Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
City Proposes Limits on Public Photography, Filming
By
Dave Hogarty
Published Jun 29, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Dave Hogarty
Published Jun 29, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Mayor's Office of Theater, Film, and Broadcasting, which coordinates film and television production and issues permits around the five boroughs, is considering rules that could potentially severely restrict the ability of even amateur photographers and filmmakers to operate in New York City. The NY Times reports that the city's tentative rules include requiring any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance. The regulation would also apply to any group of five or more people who would be using a tripod for more than ten minutes, including the time to set up the tripod. Does the Gorillapod count?
The New York Civil Liberties Union is concerned that due to the vagueness of the proposed rules' wording, that they could possibly be applied to amateur photographers or tourists taking snapshots or hobbyists making short movies for an online outlet like YouTube. The filming of political protests by participants isn't even mentioned, although it would certainly seem to apply. Christopher Dunn of the NYCLU accused the city of purposefully making the regulations vague to allow selective enforcement by the police, since the NYPD's selective enforcement of ambiguous laws usually results with citizens getting the short end of the legal stick.
The Times reports that the new codification of filming and photography requirements resulted from the 2005 detention and questioning of an Indian documentary filmmaker.
During his detention, Mr. Sharma was told he was required to have a permit to film on city property. According to a lawsuit, Mr. Sharma sought information about how permits were granted and who was required to have one but found there were no written guidelines. Nonetheless, the film office told him he was required to have a permit, but when he applied, the office refused to grant him one and would not give him a written explanation of its refusal.
Part of the City's settlement with Mr. Sharma was the current proposed regulations, which seems to narrow, rather than simply elucidate, the ability of visitors and New Yorkers to film and photograph freely around the city. If you're a street photographer interested in time-lapse series or careful composition, forget it or hurry up, because the cops could be coming for you.
The MTA considered a ban on subway photography in 2004. Even though the the proposed ban never went through, cops continued to threaten to confiscate cameras or memory cards years after the proposal was suggested. Hmm, is it time for another protest? The Office of Theater, Film, and Broadcasting will be publishing the final version of the rules at the end of July, and the rules would go into effect in August.
Photograph of tripod-toting photographers by seth_holladay on Flickr
Tagged
Christopher Dunn
city
film
flickr
laws
lawsuit
mayor
movies
MTA
new york
new york city
new york civil liberties union
new yorkers
News: NYC
ny times
nypd
office
people
photos
police
protest
publishing
regulations
subway
television
the city
The Mayor
The MTA
the office
The Police
the times
theater
youtube
Dave Hogarty
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Police are still investigating bike crash that killed dad of 2 in Central Park
The family is raising money for the wife and two daughters he leaves behind.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 9:31 a.m. ET
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
News
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
By
James Ramsay
Man dragged to death by subway in Brooklyn after getting caught on closing doors
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Upper East Side braces for affordable housing fast track, and backlash from residents
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .