FILMING ON PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE PROPERTY IN NASHVILLE
One of the first things to determine when planning a shoot in Nashville is whether your location is public or private property.
That distinction affects the permits, permissions and approvals your production may need.
FILMING ON PUBLIC PROPERTY
If you're filming on property owned or controlled by Metro Nashville, you may need a Metro Nashville Film Production Permit.
Metro's current film agreement covers sites owned or leased by Metro as well as public rights-of-way. Metro's Office of Film + Special Events coordinates the film permitting process in Nashville and Davidson County.
Public property can include:
Streets
Sidewalks
Alleys
Metro-owned buildings
Metro-owned facilities
Parks and greenways
Other Metro-owned property
Depending on the location and scope of the production, additional permits or approvals may also be required.
METRO NASHVILLE FILM + SPECIAL EVENTS
FILMING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY
If you're filming at a privately owned home, business, restaurant, venue or other property, you'll need permission from the property owner.
A written location agreement should establish the production's permission to film and spell out details such as:
Shoot dates and hours
Location fee
Prep and wrap
Areas the production can access
Insurance requirements
Property restrictions
Overtime
Restoration and damages
Metro's own film agreement makes clear that productions are responsible for determining who owns a location and obtaining permission when Metro does not own or lease it.
PRIVATE LOCATION, PUBLIC PRODUCTION FOOTPRINT
This is where things can get confusing.
Your location can be private while parts of your production are operating on public property.
For example, you may be filming inside a privately owned restaurant while:
Equipment is staged on the sidewalk
Production vehicles occupy public streets
Crew uses a public alley
Pedestrian access needs to be restricted
A lane or street needs to be closed
Traffic control is required
In those situations, additional Metro permits or coordination may be necessary. Metro specifically requires permits for events involving street closures or Metro departments, and Nashville's transportation department separately handles right-of-way permitting.
METRO NASHVILLE FILM + SPECIAL EVENTS PERMITS
FILMING IN METRO PARKS
Metro Nashville Parks have their own commercial film, video and photography permit requirements.
For film and video projects, Metro Parks states that a Parks permit and a permit through Metro's Film Division are required.
METRO PARKS FILM, VIDEO + PHOTOGRAPHY PERMITS
WHAT ABOUT DRONES?
Property ownership also matters when determining where a drone can take off and land.
Metro's current Film Production Permit states that Metro does not allow a drone-operated camera to depart from or land on Metro Government property. Drone use may instead need to be coordinated with a private property owner, along with complying with applicable FAA rules.
NOT SURE WHO OWNS THE PROPERTY?
Don't assume that something that looks public is controlled by Metro Nashville—or that something that looks private actually is.
Before permitting a shoot, confirm:
Who owns the property?
Who controls it?
Where will the crew and equipment actually be?
Will any part of the production impact public property?
Those answers will help determine what permissions and permits are needed.
OFFICIAL RESOURCES
METRO NASHVILLE FILM + SPECIAL EVENTS