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FILM PERMITTING and INFORMATION DONNER SUMMIT/SUMMIT BRIDGE/DONNER PASS ROAD AREA

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FILM PERMITTING and INFORMATION DONNER SUMMIT/SUMMIT BRIDGE/DONNER PASS ROAD AREA FILM PERMITTING and INFORMATION DONNER SUMMIT/SUMMIT BRIDGE/DONNER PASS ROAD AREA Some sections of Donner Pass Road are in Placer County; some are in Nevada County (FYI-Nevada County is in California). Please call the Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office to confirm which parts of the road you plan to use and we can help determine what permits you will need: 530-889-4091. The name of the road changes to Hampshire Rocks Road in the last couple of miles at the western terminus of Donner Pass Road, near the Cisco Grove exit at I-80. The land on either side of the roadway near Summit Bridge (A.K.A. Rainbow Bridge) has both private and public owners. Please pinpoint (preferably with GPS readings) where you want to establish base camp, film sites, place camera set-ups, and staging areas well in advance to determine appropriate permitting jurisdictions. Use of drones for commercial filming above roadway, bridge, turnouts, shoulders and land beyond must comply with all FAA regulations and any specific jurisdictional requirements. There are two areas to keep in mind when obtaining permission and permits to filming in this area. These can be most easily thought of as ‘On the road’ (Donner Pass Road and shoulder plus the turn-out next to the bridge), and ‘Off the road’ (property on either side of Donner Pass Road). 1. ON THE ROAD DONNER PASS ROAD –This road weaves in and out of both Placer and Nevada County. Please pinpoint what sections of road you plan to use to determine what permits and permissions to obtain. A. PLACER COUNTY sections of Donner Pass Road start just west of the Mt Judah entrance to Sugar Bowl Ski Resort (A.K.A. Sugar Bowl Road), and various stretches west, to the western terminus of the road at Cisco Grove exit at I-80 where the name changes to Hampshire Rocks Road. 1) PLACER COUNTY FILM PERMIT: FREE http://www.placer.ca.gov/departments/ceo/econdev/placerltfilmofc/filmpermits Required when you’re shooting in Placer County Traffic control requires longer lead times and signage to be posted. Beverly Lewis, Director Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office 530-889-4091 [email protected] B. NEVADA COUNTY section of the road includes the top of the Pass, Summit Bridge, and the turn- out/vista point adjacent to the bridge, eastward down to Donner Lake. Also other places. Two permits are required: 1) NEVADA COUNTY FILM PERMIT: FREE Required when you're shooting in Nevada County Elise Strickler OR Pat Schoellerman Administrative Services Officer Senior Office Assistant Nevada County Information & General Services Nevada County Information & General Services [email protected] [email protected] (530) 265-1705 (530) 470-2769 Donner Pass/Donner Summit area referral sheet 1 of 3 10/10/18 2) ENCROACHMENT PERMIT: $185 Required if you're impacting county roads/right of ways. Applications are on-line at http://new.mynevadacounty.com/pw/index.cfm. Traffic control requires longer lead times and signage to be posted Trisha Tillotson OR Kim Williamson Department of Public Works Administrative Assistant 530.265.1718 530.265.1447 [email protected] [email protected] 2. OFF THE ROAD PROPERTY ON EITHER SIDE OF DONNER PASS ROAD - from the summit eastward down to Donner Lake Various owners include a) Donner Memorial State Park, b) USFS property, c) Truckee Donner Land Trust, d) privately owned. If you'll be working anywhere off Donner Pass Road, including using drones, please obtain proper permission from the appropriate owners. The Placer Lake Tahoe Film Office can assist with contacts. West of Sugar Bowl Road the land on either side of Donner Pass Road is mostly private property. A. DONNER MEMORIAL STATE PARK (California State Parks Film Permit Dana Watkins, North Tahoe Special Events Coordinator [email protected] (email is quickest) or 530-550-6165 B. U.S. FOREST SERVICE property (US Forest Service Permits): Obtain a Special Use Permit from the US. Forest Service/Tahoe National Forest/Truckee Ranger District (530) 587-3558. Many productions like to utilize these off–the-road areas for camera positions or staging and should be aware that there are endangered species, and historic and prehistoric resources in specific areas. There may be remnants of old roads in this area and they may require a USFS Road Use permit. Contact Mary Westmoreland, Recreation Specialist - Special Use Permits, Road Permits, Truckee Ranger District, Tahoe National Forest (530) 587-3558 C. TRUCKEE DONNER LAND TRUST John Svahn, Stewardship Director, 530-582-4711 [email protected] D. PRIVATE PROPERTY – The Placer Lake Tahoe Film Office may be able to offer assistance in contacting owners in these areas. 3. ALSO PLAN FOR A. TRAFFIC CONTROL on Donner Pass Road. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) film liaison, Kristi Cardoza at the California Film Commission, arranges officers for traffic control on Donner Pass Road: [email protected]. DO NOT CALL the local CHP offices! B. EMERGENCY VEHICLES MUST BE ALLOWED THROUGH AT ALL TIMES (this includes law enforcement, ambulance, and fire department). Donner Pass/Donner Summit area referral sheet 2 of 3 10/10/18 C. PARKING: a. No shoulder parking is allowed in the winter months: Nov 1 - May 1 for snow removal. b. This is a winding mountain road with very little shoulder/side of road parking. Shoulders are available if posted as such or if you make special arrangements with Nevada County, Placer Co, USFS, or private property owners. c. If winter time parking is allowed (rarely) under special circumstances on the shoulder of the road you may need to coordinate with the local snow plow service in advance to avoid a ticket or getting your vehicles crunched. d. Other users: the Donner Summit area is very popular with rock climbers, both recreational users and professional classes, and hikers. Typically they park on the limited shoulders of the road near the bridge, snowsheds, and old railroad tunnels. There are several commercial climbing companies licensed to park their cars and those of their clients on the shoulders in some areas of the upper part of Donner Pass Road near the summit. You will need to accommodate them. The Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office may be able to provide a list of names for some of these companies: 530-889-4091. e. There are several nearby large, privately owned parking lots at the top of the summit that are often available for use, particular when it’s not the winter season. Please contact the Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office for more information at 530-889-4091. f. There is a large vista point turn-out next to the Summit Bridge. Please see Item 1B for more details. Some of the parking spaces must always be available for public use. D. WINTER/WEATHERCONDITIONS: Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, at the top of the Pass, determines when to close Donner Pass Road (from Donner Summit/Pass down to Donner Lake) due to snowfall/inclement weather. Call the Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office for more information at 530-889-4091. E. BUSINESSES AT DONNER SUMMIT There are several stores, sports rental equipment vendors, plow companies, heavy equipment operators, ski resorts, and eating establishments conveniently located just west of the summit. We encourage your production to patronize these vendors whenever possible. F. MAJOR SUMMIT ACTIVITIES There are several ski resorts at the summit that host large summer and winter activities and Donner Pass Road is the only access to these businesses. Productions could significantly impact both their activities and yours. We encourage you to contact these ski resorts for planning purposes. Please call the Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office for contacts. This information is provided as a courtesy by the Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office. All information is subject to change without notice. Donner Pass/Donner Summit area referral sheet 3 of 3 10/10/18 .
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