As of Thursday, Oct. 8, a commercial shoot in Palm Beach County can clear a free county permit in about three business days, or it can land in a Town of Palm Beach process that needs Town Council approval, paid fees and a seven-day monthly cap. Those are two separate systems, and picking the wrong one can cost a production a month. If you want a Town filming item heard at the Nov. 9 Council meeting, file by Friday, Oct. 9 to be safe, and confirm the deadline with the Town Clerk.
This guide sets out what the Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission publishes about its free One-Stop permits, what the Town of Palm Beach publishes about commercial filming on public property, and how the next Council dates line up when you count the days yourself. Every figure below comes from the county commission site, the Town permit page, the Town FAQ, the Town meeting schedule and the current Town Code text, all read again on Oct. 8, 2026. Treat our date math as a planning aid, not a ruling, and confirm every filing date with the Town Clerk.
Two Systems in One County
The county Film and Television Commission describes itself as the official county agency for filming permits on public property. It offers free One-Stop permitting for more than 50 municipalities, taxing districts, county departments and other community entities. Its One-Stop page says permits cover parks, beaches, streets, sidewalks and public buildings “at no cost to production.”
The same page is blunt about the exception. “Please be advised that our office does not issue permits for the Town of Palm Beach.” If the call sheet says Town of Palm Beach streets, sidewalks, parks or beaches, you leave the free county lane and enter the Town’s Chapter 22 process.
| Item | Palm Beach County One-Stop | Town of Palm Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No cost for the permit | $1,500 permit fee plus $1,000 per filming day |
| Speed | Allow three business days for a standard permit | Town Council approval; file no less than 20 business days before the meeting |
| Who approves | County Film and Television Commission, working with municipal contacts | Town Council at a public hearing |
| Monthly cap | Not published on the One-Stop page | Seven filming days per month, earliest filed application first |
| Contact | 561-233-1000 or 800-745-3456; 2195 Southern Blvd., Suite 520, West Palm Beach | Town Clerk’s Office, TownClerksOffice@townofpalmbeach.com, 561-838-5416; 360 South County Road |
County One-Stop: Free, Fast, Not Town Hall
The One-Stop page asks producers to “allow three business days to process a standard permit.” If you need a rush permit, the page says to notify the office immediately. Shoots that involve special effects, road closures, intermittent traffic control or closing public areas “typically take longer to process.”
Insurance starts at a $1 million comprehensive or commercial general liability policy. Vehicles, watercraft or aircraft may need more coverage, and stunts or special effects raise the requirement to $5 million. After you apply, the office emails the exact certificate wording each jurisdiction wants.
Large commercial productions are steered toward a pre-production meeting about three weeks before cameras roll, and no later than five business days before. The page says a producer and location manager should attend, along with other department heads and government agencies as needed. Prop firearms or weapons, actors in police or emergency uniforms, prop emergency vehicles, sequences that may affect public safety, and intermittent traffic control or road closures all require local law enforcement, paid by the production.
Student permitting has its own lane on the county site, with separate guidelines and a student application. Still photography is not given a separate One-Stop checklist on the page we read. If your shoot is stills only, ask the commission which form applies.
Town of Palm Beach: Council, Fees and a Seven-Day Month
Chapter 22, Article IV of the Town Code requires a permit for commercial photography or videography on public property, including streets, sidewalks, parks and beaches. The Town’s Permits and Licenses page lists the commercial filming fees as a $1,500 permit fee plus a $1,000 per-day filming fee.
Exemptions published on that page include personal or family shoots of up to one hour with no more than 15 people and hand-held equipment only, educational shoots by students or faculty, news media covering live events (not reenactments), and law enforcement or regulatory filming. Drone filming does not need a Town filming permit, the page says, but it must follow state and FAA rules.
Every commercial application must be approved by the Town Council. Applications “must be submitted no less than 20 business days prior to the council meeting where they will be heard.” The page adds that the Council meets on the second Tuesday of each month “with occasional exceptions” and tells applicants to check the public meeting calendar.
Operating rules are just as concrete. Filming is prohibited from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. and from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Commercial filming is allowed only in commercial districts and is prohibited in residential districts, and filming on streets is prohibited. The current code text at Sec. 22-154 caps filming operations at seven days in any one month and considers applications in the order they were filed, while Sec. 22-155 sets every application for a public hearing before the Town Council.
Required documents listed on the Town page include a letter of intent or event rundown, a detailed timeline of each public location with dates and times, a description of activities and equipment, a business description, and a brief overview of the business or product being promoted. Questions go to the Town Clerk’s Office at TownClerksOffice@townofpalmbeach.com or 561-838-5416.
Insurance: County Minimums, Town COI After Council
County One-Stop insurance is described above: $1 million general liability for a standard commercial permit, and $5 million when stunts or special effects are involved. The Town FAQ splits commercial filming insurance into two tiers. Minor commercial filming needs at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, with the Town named as additional insured, a waiver of subrogation, and primary and non-contributory wording.
Large-scale commercial filming needs at least $10,000,000 per occurrence, plus $100,000,000 aviation coverage if aircraft are used and $25,000,000 marine coverage if watercraft are used. The Town Code text at Sec. 22-153 states the $10,000,000 figure for filming permits and lets the Council raise limits, so ask the Clerk which tier fits your shoot. For filming permits, the FAQ says you will not be required to submit a certificate of insurance until the Town Council has approved the application.
