Filming, Photography and Audio Recording Policy

St. Mary’s University restricts the use of its land, buildings and property by for-profit and nonprofit entities and organizations for filming, photography or audio recording. This policy applies to external organizations whose primary purpose is not news reporting. Requests made for legitimate news coverage are governed separately under the Working with News Media policy.

No campus images, video or audio may be captured or used without prior written authorization from the Office of University Marketing and Communications. Note that such requests are generally not granted.

Examples include but are not limited to:

• Advertisements
• Theatrical, broadcast, online streaming, social media or print productions
• Industrial or corporate use (e.g., trade shows, internal company or industry materials)
• Photographs for calendars, artwork or other products for sale
• Aerial or unmanned aircraft systems (drone) photography
• Documentary films or media projects
• Podcasts produced by organizations whose primary purpose is not news reporting
• Public service announcements

Requests for exceptions are considered on a limited, case-by-case basis. An exception requires express written permission from the Office of University Marketing and Communications and is subject to final review by the Office of the President. To be considered, exemption requests must be submitted at least two weeks in advance.

For requests to be considered, they:

• Must support the University’s Catholic and Marianist mission, and
• Must not interfere with campus operations, safety or academic activities.