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Drone Authority
Agricultural drone flying above parallel crop rows, used as regional context for Missouri drone lawsSTATE · MISSOURI

Drone laws by state

Missouri drone laws

Start with Missouri's state, local, and land-manager rules. Then use the federal baseline as the floor before you launch.

Primary sources reviewed July 26, 2026Check local city and park rules
All states
By Reviewed July 26, 2026State and agency primary sources checked claim by claim

State answer first

What changes in Missouri

You can generally fly a drone in Missouri if you follow the FAA rules and then add the state, local, and land-manager restrictions below.

Federal FAA rules apply throughout Missouri, and we found no broad express state drone-preemption clause in the reviewed sources. Missouri's current rules address large open-air entertainment venues, critical infrastructure, correctional centers, managed lands, and tightly conditioned wildlife recovery.13456

Local posture

Check local city and park rules

Parks and land

Verify each launch site

Airspace

FAA rules still control

Missouri drone laws at a glance

Can I fly here?Yes, generally — follow the FAA rules, then add the Missouri restrictions on this page.
Local ordinancesCheck local city and park rules
State parks & landMissouri State Parks publishes separate approval requirements for professional or sale-oriented imagery. Missouri conservation areas require a special-use permit to launch, land, or operate a drone.45
License & registrationFederal, same in every state: Part 107 or TRUST, plus registration and Remote ID when the aircraft must be registered.
Where to flyFlying sites, clubs, and FRIAs in Missouri
Who to fly withDrone clubs and FPV groups in Missouri
Last reviewedJuly 26, 2026 · claim-level primary sources below

State-specific rules to check

  • 01

    SB 1421 was signed July 9, 2026 with an emergency clause. It restricts operation below 400 feet AGL inside the property line of an open-air entertainment facility with capacity of at least 500 people.12

  • 02

    The same enactment addresses listed critical infrastructure. Its commercial-operator exception is conditional and does not create blanket permission for every Part 107 flight.1

  • 03

    Missouri § 217.850 restricts purposeful drone operation within 400 vertical feet over a covered correctional center's secure perimeter or physical contact with the facility.3

  • 04

    Missouri State Parks and Department of Conservation land use different permission systems: state-park commercial imagery may require approval, while conservation-area operation requires a special-use permit.45

  • 05

    Missouri permits drone-assisted recovery of wounded black bear, deer, elk, and turkey only under detailed conditions; it does not authorize wildlife harassment or ordinary drone-assisted hunting.6

Launch-day workflow

Before you fly in Missouri

Work through these state-specific checks before the usual FAA airspace, weather, aircraft, and crew review.

  1. 01

    Map large ticketed venues

    Identify open-air entertainment facilities with capacity of at least 500 and map their property lines before planning a route below 400 feet AGL.12

  2. 02

    Screen facilities and infrastructure

    Check correctional centers and the critical-infrastructure categories in current Missouri law. Do not assume a Part 107 certificate alone satisfies an exception.13

  3. 03

    Get the land-manager permission

    Confirm state-park commercial-activity approval or a Department of Conservation special-use permit as applicable to the launch property.45

  4. 04

    Apply every recovery condition

    For wounded-game recovery, verify the species, landowner permission, time, equipment, trespass, and wildlife-harassment conditions in the current MDC rule.6

Beyond the airspace layer

Land access and wildlife are separate decisions

Managed land

Missouri State Parks publishes separate approval requirements for professional or sale-oriented imagery. Missouri conservation areas require a special-use permit to launch, land, or operate a drone.45

Compare public-land managers

Wildlife and hunting

Drone-assisted recovery is limited to wounded black bear, deer, elk, and turkey under detailed conditions, including permission and no wildlife harassment. It is not a general drone-hunting authorization.6

Read the wildlife guideCheck recovery rules

Local preemption

Check 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 sites

Check the land manager

Missouri State Parks publishes separate approval requirements for professional or sale-oriented imagery. Missouri conservation areas require a special-use permit to launch, land, or operate a drone.

Primary sources

These sources support the material state claims above. State laws, local park rules, and emergency restrictions can still change faster than a static guide.