (21 days) in advance. Any project that is complex in nature, or requests to film in areas off paved or hardened surfaces or off-trail requires a minimum of four weeks. The park will not accept applications that are not submitted at least three weeks in advance. Once the application and application fee are received, the proposed project will undergo a compliance review to ensure that natural and cultural resources and/or visitor experiences will not be unduly impacted. Upon approval from the Superintendent, the permit will be approved. The final permit along with conditions of permit will be sent to the applicant for their signature and a copy returned back to the Commercial Services Office. The applicant can be denied a permit for a variety of reasons.
Fees
Federal law requires the National Park Service to recover its administrative costs for filming and still photography activities that require a permit. Cost recovery includes an application fee and any additional charges to cover the costs incurred by the National Park Service in processing your request and monitoring the permitted activities. This amount will vary depending on the park and the size and complexity of the permitted activities. The application fee must be submitted with your application.

Application Fee - A $150 non-refundable application fee is required. This covers the first three hours of time spent on the permit. This may include telephone/email conversations, site visits, developing permit conditions, etc.
Administrative Fees - Permits/projects that require more than three hours of administrative time forreview, site visits, meetings or processing, will be charged at the rate of $50.00 per hour.
Compliance Fees - Compliance review is required for all special use permits. A $250 fee is charged for permits/projects that require additional analysis such as; construction of sets/ stages and use of fire/explosives. Covers the first five hours.
Monitoring Fees - Filming activities may be monitored by a qualified NPS employee to assure full compliance with all of the terms and conditions of permit. The charge is $ 50.00 per hour with a 3-hour minimum. This will be charged at the end of the filming or may be taken out of the performance bond if one was required. Small projects with no potential impact to natural/cultural resources or visitor experience with a small cast/crew may be considered for spot-check monitoring instead of on-site monitoring and may be charged a flat $50.00 spot monitoring fee.
Location Fees - Federal law requires the National Park Service to collect a location fee that provides a fair return to the United States for the use of park lands for commercial filming and for still photography. The National Park Service uses the following fee schedules for filming and photography: These are NPS standards and are non-negotiable. These fees are based on the number of cast/crew per day. Location fee for the minimum anticipated days is due two business days prior to filming date. Any additional days will be billed at the end of the filming.

Location Fees for Filming - Motion Pictures and Video	Location Fees for Still Photography and Audio Recordings
09 - 10 people = $150.00 / day	09 - 10 people = $50.00 / day
11 - 12 people = $250.00 / day	11 - 12 people = $150.00 / day

Insurance

General liability insurance may be required. When required, $1,000,000 is typically the minimum. Complex projects or projects with large sets and cast/crews (12 Individuals maximum) will require higher insurance. The “United States Government” will be named as “additional insured” on the insurance certificate. If further specificity is desired/requested: “the Department of Interior, National Park Service, Zion National Park.” A copy of the insurance from the Carrier must be received PRIOR to issuing an approved permit.

The NPS may require additional insurance commensurate with the risk involved with your filming activities. IMPORTANT: The name on the certificate of insurance must match your business name, including any names used under “doing business as.” The certificate can be emailed to e-mail us, faxed directly to Zion National Park, (fax) 435-772-3426, or mailed to this address: US Government, Zion National Park, Commercial Services Office, SR 9, Springdale UT 84767.

Filming Locations When Permit is Required:

• Filming in Kolob Canyons Area including the paved road and associated overlooks and parking lots.
• Kolob Terrace Road Corridor- Lava Point Area including campground, picnic area and overlook.
• Main Zion Canyon Area including road corridor from South Entrance to the Temple of Sinawava and associated overlooks, parking areas and most areas around Zion Lodge.
• Trails: Pa’rus Trail, Emerald Pools Trails, Court of the Patriarchs, and Canyon Overlook Trail.
• Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway road corridor from Canyon Junction to the East Entrance and associated pullouts and parking areas.

NOT PERMITTED:

• No filming or still photography within designated Wilderness or Recommended Wilderness Areas. This includes most slot canyons.
• West Rim Trail (including Scout Lookout and the trail to Angels Landing). Filming on Angels Landing is NOT permitted due to safety concerns.
• Riverside Walk and Narrows trails are not currently permitted in order to address over-capacity issues occurring in these areas.

NOTE: Filming requests for areas not listed above are accepted, however a compliance review is required and there is no guarantee that a permit would be approved. Refer to the Filming Zone Maps to see map of Potential Filming Areas.

Cancellation or Delays

Notification of initial delays or schedule changes for start of activities must be provided to the NPS at least two days in advance. If rain/weather is an issue, you may want to consider including alternate “Rain Dates” in case weather is a factor for your project. Please keep in mind that you are still required to contact the park—preferably one business day in advance before 2:00 pm. Please keep in mind that the weather within the park changes and cannot be predicted.

Additional Information

• Additional information about Zion National Park may be found on our website at http://www.nps.gov/zion
• Additional information for filming outside of Zion may be found at:
  • the Utah Film Commission website at https://film.utah.gov
  • Kane County Film Commission website at http://www.visitsouthernutah.com/film-commission.html

NPS B-roll Photographs and Video for Public Domain

• Looking for B-roll photographs and videos of your National Parks?
  Discover and Explore Digital Assets in the National Park Service NPGallery Digital Asset Management System.
  A comprehensive library of NPS images, video, audio, maps, presentations, documents, B-roll, and more that is available to the public.
  Website may be found at: NP Gallery Digital Asset Management System

Download an Application and Filming Zone Maps

Application for Commercial Filming / Still Photography Permit (Short Form)
Application for Commercial Filming / Still Photography Permit (Long Form)
Filming Zone Maps (pdf file)