Columbus City Council Enacts Film Permit Law With Criminal Misdemeanor Penalties
Ordinance 2206-2026 establishes municipal permit rules for commercial and non-commercial shoots on public property, exempting small crews and live news broadcasts.
Columbus City Council approved Ordinance 2206-2026 on Oct. 5, 2026, enacting Chapter 924 ("Film Permits") into the Columbus City Codes and creating a centralized municipal permitting system for commercial and non-commercial visual production on city property and public rights-of-way. Published council minutes confirmed the final approval on Oct. 8, 2026.
Sponsored by Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer, the legislation formally places permitting authority under the Department of Recreation and Parks, establishes prepaid public safety staffing rules, mandates broad municipal indemnification agreements, and enforces compliance through fourth-degree criminal misdemeanor penalties.
Previously, Pique reported on Sept. 28 that Columbus Proposes Film and Photography Permits with Criminal Penalties for Sidewalk and Park Shoots and reported on Sept. 30 that Columbus Ordinance Would Require Film Permits on Public Property With Criminal Penalties.
Scope and Administrative Authority
Under Chapter 924, municipal authorization is mandatory before visual content creators can record on public property. The enacted code states 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 film permit from the Department of Recreation and Parks. The law defines public right-of-way to encompass roads, berms, ditches, and pedestrian sidewalks.
The scope of the ordinance reaches beyond commercial film and television sets. Chapter 924 defines regulated filming activity to include staging, shooting, filming, videotaping, or photographing for still photographs, motion pictures, television series, pilots, feature films, documentaries, commercials, music videos, infomercials, and public service announcements, whether the final product is intended for commercial use or not.
The Director of Recreation and Parks holds administrative authority to promulgate rules and regulations governing the permit application process and interdepartmental reviews. In addition, the ordinance specifies that every law enforcement officer may enforce the provisions of the chapter as well as administrative rules adopted under it.
The measure imposes operational limits on permitted productions. Shoots cannot exceed 10 consecutive days or take place between 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. without prior written permission from the recreation and parks director. Drone flights must comply with federal aviation requirements, and productions involving prop weapons, gunfire, pyrotechnics, or street closures must secure written approvals from the Division of Police, the Division of Fire, and the Department of Public Service.
Live News and Small Crew Exemptions
The enacted ordinance provides two specific exemptions from permit requirements, though both carry strict operational boundaries.
Under the journalism exemption, no film permit is required for news coverage when filming involves reporting by journalists for the purpose of a live news program. While live television broadcasts from city sidewalks are exempt, recorded investigative reporting, photojournalism, and documentary newsgathering do not receive a blanket news exemption and must rely on general rules or the small crew provision.
The law also establishes an exemption for smaller productions, providing that no film permit is required for filming activity conducted by a crew of six or fewer individuals, provided the production complies with seven cumulative requirements:
- The activity does not impede, obstruct, or interfere with pedestrian, bicycle, or vehicular traffic on streets, sidewalks, or rights-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.
- Handheld camera supports, including tripods and monopods, do not occupy more than the immediate footprint of the operator or block traffic.
- No prop weapons, pyrotechnics, special effects, or open flames are used.
- No exclusive use of city property or public right-of-way is asserted.
- No city services, such as police, fire, or barricades, are requested or required.
If a production exceeds six people or triggers any single restriction, the exemption dissolves, requiring the crew to secure a permit.
Financial Conditions and Public Safety Staffing
For productions that require a permit, Chapter 924 sets substantial financial and procedural conditions.
Applicants must execute an agreement to indemnify and hold the City of Columbus harmless from liability and defend it against claims of injury or damage arising from the permit or from the acts of participants.
Additionally, permit approval requires that the applicant has secured the police officers and fire personnel required and prepaid the expense. The Director of Public Safety exercises final authority to determine how many police officers and firefighters must staff a shoot based on duration, crowd size, location, and potential hazards.
Criminal Penalties and Constitutional Questions
Unlike civil permitting processes, Columbus backs Chapter 924 with criminal sanctions. The ordinance provides that recklessly conducting filming activity without a permit is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Reckless operation without required street barricades and knowing violations of permit conditions also constitute fourth-degree misdemeanors, which carry potential penalties of up to 30 days in jail and fines under Ohio law.
Because streets, sidewalks, and municipal parks are traditional public forums under First Amendment jurisprudence, requiring advance permits and fees for visual recording in public spaces has prompted scrutiny from legal observers. Acknowledging potential legal challenges, council included language stating that the provisions of the chapter are severable should any provision be held unconstitutional by a court.
Regional Comparisons and Local Impact
Columbus's approach differs from practices in other major Ohio park systems. In Cincinnati, the municipal park board manages grounds through localized rules and dedicated authorizations, including a photography permit for specific park activities, without applying blanket criminal penalties across citywide rights-of-way. In northeastern Ohio, Cleveland Metroparks reviews filming requests on a case-by-case basis and regulates drone use in designated open fields rather than enforcing criminal misdemeanor statutes on public walkways.
