Travelling grid permits are issued for scenes involving picture vehicles "travelling" on various City of Toronto streets within a specific north, south, east and west boundary (e.g. Bloor St / Lake Front / Parliament St / Bathurst St). Picture vehicles with a camera mount and/ or those mounted on a tow-rig with the director, camera man, lighting and sound crew positioned on the vehicle towing the picture car, require the supervision of Paid Duty Officers.

Unless specific arrangements have been made in advance, travelling grid permits do not permit filming in City parks, in residential areas between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. or on highways or expressways.

The phraseology used by the TFTO on the location filming permit is "picture vehicle travel shot, camera on mount / on tow rig, integrated with normal traffic flow in the area bounded by "A" Street / "B" Street / "C" Street & "D" Street, under PDO supervision".

Travelling shots / grid permits are used primarily for filming that is taking place "on the move". Should your production require intermittent traffic stoppages (to a maximum of three minutes, also under Paid Duty Officer supervision, and exclusive of posted rush hour / clearway routes) this must be requested on your application and noted on the location filming permit.

Toronto Landmarks / Toronto Downtown Core
These permits are usually issued to tourism type shows that are taking "beauty shots" of Toronto. They usually involve the show's host speaking to a camera that is hand-held or mounted on a tripod. Sometimes a member of Tourism Ontario/Toronto is with the crew. In every case the cast and crew is less than 6 in number and they have a rental vehicle which they park in legal parking spaces or in a public lot.

The location for this type of permit is usually given as "Toronto - Landmarks" or "Toronto - Downtown Core". As with a travelling grid permit, this permit does not include permission to film in Toronto City Parks; TFTO staff must obtain approval for filming to take place in parks.

Private Property
With all the above types of location filming permits filming on privately owned property must be negotiated between the production company and the owner of the property.

Not Sure? Call us - 416-338-FILM (3456)
The general 'rule of thumb' is that one location filming permit is issued for each location. If you are not sure if you require a specific location filming permit or if filming can be facilitated with a travelling shot or grid permit or Toronto Landmarks permit, please feel free to contact the TFTO to discuss your shot with staff at 416-338-FILM (3456).

Download the Travelling shot / Grid permits (PDF)

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