The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPE) has been investigated in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films. Measurements of the kinetics, spectral distribution and photocurrent hysteresis loops have been made. In the extrinsic spectral region, the steady-state photocurrent is primarily due to the BPE, where the photovoltaic tensor component has been determined to be G31= 10−9cm/V. However, in the intrinsic region, the BPE has not been determined due to the strong contribution from photoinjection currents. Finally, it is shown that the BPE may be the driving force for photoinduced hysteresis changes in PZT thin films, particularly in the extrinsic spectral region.