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# US Photogs Now Free to Photograph Public Space, Federal Buildings
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/us-photogs-official-free-to-photograph-public-space-federal-buildings/
- Published: 2011-01-27T16:17:08.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:19:38.000Z
- Description: After numerous nasty incidents post-9/11 when the US government's rush to take away rights caused countless problems for people taking photos in public, today we have good news for photographers, artists, tourists, and camera enthusiasts across America.
- Author: Hrag Vartanian
- Tags: News, #image-position-hidden, Photography, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-17 09:23 (2009-2011)

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2011/01/camera-free-med.jpg "camera-free-MED")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzhead/4996445/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

After numerous nasty incidents post-9/11 when the US government’s rush to take away rights caused countless problems for people taking photos in public, today we have good news for photographers, artists, tourists, and camera enthusiasts across America.

In a settlement with the NYCLU, the US federal government’s Federal Protective Services has [agreed to the following](http://www.scribd.com/doc/39623305/Federal-Courthouse-Photography-Settlement?ref=hyperallergic.com):

> … will provide a written instruction to its officers and employees engaged in law enforcement, stating that for federal courthouses under the protective jurisdiction of FPS, there are currently no general security regulations prohibiting exterior photography by individuals from publicly accessible spaces, absent a written local rule, regulation, or order. The instruction will also inform FPS officers and employees of the public’s general right to photograph the exterior of federal courthouses from publicly accessible spaces.

In other words you’re finally free to photograph federal buildings and public spaces without federal interference and they can’t take your memory cards or other photographic equipment for no reason other than photography. I’m sure there will continue to be some incidents until this is disseminated far and wide but at least it’s on the books.

This coupled with the fact that the [US government will be scrapping their absurd color-coded alert scale](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48286.html?ref=hyperallergic.com), makes me hopefully that some things are changing in America. If you want to thank the NYCLU for their great work on this matter, I suggest making a donation [here](http://www.nyclu.org/?ref=hyperallergic.com).

*via* [*CrunchGear*](http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/01/27/photographers-youre-now-officially-free-to-shoot-in-public-places-and-outside-federal-buildings/?ref=hyperallergic.com)*, hat tip VG*

[FPS Information Bulletin](http://www.scribd.com/doc/47627164/FPS-Information-Bulletin?ref=hyperallergic.com)