Wisconsin
Wisconsin relaunched a state film office (Film Wisconsin) in 2026 for incentives, not permits; the DNR's $50 per-property Commercial Use Permit is what photographers actually encounter in state parks.
Guidance, not legal advice
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: Film Wisconsin (Office of Film and Creative Industries, Department of Tourism)
Cost: No general state permit; the DNR state park Commercial Use Permit is $50 per property
Wisconsin went years without a state film office; the 2025-27 state budget created the Office of Film and Creative Industries in the Department of Tourism, and the new office (Film Wisconsin) launched in 2026 with a film tax credit program. It handles incentives and coordination, not permits. The state does not require a general filming permit. On DNR lands, anyone doing commercial filming or photography at a state park, recreation area, or southern state forest must first obtain a Commercial Use Permit (Form 2200-128) from the property manager: $50, one property per permit, submitted at least two weeks ahead. The DNR has actively reminded professional portrait photographers that this applies to them.
Drone / airspace
Legal under FAA rules; commercial drone work requires FAA Part 107
Commercial drone work requires FAA Part 107. 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
County and city parks (Milwaukee County, Madison) run their own photography permit schemes separate from the DNR's.
Practical notes
- The per-property rule is the gotcha: a photographer working Devil's Lake and Peninsula State Park needs two separate $50 permits, not one.
- Devil's Lake is the busiest state park and the most likely place a working photographer gets asked for the permit.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: