Research status
This page is a conservative checklist built from a secondary legislative overview. It is intentionally excluded from search indexing until every material state claim has a current statute or land-manager citation. Use the source below to begin your check, not as a substitute for current law.
State answer first
What changes in Arkansas
Start with the FAA rules, then use these Arkansas research notes as a list of state, local, and land-manager questions to verify before launch.
Federal FAA rules apply throughout Arkansas. The state has addressed drone privacy/surveillance and critical-infrastructure concerns. Most everyday flying follows the federal floor plus any local rules.
- Local rules
- Check local city and park rules
- Parks and land
- Verify each launch site
- Airspace
- FAA rules still control
Arkansas drone laws at a glance
| Can I fly here? | Verify current Arkansas statutes, local ordinances, and launch-site rules before relying on these notes. |
|---|---|
| Local ordinances | Check local city and park rules |
| State parks & land | Varies by unit: verify with the managing agency before every launch. |
| License & registration | Federal, same in every state: Part 107 or TRUST, plus registration and Remote ID when the aircraft must be registered. |
| Where to fly | Flying sites, clubs, and FRIAs in Arkansas |
| Last reviewed | Primary-source upgrade pending · excluded from index |
State-specific rules to check
- 01
Act 597 of 2025 (the Arkansas Privacy Act, amending A.C.A. § 5-60-103 and adding § 5-60-126 and § 27-118-101) prohibits using a drone to surveil critical infrastructure or to purposely capture images of a person or private property for surveillance, subject to a long list of lawful-use exemptions.
- 02
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Code 05.07 makes it unlawful to hunt, drive, herd, or harass wildlife from or with an aircraft or drone, and Code 19.07 allows drones on Commission property only for game recovery in compliance with Codes 03.14, 03.15, and 08.09.
- 03
We could not verify a clear statewide preemption posture. Assume local (city/county) drone ordinances may apply and verify with official sources before flying.
- 04
State-park and state-land drone rules vary by unit and can change; many state park systems restrict drone takeoff/landing without a permit. Verify with the managing agency before flying.
- Local preemptionCheck local city and park rules
- We could not verify a clear statewide preemption posture; assume local rules may apply and verify before flying.
- Parks and launch sitesCheck the land manager
- State-park and state-land drone rules vary by unit and can change; many state park systems restrict drone takeoff/landing without a permit. Verify with the managing agency before flying.
Research source
This overview is a research lead, not claim-level sourcing. Confirm every material rule against the current state statute, agency policy, and local land manager.