The City is home to a major production studio and is an attractive site for film productions of many types. The City boasts a beautiful picturesque 3.8 square mile beach town with a breathtaking 2.1 mile ocean front with a Pier and Roundhouse. 

The City of Manhattan Beach requires that any person engaged in the business or activity of filming, video taping or otherwise producing motion pictures or still photography for television or public exhibition at any place within the City, other than at or in an established motion picture studio, must first obtain a motion picture or still photography permit. Filming on the Beach/Sand will require an additional permit; please contact the Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors. 

Filming in a City Park or Facility will require adherence to City Parks - Policies and Procedures.  Certain filming activity that impact traffic requires a traffic control plan which must accompany the film permit application and be reviewed by the City's Traffic Engineering (fees will apply based on the amount of time spent to review and approve the traffic plan).

Beginning May 1, 2026, FilmLA will oversee the processing of all commercial Photography and Film Permits for the City of Manhattan Beach as part of a one-year pilot program. For more information, visit FilmLA.