Film Pickering

Our Film Location Permit fee for City of Pickering road occupancy is a flat rate of $250 plus HST. This fee can cover multiple locations over multiple days, provided the occupancy relates to a single film activity occurring over consecutive days.

Just submit the completed Film Location Permit Form that will automatically be sent to our Film Liaison Office by email.

If your plan includes use a City owned facility or public park, we'll connect you to the right staff for issuance of a Facility Rental Agreement or Park Rental Permit.

Questions or concerns about your Film Location Permit?  Contact our Film Liaison Office directly at 905.420.4617.  We're here to help.

Use of SPFX that are fire or incendiary-based must be reviewed by the City of Pickering, Fire Prevention Office.  Fire Services staff will determine if the activity requires a Fire Services permit and attendance on site by our Pickering Fire Service team, or whether certified SPFX personnel contracted by the film production company can be used. (Note: if City of Pickering Fire personnel are required, but not available, no other private fire service or personnel will be allowed as a substitute.)

Non-incendiary SPFX such as gunfire no longer requires on site attendance by Durham Region Police Services tactical teams. However, details of the SPFX explosives or gunfire must be reported to the City of Pickering Film Liaison Office as well as the Durham Region Police services, prior to commencement of filming.

Pickering offers an eclectic mix of locations, including open, rural countryside with rolling farmlands, country side roads, and miles of pristine hiking trails. If you're looking for a faster pace, take a look at our emerging, City Centre. Need something more breezy? Pickering's Nautical Village features an intimate waterfront community on the shores of Frenchman's Bay and Lake Ontario.

Heritage spirit abounds in Pickering. Home of the largest living history museum in Durham Region, the buildings and streetscapes of our Pickering Museum Village will transport you back to the 19th century. And don't forget to take a look at our heritage protected hamlets.

Map & Description of Village Buildings

Take a walk through time. The Pickering Museum Village brings the Canadian settler experience to life. It is the largest living history museum in Durham, and a cherished historical secret that we've shared with residents, visitors and the film industry for many years.

The village is nestled on the banks of Duffins Creek in the quaint hamlet of Greenwood, providing a truly distinct setting. Whether you need heritage accuracy, or a timeless 'backwoods' environment, Pickering Museum Village can provide it.  Supported by space for greenroom, craft services and parking, this enchanting place offers infinite possibilities for your film vision.

Forested paths lead into a scenic streetscape that winds through the village's 20 heritage buildings dating from as early as 1810, including a blacksmith's shop, log barn and house, school house, temperance hotel, steam barn and chapel. White picket fences and period gardens lace the dusty street corners where the orchards and apple trees grow wild. The beautiful streetscape of perfectly preserved and restored historical buildings with broad verandas and rustic porches are accompanied by a lush green countryside dotted with wildflowers.

Filming fees start at:

$90 per hour +HST for set/strike

$200 per hour +HST for 14 hours of active filming

$275 per hour +HST for active filming after 14 hours

These fees include an on-site museum staff person to ensure your experience runs smoothly. Extra staff deemed necessary to manage the site will be invoiced at $40 per hour per staff member.

Pickering is dotted with vintage hamlets and surrounded by natural beauty. We've retained all the charm and character of a small town, while making huge strides in maturing as a city.

The special character of the Hamlet of Whitevale has been maintained and enhanced since its settlement in the early 1800's. The hamlet, located along the banks of Duffin's Creek, provides a distinctive setting with much of the original Victorian influenced architecture still in place. Filming activities in the Hamlet of Whitevale are overseen by the City of Pickering as well as the Whitevale & District Residents Association.  Consult the guidelines below for further information.

Read the Whitevale Filming Guidelines