DRONE POLICYMAKING

Ensure Your State/City Is Ready for the Future of Advanced Aviation

By following this plan, lawmakers from around the country can ensure that their state or city is Drone Prepared — in other words, ready for the future of advanced aviation and the numerous benefits that Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), and eventually Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), will bring to their communities.

Look for Opportunities to Promote Drone Use for Public Benefit

Ensure laws/programs promoting tech advancement apply to UAS
Ensure that relevant incentive programs apply to UAS
Participate in pilot programs (e.g. FAA BEYOND)
Incorporate UAS into government activities/contracts
DON’T — Miss the opportunity to bring the benefits of UAS to your community

Leave Air Navigation and Aviation Safety to the FAA

Adopt laws that acknowledge federal authority and the right to fly UAS
Adopt preemptive laws that preclude inconsistent local UAS regulation
Carefully consider policies on operations from public spaces
Harmonize terminology with federal law
DON’T — Regulate air navigation or aviation safety

Leverage Existing Law

Adopt “extension of self” laws
Consider law expressly applying the doctrine of aerial trespass
Clarify application of privacy laws
DON’T — Adopt unnecessary drone-specific laws and requirements

Use Caution in Adopting Drone-Specific Laws

Promote technological neutrality
Use clear, consistent language
Harmonize terminology with federal law
DON’T — Place disproportionate burdens on the UAS industry

GET INVOLVED

Download the Drone Prepared Flight Plan
View Drone Prepared's recommended legislation
Read the legal white paper: "As the Drone Flies: How to Think About Property Ownership, Federal Preemption, and Airspace Control in the Era of Remotely Piloted Aircraft" and one-page summary

