Filming in Surrey
Learn how to film your next big production in Surrey and surrounding areas.
Perfectly situated in Metro Vancouver, Surrey offers stunning scenes, vibrant communities, world-class facilities and a location close to downtown Vancouver and the US border. Surrey is a film-friendly city that offers a one-stop shop for productions, a wide array of support industries and top-notch talent. The City is also approximately within a 30 minute drive to major film studios.
Film permit guidelines & applications
Surrey welcomes and supports all types of filming in the City. Our Film Office will work with your production to meet your needs. Surrey’s diverse landscape, resources and competitive fee structure make the City an appealing place to film your next production.
Application process
The Film Office will work with all productions throughout the approval process. To film your production in Surrey, follow these steps:
- Read the City’s Filming Guidelines
- Contact the Film Office at 604-598-5759 or at filming@surrey.ca
- Determine the best location for filming (See below for some suggestions)
- Complete and submit these documents to the Film Office:
- Distribute a notification letter. Neighbourhoods (residential and commercial) in which filming will take place should receive notification with at least two full business days to provide feedback. The notification must be on the City approved Notification Letter Template and sent to the Surrey Film Office for approval prior to distribution
The application process may take up to 2 weeks. Once your application is approved, a film permit is required on site at all times.
Filming fees
| Fee type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Filming Permit | $282 |
| Electrical Permit | $136 |
| Fire Hydrant Permit | $200 + $182 per day water rates |
| Road Obstructions / Closures | $175 |
| Road Use | $250 |
| City Block Parking | $267 per side per day |
| City Lot Parking | $500 - $1500 per day (dependent upon the parking lot) |
| City Parks | Available upon request (dependent upon the park) |
| City Facilities | Available upon request (dependent upon the facility) |
| Commercial Photography | $80 |
Fire and police filming fees
| Fee type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Pumper & Staff | $1168.50 per hour (4 hour minimum call) |
| Ladder & Staff | $1718.50 per hour (4 hour minimum call) |
| 1 Police officer | $153.20 per hour (4 hour minimum call) |
An administration fee of 15% will be added to the final invoice (GST #R121 391 882).
Clean energy incentive
Productions that eliminate a large-scale diesel generator (400A or greater) by tying into the City’s available house power will receive $500 off their location fee while filming at a civic location such as a swimming pool.
Inform the Surrey Film Office if you are interested in using the City’s house power and they will let you know if there is a tie-in option.
Student filming
The City supports and encourages the growth of the BC and Canadian film industries and will waive the cost of the Film Permit for non-profits, public service announcements or student productions.
For more information on student filming in Surrey, contact us or complete the Student Filming Application.
Productions filmed in Surrey
Surrey has hosted a variety of TV series, TV movies, feature films, Bollywood films, commercials, and other types of film productions over the past few years. Our diverse backdrop has played a key role in some memorable feature film productions, such as the Twilight series, A-Team, Blade, Juno, Skyscraper, and Sonic the Hedgehog.
The City has also been part of many TV productions, such as Altered Carbon, Riverdale, The Good Doctor, A Million Little Things, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Smallville, Psych, Supernatural, and Once Upon a Time.
Use our Interactive Story Map to learn which locations in Surrey were used by TV Series, commercials, and feature films. To find out about productions currently shooting in BC, see Creative BC's Film List.
Popular filming locations
Surrey offers a wide array of filming locations including modern urban developments, a downtown core, industrial landscapes, farmland and lush green parks.
Use our Filming Locations Map to learn more about the most popular film sets, or take a virtual tour of some of our top filming locations:
Register your home or business as a filming location
Your property could have a starring role as a film location in a movie, commercial or TV show. The financial rewards can be significant, depending on the type of project, its budget, your property, and the amount of space that will be used.
Register Your Property or Business
Contact the Film Office
The Film Office is the first point of contact for production filming in Surrey. Film Office staff are familiar with the film industry and play an integral role in accommodating and supporting productions in the City.
For more information on filming in Surrey, contact the Film Office at 604-598-5759 or filming@surrey.ca.