Before You Start Filming
Prince Edward County is home to farms, beaches, vineyards, resorts and charming rural communities. Offering a mix of publicly and privately owned options, our team is available to help permit holders through the film planning process.
Filming on public property in Prince Edward County requires a permit.
Before submitting a film permit application, production, location or technical staff should develop a list of locations of interest, as well as specific features required for your project. The municipality’s Economic Development Officer can help connect applicants to relevant contacts, identify permits that may be required, and suggest locations that may fit their needs.
Site visits by location scouts and technical production members encouraged.
Before You Apply
When appropriate, a pre-application consultation with production staff and relevant municipal staff will be set in order to review filming locations and needs, problem solve any issues, and ensure the applicant has the information needed to complete the application.
In instances where filming is proposed to take place in a County Museum, a municipally owned or managed property with heritage value or in the Wellington or Picton Heritage Conservation Districts, a member of the Cultural & Built Heritage Advisory Committee’s Permit Review Task Team may be invited to join this pre-application consultation to provide input.
Please note that the municipality does not manage Sandbanks, North Beach or Lake on the Mountain provincial parks.
Production Considerations
In order to ensure an efficient, effective and enjoyable filming experience for residents and business owners, etc., we ask that applicants maintain the following:
- Noise, light and traffic disruptions must be kept to a minimum;
- Unless otherwise arranged between the municipality and the film production company, film activities should not have an impact on the day-to-day activities of residents of Prince Edward County;
- Unless otherwise arranged between private businesses and the film production company, film activities should not impede business operations in Prince Edward County;
- Where pedestrian access is impacted, accessible alternative routes must be provided, with crew members assigned to direct pedestrian traffic;
- Cast and crew meals must be consumed in areas identified and approved in the Film Permit application;
- No alcoholic beverages are permitted within film areas;
- Designated smoking areas must be observed;
- All garbage, recycling or compost must be disposed of within proper receptacles;
- There is zero tolerance for abusive behaviour, inappropriate or inflammatory language;
- Access to public facilities may not be blocked by production vehicles unless previously arranged with the municipality;
- Access to private facilities may not be blocked by production vehicles unless previously arranged with the business owner / operator;
- To reduce waste, best efforts must be made to donate back to the community any materials that would otherwise be disposed of following the completion of filming.
Why Film in Prince Edward County?
“The County,” as it’s known, is a rural community dotted with heritage barns, working farms, active vineyards and charming towns and villages featuring historic homes and buildings. Surrounded by water, it is home to two of the province’s best beaches, and a wide range of natural features, from meandering rivers to birding sites to sheer limestone cliffs.
The County could be styled into many backdrops and periods, including:
- Agricultural Community
- Wine Region
- Midwestern Small Town
- Remote Coastal
- Historic Main Street
- Industrial Town
- Industrial Port Town
- Sailing / Yachting Coastal
Productions shot in Prince Edward County include:
- Drifting Snow (2021)
- Jump, Darling (2020)
- My Secret Valentine (2018)
- Haven (2010-2015)
- Dieppe (1993)
Current Productions
“The County” is an RTR Media production featuring County-based designer Sarah Keenleyside. The production is expected to film for approximately 70 days between June and October 2025. The 10-episode series will focus on Keenleyside’s renovation and highlight other heritage properties and community projects in Prince Edward County. The series is expected to air on HGTV Canada in 2026.
Film Permit Process
A film permit is required for all film activities that will take place on any public property, road, park, facility, beach, boat launch or other property with impact to public access. A film permit application is required for each location.
Applications require information related to the schedule of filming, size of cast and crew, equipment, location of production vehicles, parking required, special effects, set decoration or alterations, and a sketch or diagram of scenes to be shot at the location. Applications must be submitted with a Certificate of Insurance. Requirements for insurance are listed in the application.
An application must be submitted for each proposed filming location. Applications must be received a minimum of 15 business days in advance of the anticipated filming day. Applicants are advised to submit applications for large-scale film productions, or productions with multiple locations in a tight schedule, well in advance.
Separate permit applications, over and above the film permit application, may be required. A road closure or occupancy permit, for example, may be required.
A film permit may govern the following activities:
- Public road closures
- Use of public parks or facility rentals
- Use of public spaces
- Parking on public property for film activities
- Increased vehicular / pedestrian traffic on public roads due to film activities;
- Film activities that impact the public through the use of lighting / sound, etc.
Tax Credits
The Ontario Film & Television Tax Credit (OFTCC) is a refundable tax credit based upon eligible Ontario labour expenditures incurred by a qualifying production company with respect to an eligible Ontario production. More information along with other services can be found at the Ontario Media Development Corporation website.
OFTTC Regional Bonus is available for qualifying OFTTC productions that are shot in Ontario entirely outside of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), or that have at least five location days in Ontario (or in the case of a television series, the number of location days is at least equal to the number of episodes), and at least 85% of the location days in Ontario are outside the GTA. Eligible productions receive a 10% bonus on all Ontario labour expenditures incurred for the production. Wholly animated productions which create at least 85% of key animation in Ontario outside of the GTA qualify for the regional bonus.
The Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC) is a refundable tax credit to eligible Ontario-based Canadian and foreign-controlled corporations of 21.5% of qualified Ontario production expenditures for eligible film and television productions.
The Ontario Computer Animation & Special Effects (OCASE) Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit to Ontario-based Canadian and foreign-controlled corporations of 18% of qualifying Ontario labour expenditures for digital animation and digital visual effects created in Ontario for film and television productions.
Federal incentives like the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit can add up to a 16% labour tax credit, depending on the level of assistance the project received from provincial and other sources. This commonly works out to 2-4% when added with other incentives.
Film Policy & Permit Application
Filming Information for Residents & Businesses
Residents and business operators are welcome to list their properties as a filming location. These databases are regularly scouted by production teams and may be chosen to appear in film and television productions. Negotiations between property owners and film companies do not involve the Municipality.