Film Incentive Program

Save time. Save Money. keep Rolling.

Since 2009, the Santa Clarita City Council has funded the Film Incentive Program (FIP) to keep feature and television production right here in L.A. County. The program subsidizes permit fees and, where possible, reduces the cost of safety personnel for qualifying productions filming in the City of Santa Clarita.

The program refunds basic film permit fees and a portion of hotel occupancy taxes to qualifying productions, up to $60,000 per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). Applications are accepted and subsidies allocated first come, first served, with productions based in the City given first priority.

OPTION 1

Locally Based & Recurring Productions

City refunds basic permit fees to productions based at an approved SCV location for at least four consecutive weeks, or that pull three or more City film permits within a specified period.

Refund: Basic permit fee(s)

OPTION 2

CA Film & TV Tax Credit Approved

City refunds the basic film permit fee(s) to any production project approved for the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program — no minimum shoot length required.

Refund: Basic permit fee(s)

OPTION 3

Occupancy at
City Hotels

City refunds 50% of Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT) collected within the City, not to exceed 5% of room cost, to productions that book hotel nights in the City and film in SCV.

Refund: 50% of TOT, capped at 5%

Three ways to qualify

Option 1: Locally Based & Recurring Productions

Eligible Production Types

Cast, crew, and extra counts must be 30 and over to qualify

Feature Length Films

Episodic TV Series

Feature Length Films

TV Pilots

TV Movies / Miniseries

Commercials

Music Videos

Web Content

Short Films

Competition Shows

Reality TV

Home Improvement

Not eligible under Option 1: news programs, current events or public affairs programs, interview or talk shows, game shows, cooking shows, sporting events, awards shows, productions that solicit funds, industrial and corporate films, programs over 50% stock footage, variety programs, daytime dramas, student films, non-profit productions, and any production subject to recordkeeping under 18 U.S.C. § 2257 (sexually explicit conduct).

Option 2: CA Film & TV Tax Credit Approved Programs

Productions approved for the California Film Commission Film & Television Tax Credit Program automatically qualify for a City permit fee refund. Check your production’s eligibility directly with the state: Visit the CA Film & TV Tax Credit Program →

Option 3: Occupancy at City Hotels

The City will refund 50% of Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT) collected within the City, not to exceed 5% of room cost, to productions that:

Purchase a minimum of 20 room nights within a 30-day period at a hotel located within the City, and
Film at an approved location within the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV).

SCV zip codes covered: 91321, 91350, 91351, 91354, 91355, 91381, 91382, 91383, 91384, 91387, 91390, 93510

Find Production-Friendly Hotels

Recent qualifying productions

Think your production qualifies?

Applications are accepted on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis. Reach out to the Santa Clarita Film Office to confirm eligibility before the fiscal-year cap is reached