Almost a year after Hinsdale trustees first discussed commercial filming requests and regulations, they have approved changes to make the process easier on staff and residents.
One of the biggest changes in the amended ordinance is the implementation of a refundable application fee of $500 for small productions and $1,000 for large productions.
“Essentially we have added some fees that are commensurate with the staff effort required in order to process these,” said Trustee Jerry Hughes, chairman of administration and community affairs.
The fees also should help limit the number of companies who make requests to film in town and then choose another location, assistant village manager Brad Bloom said.
“Filming companies would back off in the past after staff had spent a lot of time,” he said.
The application timeline also will be lengthened to 15 business days for small productions and 30 days for large productions. The previous timeline was 14 days for feature films, seven days for television episodes and three days for photography.
“It just gives staff enough time to review these and give them thoughtful consideration,” Bloom said.
Residents also will be notified five or 10 days in advance of filming, depending on the size of the production.
Filming hours will be limited to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with no set up allowed prior to the start time and no cleanup after. The ordinance continues to prohibit filming on Sundays and major federal holidays.
Residents also will be limited to three consecutive days of filming at their home and 10 days a year in total.
Village staff looked at ordinances in North Shore communities where filming is quite common and incorporated the best practices, Bloom said.
“We’re trying to walk that fine line, because we have a lot of residents who actually enjoy having their homes used for this purpose,” he said.
The conversation was prompted last year after film crews and road construction created a troublesome mix.
“We had a situation with a commercial filming event in southeast Hinsdale that caused some consternation,” Hughes said.
The changes, which will go into effect immediately, were approved unanimously.
