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Do you need a permit to photograph there?

Answer two questions to see who manages the land, what the permit is called, what it costs and how far ahead to apply. It covers twelve authorities across Australia and New Zealand. Every figure comes from the authority's own website, and each card shows the date we checked it.

Every authority we have checked

Twelve authorities across Australia and New Zealand.

Pick a place and a land type above to see only the ones that apply.

Use this as a starting point, not as advice. We took each figure from the authority's website on the date shown. Fees and rules change without notice, and your shoot may have details this form doesn't ask about. Confirm with the authority before you book the job.

New South Wales

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

Every national park and reserve in New South Wales, including the beaches and headlands inside them.

Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.

Permit name
Filming and photography application
Cost
Set by a published fee schedule rather than a flat rate. The application fee is non-refundable and payable before anyone reviews your application, except on small-scale projects, where no application fee applies at all.
Lead time
At least 7 business days for a low-impact shoot, at least 10 for medium and high impact.
Public liability
$10 million public liability

If it is just you Small-scale is a published project type and it carries no application fee. It means one camera operator and one assistant, no talent, at most one vehicle and no structures.

Apply on their site Everything you need for New South Wales

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Botanic Gardens of Sydney

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and The Domain, the Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan, and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah.

A permit is needed for professional photography here, every time.

Permit name
Wedding and engagement photography permit
Cost
$380 for a two-hour permit at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and The Domain. $315 at Mount Annan and Mount Tomah. $320 rather than $380 if you are already hiring a venue, and included at no extra cost with several of them, including Harbour View Lawn, Tarpeian Lawn, The Calyx and Lion Gate Lodge.
Lead time
Not published on their page.
Public liability
Not stated on their page.
Apply on their site Everything you need for New South Wales

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

City of Sydney

Streets, parks and public space inside the City of Sydney local government area.

Ask first. A small handheld shoot often needs nothing at all here.

Permit name
Filming or photography permit
Cost
Low impact stills: a $100 application fee plus a $180 approval fee. Applying late costs $450. A shoot of six or fewer people in total, using minimal handheld gear, needs no application at all.
Lead time
At least 5 full business days for low impact. Late applications are declined unless the circumstances are genuinely exceptional.
Public liability
$10 million for stills shoots

If it is just you Six or fewer people in total, cast and crew counted, with minimal handheld gear: as a rule one camera and one handheld light, and nothing placed on the ground. That needs no application at all.

Apply on their site Everything you need for New South Wales

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Waverley Council

Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches and the surrounding streets and parks.

Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.

Permit name
Photography Permit, lodged through their online booking system
Cost
No hourly charge for one to three people. Their schedule also lists a $264 administration fee for commercial photography. The schedule lists the $264 administration fee above the crew-size tiers, and lists one to three people as no fee, without saying whether the administration fee still applies to that smallest tier. Ring them on 0434 855 115 before assuming a solo shoot is free.
Lead time
Commercial photography applications are wanted 5 to 10 working days ahead. Nothing can go ahead until the permit is issued.
Public liability
$10 million Australian public liability, with Waverley Council named as an interested party.

If it is just you One to three people pay no hourly location fee, at Bondi and everywhere else in the council area. The approval and the insurance are still required.

Apply on their site Everything you need for New South Wales

Figures checked on 13 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

New Zealand

Department of Conservation

All public conservation land in New Zealand, which is roughly a third of the country.

Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.

Permit name
Concession, not a permit
Cost
An application processing fee starting at $930 plus GST, then a location fee of $500 a day plus $25 per crew member per day, both also plus GST, for commercial stills. The daily charge is halved if you are on site five hours or less. Members of the Screen Producers and Directors Association take a further 10 per cent off the location rentals. The processing fee is charged on the staff time your application takes, so $930 is a floor rather than a price.
Lead time
One-off applications are quicker, but DOC says a complex application can take months.
Public liability
Not stated on their page.
Apply on their site Everything you need for New Zealand

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Northern Territory

Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife

Territory parks and reserves in the Northern Territory.

Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.

