Huntington Beach is considering tightening up its commercial filming rules

People wanting to film commercially in their Huntington Beach homes may soon be restricted because of an ordinance amendment introduced by city staff Tuesday at a city council meeting.

Kellee Fritzal, deputy director of economic development, which oversees the city’s filming department, said there has been an uptick in commercial filming in private places, like homes, partially due to technological advancements in equipment, including high-resolution GoPros and miniature cameras.

The amendment looks to update current city code, which was reviewed in 1986 and only requires permits for commercial filming and photography in public spaces.

There has also been a general increase in those types of permits, Fritzal said.

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In 2015, there were 115 commercial filming permits issued compared to 83 in 2014. So far in 2016, 69 permits have been issued.

City staff began looking at an ordinance update earlier this year when they began receiving noise and parking complaints from neighbors about a man filming a music video at his home between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Fritzal said the man had been warned a year earlier not to film commercially when he recorded a rap music video at his home.

The man continued to list his home as “film friendly” on websites like Craigslist, Fritzal said.

City staff and police were only able to cite him for not having a commercial business license because of how the filming ordinance was written, she said.

“We want to make sure the quality of life is kept for our single family homes,” Fritzal said. “We needed to mandate that if you’re going to be filming in your private property, you need to let your neighbors know and you need to let the city know. We’re trying to be film-friendly while protecting our residents and our commercial properties.”

Huntington Beach has been a hotbed for commercial filming, with TV shows like “Rosewood” and “Dexter” regularly using the city.

Last year, the city generated more than $126,000 from filming permit fees. he city has made $75,000 so far in 2016.

Council member Michael Posey brought up concerns that the restrictions would deter “Hollywood” from filming in Huntington Beach.

Fritzal argued the amendments would make the process “more streamlined” and could also bring more filming revenue into the city.

Council member Barbara Delgleize, who works in real estate, asked if the amendments would affect photography for real estate listings or family portraits. Fritzal said they would not, although that language wasn’t directly written into the amendment.

The council ultimately decided to revisit the idea at a future meeting to specify restrictions and what is allowed in the ordinance.

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Brittany Woolsey, brittany.woolsey@latimes.com

Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey