Rules by location
Where can I legally shoot?
Permits, drone airspace, public-space legality, and freedom of panorama, answered location by location. Every claim links to its official source and shows when we last checked it.
- Locations
- 78
- National parks
- 17
- US cities
- 27
- Countries
- 34
This is guidance, not legal advice
National Park Photography Permit Rules (2025 EXPLORE Act)
When you need an NPS permit to photograph in a national park after the EXPLORE Act, and when small groups are now exempt.
New York City
When NYC requires a film/photo permit, when handheld shooting is exempt, and the insurance requirement that catches people out.
France
Street photography vs France's strong image rights, and why freedom of panorama is restricted when you sell landmark images.
Yosemite National Park
When the EXPLORE Act lets small groups shoot Yosemite without a permit, when larger productions still need one, and the park-wide drone ban.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone's film and photo permit rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the thermal-area and wildlife-distance rules that constrain where you can set up.
Zion National Park
Zion needs no permit for most still photography, but a permit kicks in when you shoot a model to promote a product or service; here is the line and the fee.
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the river and tribal-land boundaries that change who issues the permit.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Permit and drone rules for the most-visited US national park, including the parking-tag rule that catches photographers out.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the timed-entry reservation that governs when you can even get in.
Arches National Park
Arches needs no permit for ordinary small-group shooting after the EXPLORE Act, but timed entry and the no-climbing-the-arches rules shape every shoot.
Glacier National Park
Glacier's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the Going-to-the-Sun Road season and vehicle reservations that dictate access.
Acadia National Park
Acadia's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the Cadillac Mountain sunrise reservation that every photographer hits.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the dark-sky and stay-on-durable-surface rules that affect night and desert shoots.
Los Angeles
When you need a FilmLA permit to shoot in Los Angeles, the personal-photography line, and the insurance that costs more than the permit.
Chicago
Chicago's film permit fee, the $1,000,000 insurance requirement, and when a low-impact photo shoot needs no permit at all.
San Francisco
Film SF's per-day permit fees, the insurance that names the City and the Port, and the personal-photography line.
Miami
Miami spans several film offices; here is who issues permits, the county fee, and the insurance every jurisdiction wants.
Atlanta
Atlanta's Office of Film and Entertainment, the $1,000,000 insurance requirement, and fast turnaround for permits on public property.
Seattle
Seattle's $25-a-day Master Film Permit, when commercial still photography needs it, and the separate parks permit.
Austin
Austin requires a permit to shoot in the public right-of-way; the filming permit itself is free, but you reimburse the city's costs and carry insurance.
New Orleans
Film New Orleans permits, the small per-permit fee, the $1,000,000 insurance, and the rule that even student shoots in Orleans Parish need a permit.
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the 2026 road closures and wildlife-distance rules that shape access.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the dark-sky draw and high-elevation winter access.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Sequoia and Kings Canyon filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the giant-grove light and the seasonal mountain roads.
Olympic National Park
Olympic's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, across a coast, a rainforest, and an alpine ridge with very different access.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the extreme heat and dark-sky conditions that dictate when you shoot.
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the timed-entry reservations and short alpine season.
Boston
Boston coordinates film permits across several departments; here is the insurance, the security bond, and what counts as a production.
Washington, DC
DC's permit fees by crew size, the personal-use exemption, and the federal-versus-city jurisdiction split that catches people on the National Mall.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia's film office coordinates but does not issue the permit; here is who does, the service fees, and the park and federal traps.
Houston
Houston's film registration and the $1,000,000 insurance requirement, plus the police and parks costs that sit on top.
Dallas
Dallas charges per location, names specific landmarks that need a permit even for B-roll, and wants $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 in coverage.
Denver
Denver's film permit is free and has clear crew thresholds; here is when handheld work is exempt and where drones are banned outright.
Nashville
Nashville's film permit runs through the transportation department, with a separate parks track and $1,000,000 in coverage.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas splits jurisdiction between the city and Clark County, and unusually requires a permit even for revenue-generating solo creators.
San Diego
San Diego registers film and still-photo shoots on city property for free, with longer lead times for closures, drones, and beach work.
Portland, Oregon
Portland splits permitting across streets, parks, and city buildings, and wants $2,000,000 in coverage for right-of-way and building shoots.
Phoenix
Phoenix issues a tiered film and digital media permit with a low-impact option for small crews, and wants $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 in coverage.
San Antonio
San Antonio charges no film permit fee as a Texas Film Friendly community, but every production must carry insurance naming the city.
Detroit
Detroit issues a free general film permit, but insurance is required for every project and extra permits attach for closures.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis splits permitting between the city and the Park Board, and the Park Board wants an unusually high $1,500,000 in coverage.
