No Permit Required – Handheld Filming & Photogaphy in NYC

The City of New York has agreed to relax its film permit requirements.

According to the Associated Press, Filmmakers and photographers using handheld equipment on city streets will no longer be required to obtain permits.

In January, 2006 The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of an award-winning filmmaker detained by police while shooting a documentary about post 9/11 New York. The settlement calls for the city to relax its permit requirement, and provide a written rulebook governing the issuance of permits.