HOW TO HANDLE PRODUCTION PARKING

When you're considering hosting a film, commercial or photo shoot at your Nashville property, one of the first logistical questions should be:

Where is everyone going to park?

Production parking can quickly become one of the biggest challenges of filming at a Nashville home or business.

A shoot that looks relatively small on paper may still involve crew vehicles, equipment vans, talent transportation, catering, client vehicles and trucks. Add Nashville's narrow residential streets, limited curb space, busy commercial districts and rapidly growing neighborhoods, and parking deserves a plan before the shoot is booked.

Whether you're a homeowner in East Nashville, a business near downtown or managing a larger property elsewhere in Davidson County, here's what to consider.

FIRST, UNDERSTAND THE PRODUCTION'S VEHICLE COUNT

Don't ask only how many people are coming.

Ask how many vehicles are coming—and what kind.

A production may have:

  • Crew cars

  • Production vans

  • Cargo vans

  • Sprinter vans

  • Equipment trucks

  • Motorhomes

  • Talent vehicles

  • Client and agency vehicles

  • Catering vehicles

  • Hair and makeup vehicles

  • Wardrobe vehicles

Twenty-five people don't necessarily mean 25 cars, but they also don't necessarily mean five.

Ask production for an estimated vehicle count during the initial conversation.

For larger shoots, ask them to separate working vehicles from personal vehicles.

That's important because they may need to be handled differently.

NASHVILLE'S RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS CAN BE TIGHT

Many of Nashville's most visually interesting residential neighborhoods weren't designed with film crews in mind.

Older neighborhoods can have:

  • Narrow streets

  • Limited shoulders

  • Few sidewalks

  • Drainage ditches

  • Small driveways

  • Limited legal curb parking

  • Closely spaced neighboring homes

  • Residential permit parking

  • Streets that become difficult to navigate when vehicles park on both sides

This can be particularly important in established neighborhoods where a large influx of vehicles is immediately noticeable.

Don't assume that because people normally park along your street, production can simply line up 20 crew cars outside your house.

The location manager should evaluate the street and surrounding area before the shoot.

DON'T TURN THE NEIGHBORHOOD INTO A PARKING LOT

For residential filming, one of the fastest ways to create unhappy neighbors is to fill every available curb space with crew vehicles.

Whenever possible, keep unnecessary production vehicles away from the immediate filming location.

Larger productions may establish a separate crew parking lot or unit base and shuttle crew members to the property.

This keeps the filming location quieter, reduces congestion and preserves neighborhood parking.

It also leaves space near the property for the production vehicles that genuinely need to be there.

WHAT IS A UNIT BASE?

A unit base is a separate area where production support vehicles and personnel can be staged away from the filming location.

Depending on the production, it may accommodate:

  • Crew parking

  • Motorhomes

  • Catering

  • Hair and makeup

  • Wardrobe

  • Production offices

  • Passenger vans

  • Equipment vehicles

  • Restrooms

A nearby church lot, commercial parking lot, event lot or other appropriately arranged private property may potentially serve as a unit base, provided production has permission to use it.

The crew can then be shuttled between the unit base and filming location.

For larger Nashville residential shoots, this can make an enormous difference.

KEEP WORKING VEHICLES CLOSE

Not every vehicle can be parked remotely.

Production may need certain vehicles immediately accessible to the location, including:

  • Camera or equipment trucks

  • Grip and lighting vehicles

  • Production vans

  • Talent vehicles

  • Essential support vehicles

These are sometimes called working trucks or working vehicles.

The location team should identify which vehicles actually need to remain close and develop a plan for those vehicles separately from general crew parking.

NASHVILLE BUSINESSES HAVE A DIFFERENT PARKING PROBLEM

Commercial properties may appear to have plenty of parking—until you remember that the business still has customers, employees, deliveries and neighboring tenants.

If you're hosting a production at a Nashville restaurant, retail space, office or other business, determine exactly which parking spaces production may use.

Ask:

  • Is the parking lot private?

  • Is it shared with other tenants?

  • Does the landlord control the lot?

