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Los Ranchos trustees adopt updated film-permit rules and double permit fees
Summary
The Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque adopted an updated policy for commercial film, video and still-photography permits Feb. 18, 2025, approving an amendment to double listed permit fees and directing staff to refine neighbor-notification and procedural language.
The Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Board of Trustees on Feb. 18 adopted Resolution 2025-02-01, revising the village’s policy and procedures for commercial film, digital-video and still-photography permits and approving an amendment to double the proposed permit fees.
Administrator John Avila presented the resolution as an effort to streamline the application and require fuller information from applicants so the village can evaluate impacts and notify nearby residents. He told the board that the packet had been refined after several months of review to shift more of the preparatory work to permit applicants and to allow staff time for public-safety and public-works review.
Trustees focused on three recurring issues during debate: whether the application language properly distinguishes binding procedures from nonbinding guidelines; whether neighbors should receive clearer, mandatory notice of filming in a set radius; and whether the proposed fees were too low compared with nearby jurisdictions. After discussion Trustee Benavides proposed — and the board approved — an amendment to double the fees shown in the resolution and asked staff to return with a comparative fee analysis.
John Avila said the application process includes an affidavit and neighborhood notification; in the current draft the notice radius is 300 feet but the village administrator may expand that as needed. Avila also said staff can add a field to the application that requires film companies to indicate whether Los Ranchos should be credited in the production.
The board approved the amendment and the amended resolution. Danielle conducted a roll-call vote: Trustees Benavides, Keefer, Ranovich and Rynell voted yes; the amendment and the resolution passed without recorded no votes.
Mayor Lawrence Scribe praised staff for the revisions and asked John Avila and his team to continue refining the permit materials and return with a fee-comparison analysis and clearer neighborhood-notification language.
The resolution will change the village’s permitting steps for film productions and instruct staff to present proposed fee and notification refinements at a future meeting.
