Utah
The Utah Film Commission assists but does not permit; cities, counties, BLM, and Utah State Parks each permit their own ground, and the Mighty 5 gateway state parks all require Special Use Permits for commercial work.
Guidance, not legal advice
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: Utah Film Commission
Cost: Varies by property and locality; see the film office
There is no statewide photo permit. The Utah Film Commission runs incentives and helps productions find the right permit but does not issue them; permits come from cities and counties, and from land agencies (BLM, US Forest Service, NPS, UDOT, Trust Lands, and Utah State Parks). Utah State Parks (Division of State Parks, DNR) requires a Special Use Permit for commercial activity including filming, photography, and workshops, generally filed at least 30 days ahead, with fees and insurance requirements varying by park; several parks issue a simpler portraiture photography pass for portrait sessions.
Drone / airspace
Legal under FAA rules; individual state parks publish their own drone restrictions
Commercial drone work requires FAA Part 107. Several Utah state parks (Dead Horse Point among them) publish park-specific drone rules and require permission or a permit to fly. For Part 107 and state drone law, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes: photographing people and property visible from public space is legal in the US
Much of Utah's photogenic land is public but federally managed; BLM and Forest Service land has its own commercial filming permit rules distinct from state law.
Practical notes
- The Mighty 5 gateway state parks (Dead Horse Point, Goblin Valley, Snow Canyon) carry national-park-grade scenery with a state SUP process instead of an NPS one; they are the workaround when NPS permits are slow, not a way to skip permits.
- Moab-area shoots often straddle jurisdictions in a single day: city, Grand County, BLM, and state park ground each permit separately.
- Utah is one of the most film-permit-mature states; expect enforcement to be organized, especially around Moab and the Wasatch Front.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: