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Drone Authority

Drone laws by state

Nebraska drone laws

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

Primary sources reviewed September 27, 2026Check local city and park rules
Agricultural drone flying above parallel crop rows, used as regional context for Nebraska drone lawsSTATE · NEBRASKA
All states
By Reviewed September 27, 2026State and agency primary sources checked claim by claim

State answer first

What changes in Nebraska

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

Federal FAA rules apply across Nebraska. State criminal law reaches drones through the trespass and unlawful intrusion statutes rather than a dedicated drone act, and no statute preempting local drone ordinances was found. Game and Parks does not permit drones in state parks, recreation areas, or wildlife management areas without a special occasion permit, and its hunting rules bar using aircraft, including drones, to spot, locate, or take game.245

Local rules
Check local city and park rules
Parks and land
Verify each launch site
Airspace
FAA rules still control

Nebraska drone laws at a glance

Can I fly here?Yes, generally. Follow the FAA rules, then add the Nebraska restrictions on this page.
Local ordinancesCheck local city and park rules
State parks & landNebraska Game and Parks closes state parks, state historical parks, state recreation areas, and wildlife management areas to drones unless a special occasion permit is approved. Apply through the Commission's permit process before planning a flight.4
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 Nebraska
Last reviewedSeptember 27, 2026 · claim-level primary sources below

State-specific rules to check

  • 01

    Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-521: a person commits second degree criminal trespass by intentionally causing an electronic device such as an unmanned aircraft to enter into, upon, or above another's property with the intent to observe a person without consent in a place of solitude or seclusion.2

  • 02

    Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-311.08, unlawful intrusion, makes it a crime to knowingly photograph, film, or record the intimate area of another person without knowledge and consent, and the section defines unmanned aircraft so a drone camera is squarely covered.3

  • 03

    No statewide preemption of local drone ordinances was found in the statutes reviewed, so city and county rules still apply at the launch site.2

  • 04

    Game and Parks does not permit drones to be flown in state parks, state historical parks, state recreation areas, or wildlife management areas unless a special occasion permit has been approved.4

  • 05

    Game and Parks hunting rules: from one day before through any open season it is unlawful to spot, locate, or surveil any game animal or bird with the aid of an aircraft, including a drone, and convey its location electronically, and using an aircraft at any time to hunt, recover, drive, molest, chase, or harass game is illegal.5

  • 06

    Neb. Rev. Stat. § 73-1004, the Secure Drone Purchasing Act (LB 660, 2025): from January 1, 2027, no state agency may buy or acquire a drone other than one cleared by the Division of Aeronautics, and no state funds may be used for a drone the act prohibits. Political subdivisions are to buy only cleared drones to the extent practicable. Noncompliant purchase contracts are void. Electric suppliers that meet NERC critical infrastructure protection requirements are exempt.1

Launch-day workflow

Before you fly in Nebraska

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

  1. 01

    Do not point a camera at a secluded person

    Flying over another's property to observe someone in a place of seclusion is criminal trespass, and recording intimate areas is unlawful intrusion.23

  2. 02

    Check the city ordinance

    Nebraska has no statewide preemption in the sections reviewed.2

  3. 03

    Get the special occasion permit before a park flight

    State parks, historical parks, recreation areas, and WMAs are closed to drones without an approved permit.4

  4. 04

    Exclude hunting uses, including recovery

    Nebraska bars using aircraft to recover game as well as to spot, drive, or harass it.5

Beyond the airspace layer

Land access and wildlife are separate decisions

Managed land

Nebraska Game and Parks closes state parks, state historical parks, state recreation areas, and wildlife management areas to drones unless a special occasion permit is approved. Apply through the Commission's permit process before planning a flight.4

Compare public-land managers

Wildlife and hunting

Game and Parks prohibits using an aircraft, including a drone, to spot or locate game during and the day before any season and to hunt, recover, drive, molest, chase, or harass game at any time. There is no recovery exception.5

Read the wildlife guideCheck recovery rules
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
Nebraska Game and Parks closes state parks, state historical parks, state recreation areas, and wildlife management areas to drones unless a special occasion permit is approved. Apply through the Commission's permit process before planning a flight.

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.