Welcome to FilmApp City of Decatur

Decatur Film Contact Hours 9am-4pm Monday- Friday

NOTE: East Davis Street is currently under moratorium. Please contact the film office with any questions.

HOLIDAY MORATORIUM:
Below are the moratorium dates for 2025. Crew parking, lane, and street closures are prohibited in residential areas during the following dates:
APRIL 18-21- Easter Weekend
MAY 24- 26th- Memorial Day
JUNE 20th- Juneteenth
JULY 3-6th- Independence Day Weekend
AUGUST 29- SEPTEMBER 1: Labor Day Weekend
NOVEMBER 25-28: Thanksgiving Weekend
DECEMBER 23- 26th: Holiday Weekend
DECEMBER 30th- January 2nd: New Years
*In addition, this moratorium includes no equipment or production vehicles left over and/or parked in lanes in the residential areas.*


March 2025, the Decatur Square will be under renovation and construction for approximately 18 months. For more information click HERE

The City of Decatur requires a permit for all commercial photography, motion picture, or television or video production as described in the Guidelines and Procedures listed at right. 

Filming Your Production in Decatur, Georgia 30030
A film permit shall be submitted four (4) business days in advance of the proposed prep date.  A rush fee shall be assessed to permits submitted with less than four business days of processing time.  Applications or documents submitted after the close of business (4:00 PM EST) on any given day will not be counted as RECEIVED until the next business day.  Fees are non-refundable if application is cancelled or denied. The online credit card payment gateway accepts VISA, MASTER CARD and DISCOVER.

Before completing your permit application, please select the following link to ensure you are filing in the correct jurisdiction: DeKalb GIS Map  City of Decatur is ONLY zip code 30030.

GETTING STARTED CHECKLIST: See Useful Documents in the margin to the right for the checklist

Fire Marshal Policy:
Based on the circumstances of the shoot, the applicant may be required to hire Fire Safety Officers (FSO) as determined by the Decatur Fire Marshal.  The FSO shall have the jurisdictional authority to enforce City of Decatur ordinances as well as the State of Georgia and U.S fire code regulations. A permit will be denied if proper FSO coverage is not confirmed.The City of Decatur Fire Marshal/ Assistant Fire Chief, Ninetta Violante, can be reached at Ninetta.violante@decaturga.com 404-947-0522

Police Policy:
Based on the circumstances of the shoot and public safety considerations, the applicant shall be required to hire off-duty POST-certified police officers as determined and directed by the Decatur Film Liaison and the City of Decatur Police Department. City of Decatur does not assist in film productions. Applicant is responsible for hiring officers and providing the contact information in their application.

Filming at the DeKalb County Superior Courthouse:
The DeKalb County Courthouse located at 556 North McDonough St., Decatur, GA 30030 has suspended all filming activities inside the courthouse until further notice.

Filming at the DeKalb History Center, aka Old DeKalb County Courthouse:
Filming is allowed at the Old Courthouse, now known as the DeKalb History Center, located at 101 East Court Square, Decatur, GA 30030.  Please contact the Rental & Reservation Coordinator - Mallory Donaldson, at 404-373-1088, ext. 1002.  You will find rental agreement documents on their website at https://dekalbhistory.org/private-events-historic-dekalb-courthouse.    

MARTA Film Policy & Application:
Be sure that all sidewalk, lane and road closures do not impede MARTA bus routes, bus stops or transit stations.  Visit http://www.itsmarta.com/Default.aspx for access to MARTA Transit maps and schedules. A signed license agreement is required to film any commercial photography, television shows, short features or any other film projects on MARTA Property. MARTA will approve or reject the filmmaker's request based on how the project will affect the normal transit service schedule.  Be aware that all film requests must be submitted at least 30 days before filming begins. Please follow the link for more information.  http://www.itsmarta.com/photography-and-film.aspx 
MARTA Contact: Justin Wilson, Communications Specialist, 404-848-5792 Email: jwilson1@itsmarta.com 

GDOT Film Policy:
A permit is required for use of the right-of-way on all Georgia State Routes for film purposes. Permits are issued by the various District Traffic Operations Offices. If locations requested are in multiple Districts, a separate Permit must be issued for each District.  Please follow the link for more information.  http://www.dot.ga.gov/PS/Permits 
GDOT Contact:  Michelle Meeks, Metro Atlanta District 7 Traffic Specialist, 770-216-3894 
Email: mmeeks@dot.ga.gov


If you (or your crew) have any questions about the permit application or during your film project, feel free to contact Decatur’s film production liaison Kristen Leach at 470-513-4057.