It's a protected right to take pictures and video from a public street or public sidewalk. There's a growing body of court decisions supporting this and there's also a current memo from the US Department of Justice that has been sent to all law enforcement agencies on this topic.
Funny stuff ignorance of the law.
It’s a protected right to take pictures and video from a public street or public sidewalk.
...
Yes it is, but you can’t use a lens or a camera such as infrared that can see more than the naked eye sees.
From American Society of Media Photographers.
In addition to property-release issues, you also need to think about copyright concerns vis-à-vis buildings if they were built after December 1, 1990. Before that, buildings did not have copyright protection and were thus, by definition, in the public domain. Shoot away.
In general, buildings erected after December 1, 1990 do not pose a big problem either. There is a “photographer’s exception” to a building’s copyright owner’s rights that permits the photography of buildings. This gives a wide leeway to the definition of “building”; everything from gazebos to office towers are included. As long as the building is in a public place, or visible — and photographable — from a public place, there is no infringement of the building’s copyright owner’s rights. This rule includes private as well as public buildings.
Not that it all they cut and dried.
PACA Special Releases List-
As a service, PACA members have compiled a list of properties and objects that may cause problems if shown photographically. Some of the properties and objects are alleged to be covered by trademark, others by contract (i.e. the terms by which a photographer was granted access to the property).
PACA does not have a position as to whether the use (either commercially or editorially) is in violation of any applicable laws, but merely advises users to seek advice from their own legal representation to determine if any additional permissions are required under the circumstances. The list is not intended to be a complete listing of all subjects, but merely ones that particular members have brought to our attention.
(site has a long list of buildings that likely will result in legal action)
Key legal terms
Public space - see 17 U.S.C. 120
interiors are problematic.
Enjoy