Insurance Requirements for Film Permits and Premiere Permits

You must prove that your production carries commercial general liability (CGL) insurance to obtain a premiere permit or a film permit (unless you are a student or the Film Office grants a waiver, see below). The Film Office may require you to obtain an additional type(s) of insurance depending on your project.

CGL Insurance Requirements:

Amount and Named Insured: You must maintain CGL insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence in the name of the entity requesting a film permit. This means that the company name in the application must match the named insured’s name in the CGL insurance policy. The Film Office may require more insurance based on your project’s risks.
Policy Form: The policy mut be “occurrence based” not “claims made” and the policy form must be at least as broad as ISO form CG 00 01.
Financial Strength Rating: The insurance policy must be issued by a company that has an A.M. Best rating of at least A-/VII, a Standard and Poor’s rating of at least A, a Moody’s Investors Service rating of at least A3, a Fitch Ratings rating of at least A-.
Additional Insured: The City of New York, including its officials and employees, must be additional insured with coverage at least as broad as ISO form CG 20 26 or ISO form CG 20 12. A blanket endorsement, scheduled endorsement, or policy provision is acceptable.

Proof of Insurance:

How to Submit Proof: At least 48 hours before you file your project application, your insurance broker or agent must email a certificate of insurance (COI), a certification of insurance broker or agent, and an additional insured endorsement or policy provision to the Film Office at insurance@media.nyc.gov. The Film Office will not accept proof submitted from someone who is not a broker or agent.
Additional Insured: On the COI, the Descriptions of Operations box must say: “The City of New York, including its officials and employees, is additional insured.” (If your broker or agent is unable to do this, please contact the Film Office at insurance@media.nyc.gov for alternative instructions.
Certificate Holder: The Certificate Holder box must say:
The City of New York
c/o Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment
1697 Broadway, Suite 602
New York, NY 10019
Named Insured: The named insured on the certificate of insurance must match the “Company Name” in the permit application exactly. (For example, it must include “LLC” “Corp” or “Inc” as applicable, and the punctuation should be the same.) The Company’s address must be included.
Insurance Broker or Agent: The name of your insurance company and the name of the broker or agent and their phone number and address must be included. The broker or agent must sign the certificate of insurance.
Amount: The per occurrence limit must be at least $1,000,000 unless the Film Office requires you to carry more.
Policy Number/Dates of Coverage: The policy number and dates of coverage must be included. The dates of coverage must include all dates covered by your project application; if it does not, you must provide a new certificate of insurance at least 10 days before expiration.

In addition, under New York State Law, you may be required to maintain and prove that you have Worker’s Compensation and Disability Benefits/Paid Family Leave Benefits Insurance. If you are required, the certificates of insurance for these coverages should be on forms U-26.3 or C-105.2 and DB-120.1 and list the following as the certificate holder: The City of New York c/o Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment; 1697 Broadway, Suite 602; New York, NY 10019.

Requesting a Waiver or Modification:

The Film Office can waive or modify the CGL insurance requirement for film permits if it imposes an unreasonable hardship. To request a waiver or modification, you must demonstrate why it is a hardship. You can do this by providing a letter explaining that a CGL insurance policy costs more than 25% of your project’s budget. The Film Office may reject your request based on risks and other factors.

Students:

You must obtain a letter from your school, on the school’s letterhead, stating your name, confirming that you are a current student in good standing, listing the date(s) of the shoot, stating that the CGL covers the student’s production activity, and signed by an authorized representative from the school.

If your school is not in New York City, please ask insurance@media.nyc.gov if we have proof from your school.
If you purchased your own insurance and you are not using a school’s insurance, in the project application, select “Feature Film” instead of “Student” as your Project Category. Then from the sub-category select "Short".

Insurance Brokers and/or Agents:

The following is an alphabetical list of insurance brokers or agents that provide CGL insurance for entertainment operations. It is not an endorsement of the insurance brokers or agents, and you must do your own diligence to find a broker or agent who can provide suitable insurance. (If you are an insurance broker or agent who serves the film and TV industry and you wish to be placed on the list, please contact insurance@media.nyc.gov.)

American Agents & Brokers, Inc.
NYS License No. 627434
19 Fulton Street, Suite 308A
New York, NY 10038
(212) 349-3390

Film Emporium
NYS License No. 1001302
274 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(212) 683-2433

General Marine Inc.
NYS License No. 791063
1325 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2800
New York, NY 10019
(212) 348-9333

Honig Conte Porrino Insurance Agency, Inc.
NYS License No. 1014221
129 West 27th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 777-7113

HSBC Insurance Agency (USA) Inc.
NYS License No. 890941
452 Fifth Avenue 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10018
(866) 543-3877

Marsh McLennan Agency
NYS License No. 1111237
1166 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
(212) 345-2600

Taylor & Taylor Associates, Inc.
NYS License No. 653360
271 Madison Avenue 5th Floor
New York, NY 10016
(212) 490-8511