Regulatory reference
Drone laws, state by state.
Every U.S. drone flight sits inside three layers of rules: the federal airspace floor the FAA sets for all fifty states, the privacy and infrastructure statutes each state adds on top, and the local ordinances that govern where you take off and land. Here is how those layers fit together — and how each one shapes the risk we underwrite.
Federal floor, state overlay, local detail.
Most operators check only one layer and assume it covers them. It doesn't. Your Part 107 certificate answers to the FAA for the airspace — it says nothing about the privacy statute, park rule, or city ordinance that governs the ground beneath the flight.
The airspace
Registration, Remote ID, Part 107 certification, the 400-foot ceiling, and controlled-airspace authorization. Identical in all fifty states. This is the floor, not the ceiling.
Privacy & the ground
Surveillance and privacy statutes, critical-infrastructure bans, state-park and wildlife rules, and warrant requirements for law enforcement. Drafted by each legislature, enforced by state courts.
Takeoff & landing
Cities and counties can restrict launch and recovery on property they own — parks, beaches, stadiums. They cannot regulate the airspace itself. In preemption states, even this is reserved to the state.
The rules that apply everywhere.
These are constant across the country. Whatever a state adds, it adds on top of this.
- Registration
- $5 per aircraft over 0.55 lb, marked with its number, renewed every three years.
- Remote ID
- Mandatory since March 2024 — a broadcast digital identity for most registered drones.
- Certification
- Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate for commercial flight; TRUST for recreational.
- Altitude
- 400 ft AGL ceiling; higher needs a waiver. Class G below that is uncontrolled.
- Airspace
- Controlled airspace needs LAANC authorization; night, BVLOS and over-people on waiver.
- Enforcement
- FAA civil penalties now reach $75,000 per violation; legal action is the default response.
Where the patchwork lives.
State drone law clusters into a handful of recurring themes. Most states touch some of these; a few touch all of them.
- Privacy & surveillanceDrone-specific statutes against capturing images of people or private property without consent. California (Civil Code §1708.8), Texas (Government Code Ch. 423, upheld by the Fifth Circuit), Florida (§934.50), Oregon, Illinois, Nevada and New Mexico are among the most developed. The trend is toward criminal penalties, not just civil exposure.
- Critical infrastructureBans on surveillance or flight near power, water, refineries, and correctional facilities. Tennessee makes flight within 250 ft of critical infrastructure a felony; several states are expanding the list.
- PreemptionPreemption states reserve drone regulation to the legislature, blocking a city-by-city patchwork. Non-preemption states let local ordinances stack on top — meaning the rule can change at the county or even the park line.
- Parks & wildlifeState-park launch bans and prohibitions on using drones to scout or harass game. These vary sharply — some states allow drones in only a handful of their parks.
- Commercial licensingA small but growing group adds a state-level commercial registration or license on top of Part 107 — among them Minnesota and Washington. More states are considering it.
Why this sits on an insurance page.
Each of these layers is also an exposure. A privacy statute creates a private right of action — and a claim your policy may have to defend. A critical-infrastructure rule turns a routine inspection flight into a potential criminal and civil event. A park or over-people waiver changes the risk profile we price.
When you tell us the states you fly in and the operations you run, you are describing the law that governs your risk. That is why the application asks. The more accurately you describe how you actually fly, the more accurately we can match coverage to it.
A starting point for all fifty states.
Whether a state preempts local rules, whether it has a drone-specific privacy law, and the themes its statutes touch. Use it to orient your research — not as the final word.
| State | Local preemption | Drone privacy law | Notable state layers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | — | — | |
| Alaska | — | — | |
| Arizona | Yes | — | |
| Arkansas | — | Yes | |
| California | No | Yes | |
| Colorado | No | — | |
| Connecticut | No | — | |
| Delaware | — | — | |
| Florida | Yes | Yes | |
| Georgia | Yes | — | |
| Hawaii | — | — | |
| Idaho | — | Yes | |
| Illinois | — | Yes | |
| Indiana | Yes | — | |
| Iowa | — | — | |
| Kansas | — | — | |
| Kentucky | Yes | — | |
| Louisiana | Yes | — | |
| Maine | — | Yes | |
| Maryland | Yes | — | |
| Massachusetts | — | — | |
| Michigan | Yes | — | |
| Minnesota | — | — | |
| Mississippi | Yes | — | |
| Missouri | — | — | |
| Montana | — | Yes | |
| Nebraska | — | — | |
| Nevada | — | Yes | |
| New Hampshire | — | — | |
| New Jersey | Yes | — | |
| New Mexico | — | Yes | |
| New York | No | — | |
| North Carolina | Yes | Yes | |
| North Dakota | — | — | |
| Ohio | — | — | |
| Oklahoma | — | — | |
| Oregon | — | Yes | |
| Pennsylvania | — | Yes | |
| Rhode Island | — | — | |
| South Carolina | Yes | — | |
| South Dakota | — | Yes | |
| Tennessee | Yes | Yes | |
| Texas | Yes | Yes | |
| Utah | — | Yes | |
| Vermont | — | Yes | |
| Virginia | Yes | — | |
| Washington | — | — | |
| West Virginia | — | — | |
| Wisconsin | — | Yes | |
| Wyoming | — | — | |
| Washington DC | — | — |
Read this as a map, not a statute. The table is compiled from public summaries and is current to June 2026. "Preemption" means the state reserves drone regulation to the legislature; "privacy law" means a drone-specific surveillance or privacy statute exists. Drone law changes every legislative session and varies by city and even by park. Confirm the current text of any statute, and check FAA airspace with B4UFLY, before you fly or rely on coverage. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Fly across state lines? So does our coverage.
Tell us where you operate and how you fly. We underwrite to the reality of multi-state Part 107 work — and follow up with terms.