The Nantucket Select Board on Dec. 3 unanimously adopted an updated film, video, photography and drone permit policy after hearing a multi-part after-action presentation by the town's Culture & Tourism director.

Shontaugh (Chantal) Bloise Murphy, director of Culture & Tourism, told the board the recent production initially sought 20 days and 17 locations and listed 227 cast and crew when aggregated; the final approvals covered Sept. 10'Oct. 1 and 24 locations, with permit paperwork reflecting the aggregate cast-and-crew total. "There was never one location that had 227 cast and crew on any given day," she said, emphasizing permit tallies aggregate across all dates. Murphy said the town collected $139,540.85 in direct fees — including roughly $62,000 in parking, $17,450 in permit fees and about $60,015.85 for police details — and estimated the production spent about $2 million on local accommodations and donated to two local nonprofits.

The policy revisions the board approved change several operational items: routine commercial requests will be handled by the town manager or the manager's designee rather than automatically going to the Select Board; the application window is lengthened and clarified (a 90-day lead time, with seasonal projects expected by May 1), and drone language drawn from FAA guidance has been added. The update also tightens insurance requirements, clarifies which departmental permits applicants must secure before issuance, expands community-notice language, codifies enforcement and revocation authority, and raises several fees modestly to better reflect staff workload.

Board members pressed for clearer last-minute communications to affected businesses after multiple downtown blockings and intermittent holds created confusion during the fall shoot. Murphy said the 90-day requirement will allow staff to contact affected businesses in advance and that the policy can include specific last-minute contact lists for on-the-ground communications.

The Select Board's motion to adopt the amended film policy carried unanimously. The policy also includes explicit drone rules developed with the airport manager, police, harbor master and fire department.

The town manager said the amended policy was modeled on language from other Massachusetts municipalities and tailored to include local concerns such as natural-resource protections and enforcement timelines. The board said staff should monitor implementation and report back after the first season under the new rules.