Permit name
Trade and commerce permit for commercial photos and filming
Cost
$55 is the minimum fee. More is charged for non-standard photography at short notice, for work that has to be supervised by Parks and Wildlife staff or Traditional Owners, and for feature films and major projects.
Lead time
They do not publish one.
Public liability
$10 million all risks public liability, but only where the shoot has a crew of three or more, uses sets, props or unusual vehicles, has paid models, flies an aircraft, or poses an unusual risk.

If it is just you The Territory lists conditions under which no permit is needed. The work is standard photography and not for advertising. There are no sets or props, no crew or paid models, and no risk to the public or the park. That may cover an ordinary client portrait session. But the same page defines commercial as for money, so ring the Permits and Concessions office before you rely on it.

Apply on their site Everything you need for Northern Territory

Figures checked on 13 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Queensland

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service

National parks, conservation parks, recreation areas and state forests across Queensland.

Everyone lodges a notification. Bigger shoots need a permit as well.

Permit name
Filming and photography notification, plus a commercial activity permit for larger shoots
Cost
From 1 July 2026: a shoot of 11 or more people with no structures pays a $434.60 application fee and $217.90 for each day. Shoots using structures pay $217.90 to $4,356.00 to apply, on a scale by crew size, with a daily fee at the same rate. A small shoot that only needs the notification does not pay these fees.
Lead time
The notification must be lodged at least 14 days before you enter the park.
Public liability
$20 million public liability for permit holders

If it is just you Ten or fewer people with no structures needs only the free notification, not a permit. That is most portrait and wedding work.

Apply on their site Everything you need for Queensland

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

South Australia

Department for Climate, Environment and Water

National parks and reserves across South Australia.

Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.

Permit name
One-off projects filming and photography permit
Cost
They do not publish a figure. South Australia does not publish a fee schedule on its permit pages. Email DEW.CTOandFilming@sa.gov.au for a figure.
Lead time
At least 21 days is recommended, and late fees apply to anything lodged inside 14 days.
Public liability
Not stated on their page.
Apply on their site Everything you need for South Australia

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Tasmania

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart.

A permit is needed for professional photography here, every time.

Permit name
Professional photography permit
Cost
$160 per booking, including GST.
Lead time
At least 7 days before the shoot.
Public liability
Not stated on their page.
Apply on their site Everything you need for Tasmania

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service

National parks and reserves across Tasmania.

Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.

Permit name
Enthusiast Business Licence for small operators, or a Commercial Filming Licence for everything else
Cost
$100 including GST for the Enthusiast Business Licence. The Commercial Filming Licence is $440 including GST for up to 8 people, plus $55 for every extra person.
Lead time
At least 7 business days for the Enthusiast Business Licence, and at least 21 business days for the Commercial Filming Licence.
Public liability
None for the Enthusiast Business Licence. The Commercial Filming Licence needs $20 million, naming the Crown in Right of Tasmania as an interested party.

If it is just you The Enthusiast Business Licence: $100 including GST, valid up to 24 months, with no public liability insurance required. Handheld cameras, accessories and tripods only, and no drones. It is written for social content, stock, books and gallery work, so confirm with them whether a client shoot fits before relying on it.

Apply on their site Everything you need for Tasmania

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Victoria

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Melbourne Gardens and Cranbourne Gardens.

A permit is needed for professional photography here, every time.

Permit name
Wedding photography permit, or a commercial photography permit for everything else
Cost
Commercial photography runs by the hour: $165 low impact, $235 medium, $276 high. Add a non-refundable $108 application fee, and $54 an hour for a site representative with a two-hour minimum. Every figure includes GST. Wedding photography is a separate permit and they do not publish its fee. Email venues@rbg.vic.gov.au for Melbourne Gardens.
Lead time
Three business days for a low-impact shoot, seven for medium, 15 for high impact.
Public liability
Not stated on their page.

If it is just you Low impact is the cheapest commercial tier at $165 an hour, still on top of the $108 application fee.

Apply on their site Everything you need for Victoria

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Western Australia

Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

All land managed under the CALM Act in Western Australia, which is most of the state's parks and reserves.

Written permission is needed once you are being paid for the photos.

