Photo and video equipment rental in Paris

Equipment in Paris

Lightyshare lists 8622 active listings in Paris, from 1139 owners. The best-stocked families locally are: objectif, caméras, lumière.

Do you need a permit to film in the streets of Paris?

Yes. Any filming in Paris public space goes through Paris Film, the City's single point of contact. The lighter regime, the prior declaration, applies when three conditions are met at the same time: you are filming outdoors on the public highway, streets and bridges only, the crew is 10 people at most, and you only use lightweight equipment such as a shoulder-mounted camera, with no production vehicle parked. That covers most rentals of a body and a lens.

As soon as one of those conditions fails, you need a full permit, filed on the AGATE platform. A crew of fewer than ten also moves to a full permit as soon as it films in a park or garden, on the riverbanks and canals, in a monument or a sports venue. Some locations are not managed by the City at all: the Tuileries, the Palais-Royal, La Villette, the Jardin des Plantes and the Luxembourg gardens are handled separately, by their own operator.

That is three calendar weeks for a full permit, so start the paperwork before you lock your rental dates. Two documents are required in both cases. Since 1 January 2025 the charter against sexist and sexual violence and harassment, signed by the production, must accompany the first request for a project, failing which the file is not processed. Insurance is also required for every kind of shoot: do not confuse it with the damage and theft cover included in your rental, which protects the owner's equipment, not your production liability, which is the one the City asks for.

Parking the production vehicle, and driving in the low-emission zone

Parking a production vehicle and, more broadly, occupying Paris public space are subject to a fee, at the rates set by the City. The request is made on the same file as the shoot, which is one more reason not to leave it to the last day.

A second point, often discovered too late when borrowing a van: Paris sits inside the low-emission zone of the Métropole du Grand Paris, covering 77 municipalities. Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 and unrated vehicles have been banned since 1 January 2025, for light vehicles Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm. Until 31 December 2026 checks remain occasional and informational, but the ban itself is in force. Check the vehicle sticker before coming to pick up a heavy kit.

Sources: City of Paris, Filming in Paris and filing a filming request; Métropole du Grand Paris, the metropolitan low-emission zone. Rules checked on 30 August 2026. The low-emission zone regime and the occupancy fees change: this date must be kept up to date.