Participating productions can receive a 100% rebate of eligible costs paid directly to San Francisco City departments. This includes but is not limited to the following:

• Permits & Fees: Film SF, Fire Department, Recreation and Parks, Business License Registration Fee.
• Transportation & Parking: Rentals (Cable Car, Light Rail Vehicle, Streetcar, Bus), De-energizing Muni Lines, SFMTA Use of Image Fee, Muni Inspectors, Lane and Street closures, Use of SFMTA or city-owned garages, Lots, and Parking Meters, Parking Control Officers.
• Services: Street Cleaning, Water Meter, Streetlights.
• Police: Intermittent Traffic Control (ITC), Police Escort, Safety.
• Staffing Costs: Police Department, Municipal Transportation Agency, Sheriff's Office, Fire Department.
• Real Estate & Facilities: City Hall, Hall of Justice, San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco Airport (SFO), Port of San Francisco, Public Utilities Facilities, City-Owned Real Estate.
• Recreation and Parks: Parks, Plazas, and Recreational Facilities.
• Museums & Performing Arts: de Young Museum, Asian Art Museum, Legion of Honor, California Academy of Sciences, War Memorial Opera House, Herbst Theater, Davies Symphony Hall.
• Treasure Island (TIDA): Parking, Film Permit Fees, and City-Owned Facilities.

Participating productions can receive a 10% rebate on production-related goods and services purchased or rented from businesses located in San Francisco on the first $1 million spent and 20% on anything spent over $1 million. See here for a list of qualifying and non-qualifying expenditures. Details on required submission requirements are listed in Phase C Final Paperwork & Rebate Request Package.

Participating productions can receive a 10% rebate on eligible wages paid to verified San Francisco residents on the first $1 million spent and 20% on anything spent over $1 million. This includes Above the Line and Below the Line employees and is capped at $100,000 per employee.

Productions participating in the incentive program must provide skills training as part of the production’s engagement with the local community. This requirement can be fulfilled in several ways including:

• Hosting a talk or panel
• Facilitating a set visit
• Providing a hands-on workshop or demonstration
• Providing an internship

The Film Skills Training requirement ensures that the economic benefits of film production in San Francisco extend beyond short-term spending of productions to long-term workforce development, strengthening local talent pipelines and expanding access to careers in film, television, and digital media for San Francisco residents. Productions must provide proof of fulfillment of this requirement at Phase C: Final Paperwork & Rebate Request Package. Film SF will work closely with the production to coordinate and fulfill this requirement. 

Productions participating in the California Film Commission’s (CFC) Film & Television Tax Credit Program can fulfill their Career Readiness Program requirement through the Scene in San Francisco incentive program Film Skills Training requirement.

Productions participating in the state’s Tax Credit program are required to make a financial contribution to fund the CFC’s Career Pathways Training Program for individuals from underserved communities to receive training for careers in the industry. That donation can go to the California Department of Education, Foundation of California Community Colleges, or a non-profit of their choosing.

San Francisco’s First Source Hiring Program provides a ready supply of qualified workers to employers with hiring needs. It also gives residents the first opportunity to apply for entry level jobs in San Francisco. Productions must enter into a First Source Hiring Agreement and post entry-level positions and ultimately demonstrate good faith efforts to hire individuals through this program. Film SF will coordinate a meeting between the production and the City Employer Services team who can advise and assist productions on posting the Production’s open positions and hiring needs. Under the program, productions create a business profile on workforcelinksf.org, and upload the production job description(s). Productions schedule interviews with pre-screened candidates and inform Film SF about hiring status.

Productions participating in the Scene in San Francisco incentive program may receive a 100% rebate on real estate for film-related activities such as production offices, stage space, and more. If no City property is available or suitable, the production may enter into a private lease (minimum 30 days) with a third-party property owner and still receive a 100% rebate on the production’s rent. The guidelines below outline Film SF and Real Estate’s workflow as well as requirements for productions under the program.

Eligibility

The production office space requirement outlined in this document only applies if:

1. The production company requires office space; otherwise, this requirement is waived.
2. The production company is not based in San Francisco already. San Francisco-based production offices do not qualify for the 100% rebate on rent, however if the rent payment is made to a San Francisco registered business/landlord/entity, their rent is considered a Qualified Expenditure (QE) and qualifies for the 10-20% back, based on the production's spend in SF.

Additionally, if the production company is working on multiple projects at the same time, then they can submit an invoice for a portion of their rent for the project that is accepted into the incentive program from program acceptance through when they submit their final paperwork.

Uses

Real estate costs may be eligible for a 100% rebate for uses including but not limited to filming, production office, soundstage space, storage space, and production vehicle and crew parking. The following property types qualify so long as the property is located within San Francisco and/or it is City-owned and meets the City’s requirements. If there are no suitable City owned/operated property options, productions may explore third-party property options (more information below). Crew accommodations do not qualify for the rebate program at this time. The following types of property may be eligible under the rebate program:

• City-owned real estate
• Office buildings and businesses
• Warehouses
• Residential homes, apartments, and condos (e.g. filming the majority of the film in the residence as their “stage” and basing production offices elsewhere in the house)
• Hotels and motels for filming and office use only, not including accommodations
• Parking lots and garages
• Vacant land

Process

Participating productions must first contact Film SF to discuss their Real Estate needs. Film SF then consults with Real Estate and generates a short list of available City real estate options for the production to consider. Film SF coordinates tours/site visits for the production as needed.

Productions must provide at least two (2) months’ advance notice to Film SF prior to the start of any real estate use to allow Film SF to successfully aid the production’s efforts in securing space. Productions must submit the following information to Film SF at that time:

• Desired location
• Terms (month-to-month, etc.)
• Proposed start date and end date of the lease or occupancy
• Total number of people anticipated to use the space
• Square footage of the space being leased or occupied
• Parking needs, including number of spaces and duration
• Primary intended use of the space (e.g., production office, writers’ room, editorial, storage, stage)
• Any additional operational needs tied to the space (e.g., utilities, access requirements, security)

City Leases

If the production chooses a City-owned property option, Film SF will coordinate entering into a lease with the City and the production will need to provide a copy of the signed lease agreement when they submit their final documentation during Phase C of the incentive program and receive a 100% rebate on their rent.

Third-Party Property Leases

If there is no suitable City-owned option, the production may enter into a lease agreement with a third-party property owner and receive 100% back on the production’s rent. Productions must provide Film SF with information on the property they would like to rent including the monthly rental amount and address. Film SF will review the production’s proposed property option in consultation with the Real Estate Division and reply with approval to proceed or with any outstanding questions typically within a week. Productions seeking to use the incentive program for rent for third-party property will be required to sign Film SF’s Terms and Conditions for Filming on Private Property and attest that the production has exhausted City options and that there is no suitable city property available.

Productions must provide a copy of the signed lease agreement when they submit their final documentation during Phase C of the incentive program. The City reserves the right to request additional documentation from a production in its sole discretion.

Requirements

The leased space must be registered as a business in San Francisco, and the property must be located within the City and County of San Francisco or owned by the City. The amount of rent should be reasonable and fair market value. Space should not have any known, unresolved building code violations. Rent paid to a third-party property owner must be 30 days minimum and not exceed one year unless approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Real Estate is expected to be leased as-is, though minor tenant improvements may be permitted if necessary for production. Heavy construction or major capital improvements are discouraged. Any tenant improvements must comply with applicable laws.