Stonecrest, GA Special Events & Permits: Commercial Filming on Public Right-of-Way (2026)

Article XIV of the Stonecrest Code exempts several categories of filming from the permit required by Sec. 15.14.4(1); Sec. 15.14.5(2) is the one that touches special events. It exempts filming associated with an outdoor event that is authorized by a city-issued permit, except when the same is staged for the sole purpose of being included in the filming's final product. In practice, a producer covering a festival, parade or other outdoor gathering that already holds its own city special-event authorization does not need to separately apply to the Department of Economic Development for a filming permit for that coverage.

The exemption is narrow: Sec. 15.14.5 opens by warning that none of its exemptions relieve a producer from complying with other applicable Code provisions, laws, ordinances or regulations that require elements or other activities included in the filming to be permitted or approved, so pyrotechnics, vehicle stunts or a street closure filmed during the event would still need the Sec. 15.14.6 element approvals that apply regardless of the exemption. And if the event exists only as a pretext to create filmed content, rather than as a genuine event that happens to be filmed, Sec. 15.14.5(2)'s carve-out does not apply and the producer must obtain a full filming permit and pay the Sec. 15.14.11 fee like any other shoot.