The Next Council Dates, Counted Carefully
The Town’s Hours and Schedules page lists Town Council Regular Meetings at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, Monday, Nov. 9 and Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2026, in Council Chambers at Town Hall, 360 South County Road. The 20-business-day rule is the Town’s wording. The filing dates below are our own count, and the Town Clerk decides which days count as business days.
| Council regular meeting | Our count: 20 weekdays before | What to do as of Thursday, Oct. 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Tue., Oct. 13, 2026 | Tue., Sept. 15, 2026 | That look-back has passed |
| Mon., Nov. 9, 2026 | Mon., Oct. 12, 2026 | File by Fri., Oct. 9 to be safe, and confirm with the Town Clerk |
| Tue., Dec. 8, 2026 | Tue., Nov. 10, 2026, or Wed., Nov. 4 if the Town holidays below are skipped | Next window after November |
Monday, Oct. 12 is the edge of the November window on a plain weekday count. Because Oct. 12 is the federal Columbus Day holiday, the safe move is to have a complete packet in by Friday, Oct. 9 and to ask the Clerk to confirm the item can still be heard Nov. 9. For December, the Town’s posted 2026 holiday schedule lists Veterans Day on Nov. 11 and Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday on Nov. 26 and 27, and its construction calendar also blocks Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving. Skipping all four days moves the December look-back to Wednesday, Nov. 4, the safe date to file by.
Filing on time is not the only hurdle. If an earlier application has already claimed the seven filming days for a month, the code says no other permit is granted for that month, so a perfect packet can still wait for the next one.
What Is and Is Not Published
| Question | What the pages say |
|---|---|
| Are county One-Stop permits free? | Yes. “At no cost to production.” |
| How long for a standard county permit? | “Allow three business days.” |
| Does the county issue Town of Palm Beach permits? | No. |
| Town fees? | $1,500 plus $1,000 per filming day. |
| Exact day count the Clerk uses for “20 business days”? | Not spelled out on the filming page; confirm with the Clerk. |
| How many of the seven Town days are already booked this month? | Not published online. |
| Still-photo form on the county One-Stop page? | Not broken out separately on the page we read. |
How This Sits Next to the Film Money Guides
A permit is not an incentive. For what Florida and South Florida publish on film money, start with our Florida film incentives explainer and our South Florida film incentives guide. Broward County’s grant for emerging filmmakers is covered in our Film Lauderdale Emerging Filmmakers Grant guide. None of those pages replace a Town Council filing or a county One-Stop certificate.
Which Lane Are You In? A Checklist Before You Book Crew
If the location is outside the Town of Palm Beach, start with the county One-Stop application, budget three business days for a standard permit, and build insurance certificates to the wording the commission emails you. Add time if the shoot involves special effects, road closures or traffic control, and book the pre-production meeting about three weeks out if it is a large commercial job.
If the location is inside the Town, call the Town Clerk’s Office first. Ask which Council meeting can still take a new filming item, how many of the seven monthly days remain, and which insurance tier applies. For the Nov. 9 meeting, aim to have the letter of intent, location timeline, activity and equipment description, and business overview in by Friday, Oct. 9.
Do not assume a county permit covers the Town. Do not assume a Town exemption for a student or family shoot covers a brand campaign. Read the exemption lines against the actual call sheet, then ask.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
Are Palm Beach County film permits free?
Yes, for the county Film and Television Commission’s One-Stop permits on public property. As of Oct. 8, 2026, the One-Stop page says permits are issued at no cost to production and asks producers to allow three business days for a standard permit. Shoots with special effects or road closures take longer. The office does not issue permits for the Town of Palm Beach.
What does the Town of Palm Beach charge, and who approves?
The Town’s Permits and Licenses page lists a $1,500 permit fee plus a $1,000 per-day filming fee for commercial filming on public property. Every application must be approved by the Town Council at a public hearing. Applications must be submitted no less than 20 business days before the Council meeting where they will be heard.
When should I file for the Nov. 9 Town Council meeting?
File by Friday, Oct. 9 to be safe. The Town lists Regular Meetings on Oct. 13, Nov. 9 and Dec. 8, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. A plain count of 20 weekdays before Nov. 9 lands on Monday, Oct. 12, the federal Columbus Day holiday, so ask the Town Clerk to confirm the deadline before you rely on it.
What is the Town’s seven-day monthly cap?
Town Code Sec. 22-154 limits filming operations to seven days in any one month and considers applications in the order they were filed. If one permit already uses the seven days, no other permit is granted for that month. Filming is also barred from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., and is limited to commercial districts.
What insurance do county and Town shoots need?
County One-Stop permits require a $1 million general liability policy, or $5 million for stunts or special effects. The Town FAQ lists $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate for minor commercial filming, and $10 million per occurrence for large-scale shoots. Town certificates of insurance are due only after the Town Council approves the application.
Sources
These pages were opened on Oct. 8, 2026.
- Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission, Free One-Stop Permitting
- Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission, Permits overview
- Town of Palm Beach, Permits and Licenses
- Town of Palm Beach, filming insurance FAQ
- Town of Palm Beach, Hours and Schedules (Council calendar and 2026 holidays)
- Town of Palm Beach Code, Chapter 22, Article IV (Municode)
Brian D’Antoni writes The Sundaze Gazette from Palm Beach County. He reports on business, film and technology for South Florida owners.
