The State Baseline: TMIIIP’s 31% Rebate
Since September 1, 2025, Texas has offered one of the more competitive incentive packages in the country through the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP). Backed by $1.5 billion over the next decade under Senate Bill 22, the program offers a grant rebate of up to 31% on a production’s qualified in-state spending. To qualify, at least 35% of paid cast and crew must be Texas residents, and 60% of principal photography must be completed in-state. The Texas Film Commission reports the program has already drawn roughly 100 applications since it opened, and that volume is starting to reshape how producers plan multi-city shoots across the state.
Austin Adds Its Own Multiplier
Austin isn’t waiting for the state credit to do all the work. The city council recently updated its Creative Content Incentive Program (CCIP) for the first time since 2014, raising the local rebate rate from 0.75% to 2.5% of wages paid to Austin-metro residents. The Matthew McConaughey-led Apple TV series “The Brothers” was the first project approved under the new terms. For producers, that means a feature or series shooting substantially in Austin can now stack a city-level wage rebate on top of the state grant, but only if the crew hiring reflects the local-labor intent behind the program.
Houston Bets Big on First-Time Blockbusters
Houston First’s new local incentive is aimed squarely at the big-budget productions the city has historically lost to Austin and out-of-state markets. It offers 10% back on local spend, capped at $100,000 per qualifying project, with $400,000 allocated annually citywide. Projects need at least $500,000 in local expenditures, 60% of principal photography within 60 miles of downtown Houston, and 55% Texas-resident cast and crew. San Antonio has moved in a similar direction, expanding its own local incentives this past fall. Together, these city programs mean a Texas production budget increasingly depends on where, not just whether, you shoot.
What the Residency Requirements Mean for Your Aerial Unit
The overlapping residency thresholds (35% statewide, 55% in Houston) aren’t just a line-producer’s problem. Aerial cinematography is a specialized vendor category, and productions leaning on out-of-state drone operators can quietly work against their own incentive math. Booking a Texas-based aerial unit, one with FAA Part 107 pilots already licensed and insured in-state, keeps that spend and headcount local, which is exactly what these programs are built to reward. It also cuts the logistics overhead of flying in a crew, since Texas-based operators already hold relationships with local airports and know the Class B approach patterns around Austin-Bergstrom, Dallas Love Field, and Houston’s Class B shelf.
The Bottom Line for Producers Budgeting a 2026 Shoot
Texas now has a genuine three-tier incentive structure: state, city, and in some cases county-level programs stacking on top of each other. That’s good news for budgets, but it rewards producers who plan their vendor sourcing, aerial units included, around residency requirements from day one rather than retrofitting compliance after wrap. For any production locking Texas as a location this fall, it’s worth confirming with the state film office and the relevant city office exactly how the local-hire math applies to specialty crews before the budget is finalized.