For central Ohio filmmakers, commercial photographers, and independent visual storytellers, the enactment of Ordinance 2206-2026 shifts informal park and street filming into a formal municipal regulatory framework. Columbus City Council has no scheduled meeting on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, and will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
How we know this
The sources and records behind this story, with the facts they support.
Columbus City Council · 2026-10-05
Supporting evidence (1)
Columbus City Council approved Ordinance 2206-2026 on Oct. 5, 2026, enacting Chapter 924 ("Film Permits") into the Columbus City Codes and creating a centralized municipal permitting system for commercial and non-commercial visual production on city property and public rights-of-way.
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2206-2026 · To enact new Chapter 924- Film Permits to establish permitting requirements for commercial and non-commercial filming/photography by the Department of Recreation and Parks. ($0.00)
Supporting evidence (10)
Sponsored by Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer, the legislation formally places permitting authority under the Department of Recreation and Parks, establishes prepaid public safety staffing rules, mandates broad municipal indemnification agreements, and enforces compliance through fourth-degree criminal misdemeanor penalties.
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Nancy Day-Achauer
The enacted code states 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 film permit from the Department of Recreation and Parks.
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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 Film Permit from the Department.
Chapter 924 defines regulated filming activity to include staging, shooting, filming, videotaping, or photographing for still photographs, motion pictures, television series, pilots, feature films, documentaries, commercials, music videos, infomercials, and public service announcements, whether the final product is intended for commercial use or not.
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“Filming Activity” means: the staging, shooting, filming, videotaping, photographing, or other similar process conducted for the making of still photographs, motion pictures, television or video series, pilots, feature films, documentaries, commercials, music videos, infomercials, public service announcements, and the like, whether the final product is intended for commercial use or not.
In addition, the ordinance specifies that every law enforcement officer may enforce the provisions of the chapter as well as administrative rules adopted under it.
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Every law enforcement officer may enforce the provisions of this chapter as well as rules adopted by the Director pursuant to this chapter.
Under the journalism exemption, no film permit is required for news coverage when filming involves reporting by journalists for the purpose of a live news program.
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No Film Permit is required for News Coverage when the Filming Activity involves reporting by journalists for the purpose of a live news program, provided it is done in compliance with the standards found in Section 924.04.
The law also establishes an exemption for smaller productions, providing that no film permit is required for filming activity conducted by a crew of six or fewer individuals, provided the production complies with seven cumulative requirements:
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Small Crew Exemption. No Film Permit is required for Filming Activity when conducted by a crew of six (6) or fewer individuals, provided that all of the following conditions are met:
Applicants must execute an agreement to indemnify and hold the City of Columbus harmless from liability and defend it against claims of injury or damage arising from the permit or from the acts of participants.
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The applicant for a Film Permit shall agree in writing to indemnify and hold the City of Columbus, its officers, directors, employees, agents, boards, and commissions, harmless from liability and defend it against claims of injury or damage to persons or property arising from the issuance of the Film Permit and from the intentional, reckless, or negligent acts or conduct of the applicant or participants.
Additionally, permit approval requires that the applicant has secured the police officers and fire personnel required and prepaid the expense.
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The applicant has secured the police officers and fire personnel required under Section 924.06 and prepaid the expense therefor.
The ordinance provides that recklessly conducting filming activity without a permit is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
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Whoever recklessly violates Section 924.03 (A) is guilty of conducting Filming Activity without a permit, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
Acknowledging potential legal challenges, council included language stating that the provisions of the chapter are severable should any provision be held unconstitutional by a court.
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The provisions of this chapter shall be deemed severable; and, if any such provision shall be held unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of such court shall not impair any of the remaining provisions.
Columbus Proposes Film and Photography Permits with Criminal Penalties for Sidewalk and Park Shoots
Supporting evidence (1)
Previously, Pique reported on Sept. 28 that Columbus Proposes Film and Photography Permits with Criminal Penalties for Sidewalk and Park Shoots and reported on Sept. 30 that Columbus Ordinance Would Require Film Permits on Public Property With Criminal Penalties.
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Columbus Proposes Film and Photography Permits with Criminal Penalties for Sidewalk and Park Shoots
Columbus Ordinance Would Require Film Permits on Public Property With Criminal Penalties
Supporting evidence (1)
Previously, Pique reported on Sept. 28 that Columbus Proposes Film and Photography Permits with Criminal Penalties for Sidewalk and Park Shoots and reported on Sept. 30 that Columbus Ordinance Would Require Film Permits on Public Property With Criminal Penalties.
Read supporting passage
Columbus Ordinance Would Require Film Permits on Public Property With Criminal Penalties
https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks/customer-service/permits/
Supporting evidence (1)
In Cincinnati, the municipal park board manages grounds through localized rules and dedicated authorizations, including a photography permit for specific park activities, without applying blanket criminal penalties across citywide rights-of-way.
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Photography Permit
Supporting evidence (1)
In northeastern Ohio, Cleveland Metroparks reviews filming requests on a case-by-case basis and regulates drone use in designated open fields rather than enforcing criminal misdemeanor statutes on public walkways.
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A separate permit must be obtained to conduct a special group event or activity in Cleveland Metroparks including filming requests. Special event/activity requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.