  • Are certain spaces assigned?

  • Will the business remain open?

  • Where will employees park?

  • Where will customers park?

  • Are deliveries expected during production?

  • Can trucks physically enter and exit the lot?

  • Are there loading zones?

If you lease your commercial property, don't assume you have authority to give production exclusive use of the entire parking lot.

Your landlord or property manager may need to approve the plan.

SHARED SHOPPING CENTERS REQUIRE EXTRA PLANNING

A restaurant or storefront may have access to a large parking lot without actually controlling it.

This is common with shopping centers and multi-tenant commercial properties.

Production should not take over spaces belonging to neighboring businesses simply because they're available that morning.

If a production needs significant parking, establish:

  • Exactly which spaces are approved

  • Who controls those spaces

  • Whether neighboring tenants need to be notified

  • Whether trucks can occupy multiple spaces

  • Whether overnight parking is allowed

  • Whether production must pay an additional parking or lot fee

Get those permissions before the shoot.

DOWNTOWN + URBAN NASHVILLE REQUIRE A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Filming downtown or in denser Nashville commercial areas can involve paid curb spaces, loading zones, parking restrictions and significantly more competition for available space.

Production should never assume that putting out cones or signs gives it control of public parking.

If a production needs to reserve or occupy public right-of-way, the appropriate approvals should be coordinated with the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT).

Nashville's Film and Special Events Permits page is a good starting point for current production permitting information.

WHAT IF PRODUCTION NEEDS PUBLIC PARKING SPACES?

If a Nashville production needs to control paid public parking spaces within its filming footprint, that needs to be coordinated through Metro rather than informally reserved by the property owner.

Metro's film permitting materials currently direct productions requesting paid parking spaces to include those spaces in the applicable Right-of-Way permit process.

Because fees, procedures and lead times can change, check the current NDOT permit information rather than relying on an old production's requirements.

STREET, LANE + SIDEWALK IMPACTS MAY REQUIRE PERMITS

Parking becomes more complicated when production activity begins affecting the public right-of-way.

That might include:

  • Blocking a lane

  • Reserving curb space

  • Restricting a sidewalk

  • Staging equipment in the street

  • Placing production vehicles where traffic is affected

  • Temporarily closing a street

Metro Nashville's film permitting materials direct productions with street, lane, alley or sidewalk closure/blockage requests through the Right-of-Way permitting process.

Current information is available through NDOT Film and Special Events Permits and Temporary Street Closure Permits.

The production—not the homeowner casually putting out a few orange cones—should coordinate the appropriate permits.

WATCH FOR RESIDENTIAL PERMIT PARKING

Some Nashville streets participate in Metro's Residential Parking Permit Program, which is intended to reduce the impact of non-resident parking in qualifying residential areas.

If your street has permit restrictions, tell production immediately.

Current information about Nashville residential parking permits is available through NDOT's Parking Permit page.

A production should never assume that being invited to film at a house automatically gives every crew member permission to park throughout a restricted neighborhood.

DON'T PARK PRODUCTION VEHICLES ON THE LAWN

A big Nashville yard can look like an easy solution to a parking problem.

That doesn't necessarily mean it is one.

Metro Nashville property standards state that motor vehicles must be parked on an appropriate hard surface such as asphalt, concrete or gravel rather than grass.

Current property-standard information is available through Metro Codes.

Beyond code considerations, production vehicles can damage lawns, landscaping, irrigation and underground systems surprisingly quickly.

If a property has acreage or another area that might potentially accommodate production vehicles, confirm that it is both appropriate and approved before using it.

THINK ABOUT SEPTIC SYSTEMS + SOFT GROUND

This is particularly important for larger residential and rural properties around Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Don't allow trucks, motorhomes or other heavy vehicles onto:

  • Septic fields

  • Septic tanks

  • Irrigation systems

  • Drainage areas

  • Soft lawns

  • Recently landscaped areas

  • Unstable ground

If there are underground systems production needs to avoid, identify them during the scout.

A beautiful acre of green grass isn't automatically an acre of parking.

