ENTERTAINMENT

Where Was The Office Filmed? UK and US Locations Explained

Quick answer: The Office is set in real towns, but neither version was filmed mainly there. The American series, set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was shot mostly in the Los Angeles area, with the Dunder Mifflin office built at a studio in Van Nuys, California. The British original, set in Slough, used Slough only for its opening credits and filmed the office scenes in a building in Teddington, south-west London.

Here’s a small shock for any fan planning a pilgrimage. You can fly to Scranton, walk the streets, stand in front of a paper company sign, and still not find the office where Michael, Dwight and Pam spent nine seasons.

That’s because the show you love was built on a clever bit of film-making. A grey Pennsylvania town on screen, a sunny California industrial estate in real life. The British original pulled the same trick with Slough and south-west London.

This guide explains where The Office was actually filmed in both versions, which locations still exist, which ones you can visit, and what to know before you go.

Table of Contents

Two Shows, Two Sets of Locations

Most searches for where The Office was filmed mean one of two series, so it helps to separate them.

	UK version	US version
Setting on screen	Slough, Berkshire	Scranton, Pennsylvania
Fictional company	Wernham Hogg	Dunder Mifflin
Main filming base	Teddington, south-west London	Los Angeles area, mainly Van Nuys
Opening credits	Shot in Slough	Shot in Scranton
Years	2001 to 2003	2005 to 2013

Where Was the American Office Filmed?

A Los Angeles production in disguise

The US series is set in Scranton, but almost all of it was filmed in Southern California, in and around the San Fernando Valley. The area is known as “The Valley” locally, and it gave the show cheap, flexible and convincingly anonymous office space.

The first season: a Culver City office

Season 1 was shot in a real office building in Culver City, near La Cienega Boulevard and West Jefferson Boulevard. The cast read through the pilot there, and the space served as the Dunder Mifflin set for the whole first season.

The long-term home: Chandler Valley Center Studios, Van Nuys

After season 1, production moved to Chandler Valley Center Studios in Van Nuys. The interior of the office was rebuilt from scratch there, and the building’s facade, front doors and car park stood in for the exterior. The address most often given is 13927 Saticoy Street, and you’ll see the area described as either Van Nuys or Panorama City, since the two neighbourhoods meet there. One report says the site was taken over in 2024 and renamed Central Valley Studios.

It sits at the end of an industrial street, so don’t expect a tourist attraction. Fans who have been describe it as a drive-by stop. It’s a working site rather than a public landmark, so check before you go, stay on the public road, and keep clear of any production in progress.

Scranton in the opening credits

The Scranton shots you see in the titles are real. They include the Penn Paper and Supply building, the Scranton Center and the “Scranton Welcomes You” sign. John Krasinski reportedly filmed that footage himself during a pre-production visit. It’s the only large chunk of the show shot in the real city.

The Other Office Locations Around Los Angeles

The show left the office constantly, and most of those scenes were filmed within a short drive of Van Nuys.

On screen	Real location
Schrute Farms house	Golden Oak Ranch, Santa Clarita (an empty farmhouse on the ranch)
Beet fields	Underwood Family Farm, Moorpark
Poor Richard’s Pub	Pickwick’s Pub, Woodland Hills
Michael Scott’s condo	A private home in Reseda
Jim and Pam’s house	A private home on Calvert Street, Van Nuys
Steamtown Mall	Westfield Fashion Square, Sherman Oaks
Lake Scranton	Hansen Dam Lake Park, Lake View Terrace
Company picnic	Calamigos Ranch, Malibu
Gettysburg episode	Woodley Park, Van Nuys
Sabre headquarters	Modern office buildings in Westlake Village
Business school and art show	Cal State Northridge
Philadelphia paper convention	Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel

A few of these are worth a closer look.

Schrute Farms is mostly Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch in the Santa Clarita area, which is about 17 miles from the Van Nuys set. The beet fields, though, were filmed separately at a working farm in Moorpark, around 35 miles from the ranch.

The Dundies Chili’s was a constructed set inside an empty building in Panorama City. The site now houses an Aldi, so there’s nothing left to see.

Dwight’s Staples job was filmed at a real Staples store in Burbank, one of the easiest stops on the list because you can walk in like any other shopper, though it’s worth checking the store is still open before you go.

A note on private homes: several of these locations are people’s actual houses. Take a photo from the street if you must, but don’t knock, trespass or block a driveway.

What About the Real Scranton?

The city itself is more than a name on a sign, and Scranton leans into its fame.

The Marketplace at Steamtown is the real mall that inspired the show’s fictional Steamtown Mall. It hosts an Office fan festival.
Cooper’s Seafood is a real Scranton restaurant that cast members have eaten at.
Poor Richard’s Pub exists as a bar inside the South Side Bowl bowling alley, though the TV version was filmed in California.

