Southampton Village, NY Filming & Production: Student Filming (2026)

Article IV of Chapter 82 of the Southampton Village Code, adopted August 12, 1994 as Local Law No. 6-1994, governs film shoots in the village, and § 82-19 defines what counts. Filming is the taking of still or motion pictures, on film, videotape or similar recording medium, for commercial or educational purposes intended for viewing on television or in theaters or for institutional use. The definition names educational purposes alongside commercial ones, and the article never uses the word student or carves out a school exemption. Whether a particular student project is covered therefore turns on the definition itself: a project made for educational purposes and intended for television, theaters or institutional use is filming under the Village Code.

The same section defines public property to include Village streets, sidewalks and parking areas, Village beaches and parks, Village buildings and other public facilities. That matters because § 82-20 requires a permit from the Mayor before any filming is conducted on private or public property in the Village of Southampton.

Applications go to the Village Clerk's office and must show the proposed sites, the nature of the proposed filming and the proposed dates, along with proof of public liability insurance with policy limits of $500,000/$1,000,000 under § 82-21. The fee is set by resolution of the Board of Trustees and is paid before the permit issues. Under § 82-22 the Mayor weighs whether the filming will unduly obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic, create a hazardous or injurious condition, or unduly disturb the peace or good order of the neighborhood or the Village, and then either grants the permit or refers the application to the Board of Trustees.