Savannah
Savannah is permit-free on private property but tightly regulates its Historic District squares, with a $30 plus $325 per-location fee.
Charleston
Charleston runs a film and photography permit through its Office of Cultural Affairs, with a $1,000,000 policy naming the city.
Honolulu
Honolulu's per-day permit covers Oahu city and county land, with insurance only for higher-impact shoots and a separate state permit for state land.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh publishes its fees and an explicit handheld exemption, with a low-cost still-photo permit and a separate drone permit.
United Kingdom
The UK has unusually liberal street-photo rights and full freedom of panorama: you can sell images of public buildings freely.
Italy
Italy has no freedom of panorama: commercial use of images of state monuments and artworks needs authorization and a fee.
Spain
Spain has broad freedom of panorama for outdoor public works, but protects a person's image as a fundamental right.
Germany
Germany's Panoramafreiheit allows commercial use of public works, but only their exterior and only from public ground (no drone or balcony shots).
Japan
Japan lets you freely photograph buildings, but selling images where a public artwork is the subject can infringe, and portrait rights apply to people.
Iceland
Iceland's freedom of panorama is non-commercial only: selling an image whose subject is a copyrighted work can owe the creator a fee.
Greece
Greece restricts both modern public art and ancient sites: commercial images of archaeological content owe Ministry of Culture fees.
Mexico
Mexico has liberal freedom of panorama under copyright, but INAH separately controls tripods, drones, and commercial use at archaeological sites.
Canada
Canada has full freedom of panorama nationwide, but Quebec protects a person's image even in non-commercial publication.
Australia
Australia has full freedom of panorama and liberal street-photo rights, but drone shots may fall outside the panorama exception.
Netherlands
The Netherlands allows selling images of public-space works, with the limit that a single copyrighted work must not be isolated as the sole subject.
United Arab Emirates
The UAE is strict: photographing or publishing images of people without consent is a criminal offence, and government and military sites are off-limits.
Switzerland
Switzerland has unusually broad freedom of panorama: you can sell images of public buildings and even murals, but not interiors.
Portugal
Portugal allows selling images of public buildings and art, subject to crediting the creator and the Berne three-step test.
Norway
Norway lets you sell images of buildings freely, but a photo whose main subject is a public sculpture is restricted for commercial use.
Sweden
Sweden is liberal on street photography but a Supreme Court ruling restricts commercial and large-scale online reproduction of public artworks.
Ireland
Ireland has full freedom of panorama for buildings and public sculpture; murals and 2D works are the exception.
Austria
Austria has unusually broad freedom of panorama, extending even to many interiors of public buildings; you cannot re-create the work itself.
Croatia
Croatia lets you photograph and sell 2D images of public works, but not 3D reproductions; watch the Dubrovnik drone zones.
Thailand
Thailand has full freedom of panorama, but its data-protection law makes publishing identifiable people without consent risky.
India
India's copyright freedom of panorama is broad, covering buildings and public sculpture, but ASI permits and security rules are the real constraints.
China
In China you can usually sell building photos, but images featuring public artworks are legally risky, and government and military subjects are off-limits.
South Korea
South Korea lets you photograph public landmarks but generally not sell prints centered on a copyrighted public artwork; its anti-hidden-camera law is strict.
Singapore
Singapore has full freedom of panorama and no general right against being photographed, but protected security sites are strictly off-limits.
Vietnam
Vietnam grants strong image rights and, since 2023, restricts commercial use of public-work images; drones are effectively off-limits to tourists.
New Zealand
New Zealand has full freedom of panorama; the main catches are conservation-land permits and per-person drone consent.
Brazil
Brazil lets you sell images of public monuments in their setting, but isolating a copyrighted artwork on merchandise (the Christ the Redeemer trap) is restricted.
Peru
Peru permits selling images of public monuments, but site-access and antiquities permits (and a Machu Picchu drone ban) are a separate layer.
Argentina
Argentina has no statutory freedom of panorama, so selling images of copyrighted public art is unsafe, and image rights are consent-first.
South Africa
South Africa has no freedom of panorama, so selling images centered on copyrighted public works can need permission; national parks ban drones outright.
Egypt
Egypt allows free personal photos at sites but treats tripods and flash as professional, has no usable freedom of panorama, and effectively bans tourist drones.
Morocco
Morocco has no clear freedom of panorama, strong cultural sensitivity about photographing people, and an effective tourist drone ban.
Turkey
Turkey lets you sell images of outdoor public monuments, but museum and heritage interiors need a Ministry permit, and Cappadocia drone flights need dual sign-off.
Sourced from official .gov, aviation-authority, and municipal pages.