Do we need a permit for a small crew with no equipment?

Not always, and New York is one of the few places that says so plainly. Hand-held shooting with a small crew that does not assert exclusive use of city property — no equipment on the ground, no vehicles held, no pedestrian control — generally does not require a permit. The moment you place a tripod on the sidewalk, hold parking, or ask anyone to wait, you are asserting exclusive use and you are in permit territory, and the insurance follows the permit.

Our policy is in the loan-out’s name. Is that a problem?

Yes, if the application is in a different name. The office matches the named insured against the company name on the application, and a mismatch is one of the most common rejections. Decide which entity is applying before you buy the policy, and if you are working through a loan-out, be clear whether it is the applicant or a supplier to the applicant.

How does this compare to Los Angeles?

Both want a million for filming and the resemblance stops there. Los Angeles varies the limit by activity — stills are cheaper, drones and aircraft much more expensive — and names FilmLA as a second additional insured with the filing done through KwikComply. New York keeps one limit, names a specific endorsement form, and puts the certificate two days ahead of the application. A production shooting both cities needs one policy that satisfies both sets of wording, which is an easier conversation before the policy is bought than after.

What insurance does a New York City film permit require?

General liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, occurrence-based on a form at least as broad as ISO CG 00 01, with the City added as additional insured on CG 20 26 or CG 20 12 — and your broker must email the certificate, the broker certification and the endorsement itself to the Film Office 48 hours before you file the application. New York also sets a minimum financial strength rating for the insurer, which quietly rules out some policies that meet every other requirement.

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Tell us the situation.

A licensed human replies the same business day — not an auto-responder, and not five producers calling at once. We shop it across our carriers and tell you if the policy you already have is the right one.

We use this to quote and service your insurance, and we do not sell it or pass it to lead networks. Privacy policy.

The detail

New York City requires commercial general liability of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence in the name of the entity requesting the permit, and the Film Office may require more based on the project’s risks.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements
The policy must be occurrence based rather than claims made, on a form at least as broad as ISO form CG 00 01.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements
The City of New York, including its officials and employees, must be additional insured with coverage at least as broad as ISO form CG 20 26 or ISO form CG 20 12. A blanket endorsement, scheduled endorsement or policy provision is acceptable.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements
The insurer must carry an A.M. Best rating of at least A-/VII, a Standard and Poor’s rating of at least A, a Moody’s rating of at least A3, or a Fitch rating of at least A-.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements
At least 48 hours before the project application is filed, the broker or agent must email three documents to insurance@media.nyc.gov: a certificate of insurance, a certification of insurance broker or agent, and the additional insured endorsement or policy provision. The Film Office will not accept proof submitted by anyone who is not a broker or agent.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements
On the certificate, the Descriptions of Operations box must read: "The City of New York, including its officials and employees, is additional insured." The Certificate Holder box must show The City of New York, c/o Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, 1697 Broadway, Suite 602, New York, NY 10019.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements
The named insured must match the Company Name in the permit application exactly, including LLC, Corp or Inc and matching punctuation, and the broker or agent must sign the certificate.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements
Where New York State law requires them, workers compensation and disability benefits cover are evidenced on state forms U-26.3 or C-105.2 and DB-120.1, listing the same certificate holder.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements
The Film Office may waive or modify the general liability requirement where it imposes an unreasonable hardship, and a stated way to demonstrate that is a letter showing the policy would cost more than 25% of the project’s budget.
NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment — Insurance Requirements

What this means for you

THE CARRIER ITSELF HAS TO QUALIFY, and this is the requirement nobody expects. New York sets a minimum financial strength rating — A.M. Best A-/VII or the equivalent from S&P, Moody’s or Fitch. A policy that meets the limit, the form and the endorsement still fails if it was written by a carrier below that line, which quietly rules out some of the cheaper non-admitted markets. Check the rating before you buy, not after the certificate is rejected.
TWO FORM NUMBERS, NOT ONE. The policy has to be occurrence based and at least as broad as ISO CG 00 01, and the additional insured endorsement at least as broad as CG 20 26 or CG 20 12. A claims-made policy at a million satisfies the number and fails the requirement outright, and a certificate does not make that obvious.
YOUR BROKER SENDS IT, AND THEY SEND THREE THINGS. The certificate, a certification of insurance broker or agent, and the endorsement or policy provision itself — emailed to insurance@media.nyc.gov by the broker, because the Film Office will not accept proof from anyone else. A producer forwarding their own PDF has not filed.
THE WORDING IN THE BOXES IS SPECIFIED. The Descriptions of Operations box must read "The City of New York, including its officials and employees, is additional insured," and the Certificate Holder box carries the office’s full address. Close enough is not accepted.
THE NAMED INSURED MUST MATCH THE APPLICATION EXACTLY — down to LLC, Corp or Inc and the punctuation. This rejects more certificates than the limit does. A policy in the loan-out’s name against an application in the production company’s name is two different entities to the office.
FORTY-EIGHT HOURS BEFORE, NOT WITH. The submission is a precondition of applying rather than part of it, so the real deadline is two days earlier than most producers plan for.
THE HARDSHIP WAIVER IS REAL AND ALMOST NOBODY USES IT. If the policy would cost more than a quarter of the project’s budget — ordinary for a student film or a micro-budget short — you can ask for it to be waived or modified by letter.
STUDENTS GO THROUGH THEIR SCHOOL, with a letter on school letterhead confirming enrolment, the shoot dates and that the school’s cover extends to the production. Buying your own policy instead changes which project category you file under.

Need this handled?

We do the filings, and we place the accounts other brokers decline — lapsed authority, claims history, new ventures. Tell us the situation and a licensed human replies the same business day.