2023 STATE BILL TRACKER

State	Bill Number	What It Does	Drone Prepared's Stance	Status
AR	HB 1125	Prohibits a registered sex offender from purchasing, owning, possessing, using, or operating a UAS for private use.	Tracking; no stance taken	Scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee
FL	HB 349	Requires the DOT to fund public-use vertiports, ensure equitable local zoning laws, prohibit exclusive vertiports. Sets requirements for vertiport operators.	Oppose	Prefiled
HI	HB 128 / SB 229	Establishes the felony misues of unmanned aircraft in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees; prohibits arming a UAS, disrupting manned aircraft, contraband, causing harm to another, causing harm to property, messing with the registration of the UAS, obstructs law enforcement.	Oppose	Introduced
HI	SB 989	Makes it trespass to intentionally cause a UAS to enter into property and come within 50 ft of a dwelling to coerce or harass or after having been given notice to desist or to take off or land within violation of the FAA; provides exceptions for persons authorized by the FAA to operate.	Oppose	Introduced
HI	HB 1200	Requires the Dept of Land and Natural Resources to establish a UAS program.	Support	Introduced
HI	SB 1482	Establishes the Aerospace Development Office.	Support	Introduced
IL	HB 1228	Permits the use of drones by law enforcement if the agency is assisting an emotionally disturbed person or for use at a special event to monitor crowds or safety - if the event is on private property the use must be approves. Allows the use of drones by law enforcement when the primary purpose is to locate or assist victims, offendors, or guide emergency response, Probides that info gathered by a drone is subject to FOIA.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
IL	SB 107	Allows for investigations of complaints around drone use by police, provides exemptions for the use of drones – including flight path data and telemetry information, prohibits the use of drones over a school unless parents are notified first.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
IN	SB 161 / SB 83 / SB 85	Makes placing a tracking device on an individual without their consent a Class C misdemeanor. Establishes a sentence enhancement if a person uses a tracking device to commit or facilitate a felony. Includes UAS in definition of tracking device.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
MA	HD 595	Provides for state preemption; prohibits the operation of UAS in violation of the FAA, to interfere with mannded aircraft or first responders, to conduct surveillance, or to equip with a weapon.	Support	Prefiled
MD	HB 228	Prohibits persistent aerial surveillance by a unit or agency of the State or political subdivision unless with a warrant, in pursuit of a suspect, for search and rescue, to locate an escaped prioners, or if necessesary to prevent imminent serious bodily harm or destruction of evidence.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
MO	HB 178	Makes it unlawful to use UAS that launches, lands, or operates on private property within 400 feet off the ground and without the consent of the property owner.	Oppose	Filed
MO	HB 179	Makes it a class A misdemeanor, instead of an infraction, to operate an UAS over an open-air facility.	Tracking; no stance taken	Filed
MO	HB 401	Prohibits a law enforcement agency to use UAS to gather evidence relating to criminal conduct without a warrant and prohibits the use of UAS for surveillance of farms or agricultural products.	Tracking; no stance taken	Filed
MO	HB 698	Right to Repair for farm equipment - includes unmanned systems in the definition of farm equipment.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
MS	HB 839	Drone Prepared's model legislation.	Support	Introduced; Referred to Committee on Judiciary B.
MS	SB 2146	Drone Prepared's model legislation.	Support	Introduced; Referred to Committee on Judiciary A.
MS	SB 2853	Requires UAS purchased by the state to be manufactured in the US and to possess collision avoidance systems.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
MT	SB 84	Prohibits the use of aircraft for hunting or for harrassing or interfering with game animals - provides penalties for violation; amended to prohibit using UAS to locate animals for hunting only within the same calendar day.	Tracking; no stance taken	Amended; Passed Senate Fish and Game Committee by a unanimous vote
ND	HB 1018	Governor Doug Burgum's Executive Budget; Provides $37 million in funding for Vantis and the aviation park.	Support	Introduced; House Appropriations Committee hearing held.
NH	HB 434	Allows for the use of UAS in state parks except if it intentionally interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of the park by others and during specific seasons - provides for fines and a daily fee for commercial use.	Tracking; no stance taken	Hearing scheduled in the House Committee on Resources, Recreation, and Development
NJ	AB 1667	Makes it a 4th degree crime to operate a drone that is equipped with a deadly weapon.	Tracking; no stance taken	Filed
NJ	AB 3555	Prohibits the use of drones by law enforcement entities.	Tracking; no stance taken	Filed
NJ	AB 4731	Allows public utilities, cable TV companies, and telecom service providers to operate UAS to inspect/maintain any critical infrastructure owned or operated by the respective providers.	Tracking; no stance taken	Filed
NJ	SB 451	Sets standards for law enforcement agencies and fire departments when using drones.	Tracking; no stance taken	Filed
NJ	SB 2296 / AB 3173	Requires retailers to provide notice of FAA safety guidelines for flying drones to consumers.	Oppose	Introduced
NJ	SB 2297 / AB 3174	Requires that every drone that is sold to or operated by a private individual or business entity in the State to contain geo-fencing technology.	Oppose	Introduced
NV	SB 11	Allows for the use of UAS by a public agency for compliance inspections and inspections of public works.	Tracking; no stance taken	Filed
NY	AB 194	Permits the use of UAS; states that the operation of UAS may not be done in a way that interferes with manned aircraft or emergency response, that is a repeated nuisance or intentionally dangerous, in a way that violates a restraining order; provides for state preemption.	Support	Prefiled
OK	SB 36	Requires a law enforcement agency to make any audio or video recordings from unmanned aircraft available for public inspection.	Tracking; no stance taken	Prefiled
OK	SB 773	Amends the purpose of the Oklahoma Advanced Mobility Pilot Program to be on developing and improving transportation tech, including AGM, AAM, and eVTOL, provides that the OK Aeronautics commission is the agency for AAM, creates a revolving fund for AAM.	Support	Prefiled
OK	HB 1758	Prohibits the use of UAS by county assessors.	Oppose	Prefiled
OK	HB 1760	States that the only authorized government drone operators are public safety agencies.	Tracking; no stance taken	Prefiled
OR	HB 2520	Makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a UAS to interfere with wildlife suppression, law enforcement, or emergency response.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
OR	HB 2688	Allows an individual to bring an action against any person or public body that operated a UAS over their property without permission - removes the previous section that required notification and a previous flight.	Oppose	Introduced
SC	HB 3495	Prohibits a law enforcement agency from acquiring weaponized unmanned aerial vehicles.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
TX	HB 560	Orders a study on the mitigation of transportation security threats, including UAS with the capability of inflicting harm on transportation targets.	Tracking; no stance taken	Prefiled
TX	HB 880	Prohibits the use of UAS in "designated areas" of the capitol complex instead of the whole complex	Tracking; no stance taken	Prefiled
TX	HB 1302	Allows the Railroad Commission of Texas to use UA for inspection of an oil or gas site or facility, a pipeline facility, and a surface mining site.	Support	Introduced
TX	HB 1516 / SB 423	Allows Texas military forces to use UAS to capture images.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
UT	SB 24	Requires AAM and UAS operators to receive registration from the Department to operate in the State and allows the Department to set a fee; allows a political subdivision to require an AAM company to acquire a business license and allows a fee for the license.	Oppose	Passed the House Transportation Committee by a unanimous vote
UT	SB 125	Designates ASPIRE at Utah State as the research center for strategic planning for the electrification of transportation infrastructure.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
UT	HB 206	Amends land use requirements near airports - idea is that this legislation will one day apply to vertiports.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
VA	SB 1073 / HB 2020	Makes it a class 1 misdemeanor to drop any item within the boundaries of a correctional facility, or obtain any photo or videos of inmates, using a UAS.	Oppose	Senate version passed by a unanimous vote
WA	HB 1040	Establishes an Aviation and Aerospace Advisory Committee.	Support	Introduced; Public Hearing Held in House Innovation, Community, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee.
WA	HB 1531	Establishes an Aviation and Aerospace advisory committee.		Introduced
WV	HB 2527	Revises criminal classification laws – applies to all measures that have criminal classifications.	Tracking; no stance taken	Introduced
WY	SF 32	Prohibits the use of drones from flying over correctional facilities or penal institution or from being used to deliver contraband.	Oppose	Passed Senate by 26-4 vote
WY	SF 33	Prohibits the use of UAS for hunting or fishing.	Tracking; no stance taken	Passed the Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee by a unanimous vote
WY	SF 34	Makes it trespassing for a UAS to enter into the immediate reaches of airspace over private property and substantially interfere with the landowner's enjoyment of that property.	Oppose	Passed Senate by 18-13 vote.

Drone Policy Making