City Creates Filming Ordinance—With Changes to Stay Competitive

The City of Norcross has adopted a Commercial Filming Operations ordinance, which requires those filming in the city limits to fill out an application that includes the specifics of the shoot and also to notify adjacent homes and businesses.

The City Attorney had drawn up a draft of an ordinance earlier in the year, in which a minimum of 45 days would need to pass from the time the application was submitted until the actual filming or photography took place. But Community Development Director Chris McCrary turned to the county’s economic development department for advice—and they said the amount of time would drive potential shoots elsewhere. 

“I will say that inquiries to film have never reached me 45 to 60 days in advance. They usually are in need of very quick turnaround. The policy you read to me briefly would absolutely put Norcross at a disadvantage- not just in comparison to other Gwinnett locations but the region in general,” said Nicole Wright, Business Development Manager for the Gwinnett Chamber to McCrary in an email, according to a city memo. 

McCrary points to the example of the Georgia Lottery Commercial that was filmed in the streets of downtown Norcross. City staff was able to put the request through in about two and a half weeks, he said in the memo. Otherwise, he believes they would have gone to other cities, like Duluth or Suwanee.

In the version of the ordinance that passed, the Community Development Director would approve filming applications for those shoots lasting three days or less, while the Council would have the opportunity to review those happening for more than three days. In both cases, neighboring homes and businesses would be notified in advance and have the opportunity to react to the filming.

The original ordinance was in some ways a reaction to a music video shot in Norcross earlier in the year that created controversy for some citizens. 

A on a Sunday morning in May. Some neighbors said they had no idea that the filming would take place. Others also found the content of the video to be offensive.

“The exposure that a positive film experience brings to the city is possibly worth even more than the potential local production revenues, of which Georgia garners over a billion dollars a year,” Promotions, Marketing and Downtown Manager Tixie Fowler in the memo, also mentioning to the positive buzz created by the lottery commercial, which has gotten over 1,000 views on the city YouTube page.   

“If the city reacts to one experience considered negative by a handful of people and inhibits all opportunities for future filmmaking, then it is denying the community a valuable opportunity for positive public relations efforts and potential revenues,” she went on to say.