The Dunder Mifflin office itself is fictional, and there’s no real building in Scranton you can point to as the set. If you visit, go for the town and the fan events, not for a building.

Where Was the British Office Filmed?

Slough on screen, Teddington in real life

The original series follows the Slough branch of Wernham Hogg, a paper company on the Slough Trading Estate. But the town only appears in the opening titles. The office scenes were filmed in an office building in Teddington, on the south-west edge of London. Wikipedia describes the production as based at an office at Teddington Studios, and a writer who later worked in the building for almost five years describes it as a real working office rather than a purpose-built set.

That building has since been demolished to make way for flats, so the real Wernham Hogg office is gone.

The Slough opening-credits locations

The shots that set the scene in the titles were filmed around Slough town centre:

Crossbow House: the office block seen in the opening titles. It has since been demolished.
Wellington Street: the roundabout seen in the titles.
Brunel Bus Station and car park: the bus station seen in the titles.

The show first aired on BBC Two in 2001 and moved to BBC One in 2003, with a two-part Christmas special following the two six-episode series.

Where to Eat Like the Cast

Food turns up on this list more than you’d expect. A few real restaurants are tied to the show:

Pickwick’s Pub, Woodland Hills: stood in for Poor Richard’s Pub.
Paty’s Restaurant, Toluca Lake: where Dwight and Jan had lunch on screen.
Barone’s, Valley Glen: reportedly Steve Carell’s favourite pizza.
Cooper’s Seafood, Scranton: a real restaurant that cast members have eaten at.

They make a handy way to turn a location hunt into a proper day out, and unlike studio exteriors, you can actually sit down and stay a while.

Can You Visit The Office Filming Locations?

Some, yes. Here’s a realistic picture.

What you can see:

The Van Nuys studio exterior in California, from the street.
The Staples store in Burbank, and a few restaurants and bars used on screen, such as Pickwick’s Pub in Woodland Hills.
Real Scranton landmarks, including Steamtown Marketplace and Cooper’s Seafood.
Slough town centre, including the roundabout and bus station area from the UK titles.

What you can’t:

The Dunder Mifflin interior. It was a rebuilt set, not a real office.
The UK Wernham Hogg building in Teddington, which no longer exists.
Crossbow House in Slough, which has also been demolished.
Private homes, which are not tourist attractions.

How to Plan an Office Filming Locations Trip

If you’re a beginner

Decide which version you’re a fan of. The two shows sit on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
Start with the easy wins: the Van Nuys exterior, the Burbank Staples and Pickwick’s Pub, all in one Los Angeles day.
Use a rental car. The Valley is spread out and public transport isn’t built for this kind of tour.

If you’ve done a few location trips

Add the Golden Oak Ranch area and the Moorpark farm for the Schrute Farms feel. Check access first, because ranches and farms are often private or event-only.
Pair a Los Angeles trip with a coastal stop. If you’re heading south afterwards, our guide to the things to do in La Jolla is a good way to round off a California holiday.
Plan around fan events in Scranton if you can.

If you’re building a full pilgrimage

Combine Los Angeles and Scranton in one trip, with the Valley first and Pennsylvania second.
Add a UK leg to Slough and Teddington for the original series.
Keep a checklist of what still exists so you’re not disappointed by demolished buildings.

Mistakes Fans Make When Searching for Office Locations

Assuming it was filmed in Scranton. Only the opening footage and a few exteriors were shot there.
Mixing up the two versions. A Slough bus station and a Van Nuys studio belong to different shows.
Trusting old addresses. Buildings change hands and get renamed, as the Van Nuys studio reportedly has.
Treating private homes as attractions. Respect the residents.
Expecting a tour. Most of these places are working sites, businesses or private property, not museums.

If you enjoy this sort of behind-the-scenes detail, there’s more in our entertainment features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was The Office filmed?

The US version was filmed mostly in the Los Angeles area, especially Van Nuys, even though it’s set in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The UK version was set in Slough, with the opening titles filmed there and the office scenes shot in Teddington, south-west London.

Was The Office really filmed in Scranton?

Only partly. The opening credits use real Scranton footage, but the office, home and restaurant scenes were filmed in Southern California.

Where is the Dunder Mifflin building in real life?

The exterior is Chandler Valley Center Studios, often listed at 13927 Saticoy Street in Van Nuys, California. The interior was a set built inside the studio.

Where was the British Office filmed?

The series is set in Slough. The opening titles were shot there, while the office scenes were filmed in an office building in Teddington, which has since been demolished.