📸 Commercial photography allowed on city property
🛡️ Background checks required for youth sports photographers
💵 $25 annual registration and $30 per-person background check
CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council on Monday advanced an ordinance that would permit commercial photography on city property while establishing new safeguards for youth sports photographers.
City staff told council members that the existing code broadly bans commercial activity in parks and recreational areas, preventing outside photographers from offering services.
The proposed amendment to Section 58-1(14) introduces exemptions for commercial photography, special events, city-permitted activities, and franchise-based commercial uses.
A city staffer said the revision aims to balance public demand for photography services with the need to protect children involved in youth sports. To address safety concerns, the Parks and Recreation Department is developing a vetting process that will require photographers working with youth leagues to register annually and undergo a background check.
The registration fee is expected to be $25 for 365 days, with a $30 per-person background check.
City Manager Jessica Leavins emphasized that enforcement will focus on ensuring only vetted photographers are recommended to coaches and parents.
“Previously, those behaviors were prohibited. We’re going to allow for additional commercial use,” she said, noting that the youth-sports procedures will run through Parks and Recreation.
Councilman Shannon Hayes questioned how the city would enforce, while Councilman Doug Capps voiced support for the safety measures, saying his chief concern was ensuring that only vetted adults interact with children.
The council voted 4–0, with one absence, to approve the ordinance on first reading and send it to a second reading on Jan. 12, 2026, when a related fee schedule resolution is expected to be introduced.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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