Delaware
Delaware has no dedicated state film office; the layer that matters is Delaware State Parks, which requires an annual permit for professional portrait photography.
Guidance, not legal advice
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: Delaware Division of Small Business (state contact for film); DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation for state parks
Cost: Varies by property; state parks charge a fee for the professional photography permit
Delaware has no dedicated state film office or film incentive; the Division of Small Business is the state-level contact, and the industry group Film Delaware fills the promotion role. There is no statewide filming permit; municipalities like Wilmington handle their own streets. The rule photographers actually hit: DNREC's Division of Parks and Recreation requires professional photographers to hold an Annual Portrait Photography Permit to shoot paid sessions in Delaware State Parks, and film productions and drone flights on park land need a special use permit. Third-party sources cite a fee and liability insurance requirement for the parks permit; confirm current figures with the Division of Parks and Recreation.
Drone / airspace
Commercial drone work requires FAA Part 107
A special use permit is required to operate a drone on or over any land or water administered by DNREC Parks and Recreation. For Part 107 and state drone law, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes: you can photograph what is visible from public space in the US
Private property sets its own rules regardless of state law.
Practical notes
- Delaware's best beaches (Cape Henlopen, Delaware Seashore, Fenwick Island) are state parks, so the parks portrait permit covers the classic beach-session business model.
- The annual portrait permit is a business license model, not a per-shoot permit: one permit covers the season's sessions.
- Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach boardwalks are municipal, not state park land; check the town's own rules.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: