Permits

Photography permits in Western Australia.

This page covers one authority: WA Parks (DBCA). 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.

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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.

What to have ready

Evidence of your public liability cover at the time you apply
A signed indemnity deed
At least four weeks between applying and your shoot

Also check

Regulation 108 of the Conservation and Land Management Regulations 2002 is the rule that catches commercial photography here.

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 Western 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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