Columbus Proposes Film and Photography Permits with Criminal Penalties for Sidewalk and Park Shoots

Columbus City Council took up legislation on Sept. 28, 2026, that would establish a sweeping municipal permitting framework for photography and video recording across city parks, streets, and sidewalks agenda.

Sponsored by Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer, Ordinance 2206-2026 would enact Columbus City Code Chapter 924, transferring regulatory oversight for filming activities to the Department of Recreation and Parks. The measure establishes a formal permitting process while making unauthorized recording on public property a fourth-degree criminal misdemeanor ordinance.

Statutory Scope and the Blanket Permit Trigger

Under the proposed code, the baseline rule requires official authorization before anyone captures still or moving images on municipal grounds. The ordinance mandates that no person shall conduct filming activity within or above city property or on a public right-of-way without first applying for and obtaining a permit from the Department of Recreation and Parks.

The statutory definition of filming activity reaches broadly, covering the staging, shooting, filming, videotaping, or photographing for still pictures, motion pictures, television series, pilots, feature films, documentaries, commercials, music videos, infomercials, and public service announcements. Critically, the definition applies whether the final production is intended for commercial use or not.

The code defines commercial activity as trade and commerce where profit motive is primary, explicitly excluding the sale of materials intended to convey ideas protected by the First Amendment, such as books and pamphlets. However, because the permitting mandate itself applies to all filming activity regardless of commercial intent, non-commercial creators fall directly within the municipal regulatory scheme unless they qualify for a specific exemption.

The legislation also restricts production schedules. It prohibits permits for more than 10 consecutive days and bars filming between 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless applicants secure advance written permission from the recreation and parks director.

The Small Crew Exemption and News Waivers

To shield casual creators from the formal permitting process, the ordinance outlines a small crew exemption for productions conducted by six or fewer individuals. However, that relief applies only if the crew complies with seven strict conditions:

• The shoot does not impede pedestrian, bicycle, or vehicular traffic on any street, sidewalk, or right-of-way.
• No temporary structures are erected, including tents, canopies, staging, platforms, or scaffolding.
• No lighting equipment, generators, or powered equipment requiring external power sources are used.
• Camera supports such as tripods and monopods remain strictly within the immediate footprint of the operator without obstructing traffic.
• No special weapons props, pyrotechnics, special effects, or open flames are brought on site.
• No exclusive use of city property or public right-of-way is asserted.
• No municipal services, including police officers, firefighters, or barricades, are requested or required.

Tripping any single restriction dissolves the exemption, requiring the creator to secure a permit or face legal exposure.

For the press, the measure provides an exemption for news coverage, but narrows it to reporting by journalists for the purpose of a live news program. That specific phrasing leaves recorded news reporting, documentary journalism, and freelance press work dependent on the six-person small crew exemption to avoid permit mandates.

Administrative Justifications and Stakeholder Input

City administrators framed the ordinance as an administrative update designed to support local economic development and clarify regulatory authority. In background documentation accompanying the measure, the city noted that it has already implemented an online permit platform through the Department of Recreation and Parks.

The legislative text asserts that commercial filming benefits Columbus by generating employment opportunities, hotel stays, tourism, and broader economic activity. According to the city's filing, administrative officials gathered input from the Columbus Film Commission and industry stakeholders that previously obtained city permits, noting no known objections had been raised during those discussions.

The ordinance formally establishes the recreation and parks director's authority to promulgate administrative rules, set application standards, and oversee an interdepartmental appeal team when permits are denied.

First Amendment Friction and Penalties

Despite administrative assurances of efficiency, the ordinance introduces significant legal hurdles for creators operating in traditional public forums such as streets, sidewalks, and neighborhood parks.

Under Section 924.99, anyone who recklessly conducts filming activity without a permit or without required street barricades commits a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Knowing violations of permit terms carry the same fourth-degree misdemeanor penalty, which under Ohio law exposes individuals to potential fines and up to 30 days in jail.

Permit applicants must also satisfy rigorous financial conditions. The ordinance requires applicants to sign an agreement to indemnify and hold harmless the City of Columbus and its employees from liability and defend against claims arising from the permit or participants' conduct.

Furthermore, the Director of Public Safety holds sole authority to mandate police and fire personnel at a production. The applicant must prepay all associated public safety costs, and the safety director's staffing determination is final under the text. The measure includes no fee waivers or financial hardship exceptions for independent filmmakers, student artists, or non-commercial speakers.

Recognizing the potential for constitutional litigation over public forum access, council included a severability clause specifying that if any provision is declared unconstitutional by a court, the remaining sections of Chapter 924 will remain in force.

Peer City Approaches Across Ohio

Columbus's proposed regulatory framework contrasts with policies implemented by other major municipal park and regional recreation systems in Ohio.

In southwest Ohio, the Board of Park Commissioners for Cincinnati Parks manages public spaces through specific park board rules and separate permits for designated activities, such as photography permits and special use permits, without subjecting general public rights-of-way to municipal criminal sanctions.

In northern Ohio, Cleveland Metroparks requires permits for special group events and filming on a case-by-case basis depending on production size and scope. Rather than restricting camera operations broadly across all public pathways, Cleveland Metroparks regulates targeted activities, such as limiting drone flights to designated open fields while requiring FAA compliance.

As Columbus City Council considers Ordinance 2206-2026, local filmmakers, independent creators, and civil liberties observers face a regulatory overhaul that turns previously unregulated sidewalk and park shooting into a permitted activity backed by criminal penalties.