Permits

Photography permits in South Australia.

This page covers one authority: SA Parks. It asks whether you are being paid, not how big the crew is. So a paid two-person portrait session needs approval just like a film crew does.

Check a different place

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Cost: They do not publish a figure.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.

What to have ready

An application emailed to DEW.CTOandFilming@sa.gov.au
A read of the Guidelines for Commercial Filming and Photography in Parks, which the permit is granted against

Also check

Their page defines commercial as promoting a product or service, or making money from the images. It doesn't say whether personal work needs a permit, so don't assume it doesn't.
Section 35 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 is the rule behind it.

Apply on their site

Figures checked on 12 September 2026 against their website. Authorities change fees without notice, so check before you 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 page doesn't cover. Confirm with the authority before you book the job.

Council land

Most photographers forget about council land.

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.

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.

Know a South Australia authority we’ve missed, or seen a fee change? Tell us and we’ll check their page and update the card.

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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