DON'T BLOCK DRIVEWAYS, MAILBOXES OR ACCESS

Production parking should never unnecessarily interfere with neighboring properties.

Make sure vehicles don't block:

  • Neighboring driveways

  • Mailboxes

  • Fire hydrants

  • Trash collection

  • Delivery access

  • Emergency access

  • Business entrances

  • Loading zones

The fact that a production has permission to film at your property does not give it permission to take over the entire block.

NEIGHBOR COMMUNICATION MATTERS

Parking is often the part of a production that neighbors notice first.

For larger residential shoots, the location team may communicate with nearby residents before filming.

Metro's film permitting materials specifically address community notification when street closures or other adverse neighborhood impacts are anticipated.

Even when formal notification isn't required, communicating significant parking or access impacts ahead of time can prevent problems on the shoot day.

ASK ABOUT PARKING DURING THE SCOUT

Parking should be evaluated while production is considering the property—not after the location has been booked.

During the scout, show the production:

  • Driveway

  • On-site parking

  • Street conditions

  • Loading access

  • Restricted areas

  • Neighboring driveways

  • Possible truck positions

  • Nearby lots that may be worth investigating

Be realistic about capacity.

If your driveway fits four cars comfortably, tell production it fits four cars.

The location team can solve the remaining parking problem elsewhere.

INCLUDE PARKING IN YOUR LOCATION INFORMATION PACKET

If you regularly make your property available for filming, document parking information in your film location information packet.

Include:

  • Number of on-site spaces

  • Driveway dimensions when relevant

  • Truck access

  • Loading areas

  • Street restrictions

  • HOA restrictions

  • Residential permit requirements

  • Shared parking arrangements

  • Areas where vehicles are prohibited

See How to Create a Film Location Information Packet for more information.

INCLUDE PARKING RULES IN YOUR LOCATION AGREEMENT

If parking is important to protecting your property or maintaining relationships with neighbors, put the expectations in writing.

Your location agreement or house rules might specify:

  • Approved parking areas

  • Maximum number of vehicles on property

  • Areas where parking is prohibited

  • No parking on grass

  • No blocking neighboring driveways

  • Truck access

  • Loading areas

  • Whether a separate unit base is required

  • Whether parking fees are additional to the location fee

See How to Create Film-Friendly House Rules for more guidance.

A SIMPLE PARKING CHECKLIST FOR NASHVILLE PROPERTY OWNERS

Before agreeing to host a production, ask:

  • How many total vehicles are expected?

  • How many are crew cars?

  • What production trucks or vans are coming?

  • Which vehicles need to stay at the location?

  • How many vehicles can my property realistically accommodate?

  • Is street parking legal and practical?

  • Does the street have residential permit restrictions?

  • Could production parking interfere with neighbors?

  • Does a commercial lot belong exclusively to my business?

  • Is landlord approval required?

  • Is there a nearby lot that could serve as crew parking or unit base?

  • Will production need public curb spaces?

  • Will any street, lane, sidewalk or public right-of-way be affected?

  • Does NDOT permitting need to be investigated?

  • Are there lawns, septic systems or landscaping that vehicles must avoid?

If those questions don't have good answers yet, the parking plan isn't finished.

THE BOTTOM LINE

In Nashville, parking can determine whether an otherwise perfect filming location actually works.

A property doesn't necessarily need space for every production vehicle. It needs a realistic plan.

For smaller shoots, that may mean using the driveway and a few appropriate nearby spaces. For larger productions, it may mean keeping only essential working vehicles at the location while moving crew cars, motorhomes and other support vehicles to a separate unit base.

For businesses, make sure production isn't displacing customers or neighboring tenants. For homeowners, protect the neighborhood from unnecessary congestion. And whenever production needs control of public parking, streets, sidewalks or other right-of-way, check current requirements with Metro Nashville and NDOT.

Solve parking before the shoot day, and you've eliminated one of the most common location headaches before the first truck even arrives.

Nashville Location Company provides location scouting, location management and location consulting for film, photography and commercial productions throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee.