Hall County’s first Motion Picture and Film Ordinance went through a first reading at Monday’s Board of Commissioners work session.
Susan Rector, Director for Hall County’s Business License Department, drafted the ordinance as a way to preserve the peace and comfort of county residents and to assure that such activities from Georgia’s rapidly developing film industry are consistent with considerations of public health, safety and general welfare.
“(We need to) find out exactly what it’s going to entail,” Rector said. “Find out exactly what (a film production is) going to have to have before we issue that permit.”
A film permit, as well as a Hall County Business License, will be required for anyone engaging in film production on private of public property within the unincorporated area of Hall County with the exception of family videos, low impact productions consisting of fewer than ten crew members and student film productions. However, if any of the exempted productions desire to use county facilities or interfere with county streets, they will need to file for a permit just the same.
The is a mandatory pre-application meeting for those seeking a permit to lay out all the production plans for their project. There is a $500 application fee as well as fees to use various county buildings such as a $1,500 per day fee to use the courthouse.
These dollar amounts and other more finer details will continue to be worked on before the ordinance’s second reading on March 20.
Also in the ordinance was the possibility of cash bonds and deposits to be paid to the county on behalf of the production studios before filming begins to protect the county against a film pulling out last minute or leaving behind any damage.
