Smyrna, GA Filming & Production: Street Closures (2026)

The film article of the Smyrna Code lists street closures as a traffic impact that the film production permit review must address. Under § 22-323, the city administrator approves a permit on application unless one of four circumstances exists, and the second is that traffic impacts will occur but no acceptable mitigation plan is provided. The examples printed there are street closures, on-street parking and interruption of vehicular or pedestrian traffic flow.

The low impact exemption in § 22-317(h) draws the same line. It applies only to a production with ten or fewer persons on location and three or fewer production vehicles, conducted entirely on private property, with no impact on public rights-of-way and in compliance with noise and light rules. The section lists on-street parking, street closures, interruption of vehicular or pedestrian traffic flow and placement of production equipment on public property as impacts on the right-of-way, so a production with any of those impacts does not qualify for the exemption.

Notification is the main operating requirement under § 22-325. Following submission of the application, and no less than three business days before filming starts, the filming company notifies in writing all businesses and residents affected by the proposed activity and gives the city administrator a signed copy. Where activity will have a significant or prolonged impact, such as activities impacting parking or traffic in the core commercial district, the administrator has discretion to require earlier notification. The notice area is a minimum 300-foot radius of the planned activity, and the administrator can specify a wider area as a condition of the permit.

The notice describes the location and duration of filming, prep and wrap activities, times of day for each location, proposed parking restrictions and restrictions on public streets, support facility locations, lights, noise, special effects, the production office telephone number and the location manager's numbers. It tells neighbors that concerns can be registered with the office of the city administrator. After filming starts, the company gives written notice of later changes and of any added variances or permits (§ 22-325(d)). Under § 22-321(c), the permit holder also agrees to halt or interrupt filming on instruction from a Smyrna Police or Fire officer.