Local's Guide To Filming

The District of Squamish is considered to be one of the most film-friendly municipalities in BC. This success has been achieved because of you ...residents who welcome and support safe and low impact filming to our community.

The film industry hires local talent and crew (of which there are many in Squamish); uses local services; purchases, eats and lodges locally; has a vested interest to work collaboratively with neighbourhoods so that they can return; and, as an industry, is invested in environmentally-responsible practices.

The District of Squamish Council supports the film industry in our community and recognizes the economic and social benefits realized. As such, it is the role of the District's Film & Events Department to monitor filming activity and address neighbourhood concerns. It is acknowledged that there may be some disruption to routines and the District of Squamish is grateful to residents and businesses for their patience and cooperation when film productions are working in Squamish.

Tips For Squamish Residents & Businesses

Here are some tips about when filming comes to your neighbourhood and/or business district.

1. Filming Must be Authorized by the District of Squamish. All filming that impacts the public and/or uses or occupies municipal land, rights-of-way or buildings must be authorized by the District of Squamish Film & Events Department. Permission may also be required by private land owners including BC Parks, Crown Properties, BC Rail Properties, and other private property land owners.
2. Notification of Proposed Filming. Every production is obligated to notify residents of upcoming filming in a neighbourhood by distributing a District-approved filming notification letter. The letter should be distributed approximately 2 days prior to the start of filming and contain information regarding the location and nature of the filming, proposed dates and times, and contact information.
3. Consent for Filming. Every production is obligated to obtain your written support for any proposed works, near your place of home or business, taking place outside of bylaw-stipulated work hours and/or when proposed work involves safety implications such as changed traffic patterns, road closures, use of special effects, etc. This support must be obtained from affected residents through a District-approved polling letter. The production is obligated to go door to-door to poll an area determined by the District to solicit input from residents either in support or not in support of the proposed filming. The production must then remit the completed polling to the District prior to their filming application being approved. A minimum of 75% of the polled area must support the proposed filming.
4. Crew Parking. Only essential production work vehicles will be considered by the District to be permitted to park on municipal streets. Productions must identify to the District a proposed off-site parking plan, such as authorized use of parking lots, private properties etc., as part of their filming application. Load-in and load-out filming activities must comply with the Noise Regulation Bylaw and occur between the hours of 8am and 10pm, 7 days a week. Fees apply to crew parking on municipal property. 
5. Working with Productions on Your Property. Property owners are responsible for negotiating the terms of use for their home and/or private property directly with the production company. The District remains external to these negotiations. We recommend that you ask the production company to provide you with a Location Agreement so that terms are clear for both yourself and the production. The Location Agreement should identify filming dates, start/end times, areas of the property to be used, and any additional conditions. Always ensure that only authorized production personnel are permitted on your property.
6. Registering Your Property for Future Filming. If you are a property owner and interested in having your property considered as a filming location, contact Creative BC at www.creativebc.com.  Creative BC hosts an extensive library of locations for the film industry to source.
7. Commendation and Complaints Register. The District logs complaints registered against a non-compliant film production. The information received is then reviewed and used to modify the District's Filming Policy and approval guidelines where issues need to be addressed / mitigated in the future.
8. Bylaw Infractions. When District-approved filming is permitted in your neighbourhood and when the permitted filming does not comply with municipal bylaws, you can contact our Bylaw Department for assistance at 604.815.5067 or bylaw@squamish.ca.
9. Who to Contact. The District's Film & Events Department is available during business hours at 604.815.4949 or FilmandEvents@squamish.ca . Every production has a Location Manager or Assistant Location Manager on-set during filming. If you require assistance, feel free to approach the crew and ask to speak with a Location Manager. The notification letter you received will also include a Location Manager and Production Office contact phone number.
10. Your Feedback is Encouraged. We want to hear from you! If you have questions, concerns or suggestions regarding filming, your feedback is encouraged and appreciated. Please email our Film & Events Department.