Permit name
Commercial filming authority
Cost
A non-refundable application fee of $117, plus a stills access charge of $137.50 for a half day of five hours, $275 for a full day, or $1,100 for three days or more. Fees can be waived where the shoot benefits Western Australia's natural or cultural environment, or is sponsored by Tourism Western Australia. Assessed case by case.
Lead time
Submit at least four weeks before your shoot dates.
Public liability
AU$10 million per event

If it is just you The smallest stills tier is a half day of five hours at $137.50, on top of the $117 application fee.

Apply on their site Everything you need for Western Australia

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you apply.

Council land

Most photographers forget about council land.

Councils manage beaches, foreshores, suburban parks and streets, which is where most portrait sessions happen. Nearly all of them want you to get approval for paid photography.

The fee is often nothing. Councils usually charge by crew size, and a portrait session with one photographer normally falls in the smallest tier, which is often free. You still need the approval, even when it costs nothing.

The pattern, nearly everywhere

  • Approval is needed once you are being paid, even for a two-person shoot.
  • Fees scale by crew size, and the smallest tier is often free.
  • Public liability cover of $10 million is the common ask, and some councils want to be named on the certificate.
  • Five business days is a common minimum, and many councils decline late applications.
  • Private property is up to the owner, not the council.

Finding yours

  • Search the council name plus the words filming and photography. Most publish under filming even when your shoot is stills only.
  • If the land is a beach or a foreshore, check whether it is inside a national park first. Park rules take priority and the fees are higher.
  • Ring the council before you apply. They'll tell you if the land isn't theirs, so you don't apply to the wrong one.

By state

A page for each state and New Zealand, with what to prepare before you apply.

New South Wales

NSW National Parks, Botanic Gardens of Sydney, City of Sydney, Waverley Council (Bondi)

New Zealand

DOC (New Zealand)

Northern Territory

NT Parks

Queensland

Queensland Parks

South Australia

SA Parks

Tasmania

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Tasmania Parks

Victoria

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Western Australia

WA Parks (DBCA)

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about photography permits

What photographers ask before a paid shoot on public land.

Does a paid portrait session really need a permit?

On public land, usually yes. Almost every authority here asks whether you are being paid, not how big the crew is or what gear you bring. So a paid two-person session needs approval just like a film crew does. The size of the shoot changes the fee, not whether you need a permit.

What happens if I shoot without one?

Usually a ranger or council officer asks you to stop, and you lose the session and some of the client's goodwill. Every jurisdiction here can also fine you. Some authorities charge more for a late application than an on-time one, so applying early is the cheapest option.

Is a permit needed for personal or hobby photography?

Generally no. The Northern Territory says so directly on its page. The others define commercial work as being paid for the photos, or using them to promote a product or service.

Who manages the beach I want to shoot on?

Check whether it is inside a national park before you assume it belongs to the council. Park rules take priority, and park fees are usually higher. If you can't tell, ring the council. They'll tell you if the land isn't theirs, so you don't apply to the wrong one.

Are these figures current?

Every card shows the date we checked the authority's website, and links to that page. Authorities change fees without notice, and several do it on 1 July. Look at the date, and confirm with the authority before you apply.

Why are some figures blank?

Because the authority doesn't publish them. South Australia, for example, quotes its fee by email instead of on its website. We leave the field empty rather than borrow a number from another state, because a wrong fee is worse than none.

Can I rely on this?

Not on its own. Use it to find out who manages the land and roughly what to expect. Then confirm the details with the authority before you book. We have no relationship with any of these authorities, and we don't lodge applications for you.

What about drones?

This tool doesn't cover them. Drones need their own CASA registration, operator accreditation and remote pilot licence. Several of the authorities here also ban drones outright, whatever CASA allows.

Do I need this if I am shooting at a venue?

No. Private property is up to the owner, not a government body. Ask the venue early, because some charge their own photography fee and a few only allow one photographer.

Permit sorted? Tellisto handles the rest.

Tellisto handles everything after it: the booking, the GST invoice, the gallery under your own name. Free plan, zero commission.

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