The pattern this year
Two ideas spread across states in 2026. The first is a no-fly buffer around ticketed events, now law in Arizona, Alabama, California. The distances and the pilots they cover differ a lot, from 400 feet for everyone to a mile for commercial flights only. The second is a hard line over prisons and jails, enacted in Maine, Georgia, Idaho.
Hunting rules kept moving toward narrow recovery permissions rather than bans or free use, and South Carolina passed a full statewide framework that takes effect January 1, 2027. Federal rules still apply everywhere; these laws sit on top of them.
Taking effect soon (6)
Enacted, not yet in force. Plan for these now.
October 1, 2026
Statute · All pilots
Alabama: HB 429
Ticketed events
Unlawful to fly within 400 feet of or above a gated, ticketed music, sports, or performing arts event. A first violation is a fine of up to $500; a repeat is a class A misdemeanor.
October 6, 2026
Statute · Public agencies
Ohio: HB 251 (136th General Assembly)
Public agency drone use
Sets rules for how law enforcement and other public entities use and buy drones, including a warrant requirement for surveillance where a warrant would otherwise be needed. It does not regulate private operators.
Signed July 7, 2026. Ohio General Assembly: HB 251
November 1, 2026
Statute · All pilots
Oklahoma: SB 1441 (Laws 2026 chapter 149)
Critical infrastructure
Amends 3 O.S. § 322, which bars flying below 400 feet over, touching, or interfering with a listed critical infrastructure facility. Read the amended text once it takes effect.
January 1, 2027
Statute · All pilots
South Carolina: Act 150 (H. 4679)
Statewide framework and preemption
The South Carolina Drone Regulation and Public Safety Act. Repeals §§ 24-1-300 and 24-5-175, bars local ordinances that conflict with the act or FAA rules, and sets a 1,500-foot correctional facility offense.
Signed May 15, 2026. South Carolina Legislature: H. 4679
January 1, 2027
Statute · All pilots
California: AB 2113 (Chapter 383, Statutes of 2026)
Ticketed events and amusement parks
No drone flight within 400 feet of an outdoor ticketed entertainment event not already under an FAA restriction, or of an amusement park at any time. $500 infraction. A Part 107 certificate alone does not exempt a pilot.
Signed September 20, 2026. California AB 2113, chaptered text
January 1, 2027
Statute · Commercial pilots
Washington: ESHB 2711 (2026 c 255 § 406)
Commercial registration and tax
Adds a $120 annual excise tax on commercial unpiloted aircraft under RCW 82.48.030. With the $30 registration fee that applies from the same date, the annual cost per commercial drone is $150.
In effect (11)
Took effect in 2026, most recent first.
September 12, 2026
Statute · Recreational pilots
Arizona: Laws 2026 chapter 236 (SB 1627)
Schools
Class 3 misdemeanor for a recreational pilot to photograph or loiter 200 feet or less above posted, non-residential K-12 school property while school is in session, after being asked to leave.
Signed June 22, 2026. Arizona Laws 2026, chapter 236
September 12, 2026
Statute · Commercial pilots
Arizona: Laws 2026 chapter 215 (SB 1160)
Ticketed events
Class 1 misdemeanor to fly a civil drone, meaning one flown for anything other than strictly hobby purposes, within 5,280 feet of or above a gated, ticketed music, sports, or performing arts event.
Signed June 22, 2026. Arizona Laws 2026, chapter 215
August 25, 2026
Statute · All pilots
New York: Chapter 55 of 2026 (S9005-C, Part D)
Prohibited spaces and misuse
Adds Penal Law Article 280: unlawful use of a drone, including flight over prohibited spaces such as areas within 500 feet of airports and military installations. Drone provisions took effect 90 days after signing.
Signed May 27, 2026. New York State Senate: S9005-C
August 8, 2026
Agency rule · Recreational pilots
Oregon: Oregon State Parks drone operation areas
State parks
Recreational drone operation is allowed at a published list of about twenty state park properties. Every other state park property stays closed to drones.
August 1, 2026
Agency rule · Hunters
Tennessee: TWRA drone recovery framework (under Public Chapter 478)
Wounded-game recovery
Drones may be used only to recover a deer reasonably believed to be mortally wounded, over private land with the landowner's permission, from 30 minutes after sunset to 3 a.m., by an FAA-certificated pilot with a thermal-equipped drone. Hunting with drones stays banned.
July 9, 2026
Statute · All pilots
Missouri: SB 1421
Entertainment venues and critical infrastructure
Signed with an emergency clause. Restricts flight below 400 feet inside the property line of an open-air entertainment facility holding 500 or more, and addresses listed critical infrastructure. The commercial exception is conditional.
Signed July 9, 2026. Missouri SB 1421, truly agreed and finally passed
July 1, 2026
Statute · All pilots
Indiana: HEA 1249 (P.L. 158-2026)
Remote aerial harassment
Rewrites IC 35-45-10-6. Operating a drone to harass a person, or over another's property without consent intending to harass or disturb, is a class A misdemeanor, and a level 6 felony with a prior conviction.
July 1, 2026
Statute · All pilots
Idaho: 2026 chapter 233 (Idaho Code § 20-251)
Correctional facilities
Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 and six months plus forfeiture, for flying in the airspace from the surface to 400 feet above ground within a state correctional facility's perimeter.
July 1, 2026
Statute · All pilots
Georgia: HB 1230
Correctional facilities
Amends O.C.G.A. § 42-5-18: operating a drone above a place of incarceration, or for contraband delivery or criminal-purpose imaging, is a felony. Police may seize the drone and use detection and interception measures. Operators in compliance with federal regulations and utility workers are exempt.
June 8, 2026
Statute · Public agencies
Louisiana: Act 854 (HB 940)
Law enforcement counter-drone standards
The LETS GO! Act, RS 14:337.2: training standards and a joint task force for law enforcement drone mitigation. It governs how officers may intercept drones, not what private pilots must do.
January 1, 2026
Statute · All pilots
New Hampshire: RSA 644:23 (2025 chapter 278)
Federal-rule violations and misuse
Makes breaking federal drone rules a state offense, and adds misdemeanor and felony tiers for interfering with emergency response or manned aircraft, correctional facility overflights, contraband, and weaponized drones.
Enacted in 2026, effective date not stated in the source reviewed (4)
Signed or adopted this year. Check the state page for the current text.
Date not stated
Statute · All pilots
Maine: LD 2157, Public Law 2026 chapter 689
Correctional facilities
Creates 17-A M.R.S. § 761, prohibiting unauthorized drone use on or over the premises of correctional facilities and jails.
Signed April 13, 2026. Maine Legislature: LD 2157
Date not stated
Statute · Hunters
Georgia: HB 946
Feral hogs
Adds O.C.G.A. § 27-3-13(a.1): drones may be used to locate feral hogs, subject to all other laws. Locating is the whole permission; it does not allow taking or driving hogs with a drone.
Date not stated
Agency rule · Hunters
Maryland: COMAR 08.03.10.17 (2026-2027 season)
Hunting and wounded-game recovery
Bars using a drone to hunt or take wildlife or to disturb it in a way that causes injury or death. A drone may locate lawfully wounded or killed game, with notice to the DNR Communication Center before and after.
Date not stated
Statute · Public agencies
South Dakota: 2026 Session Laws chapter 192
Law enforcement countermeasures
Authorizes law enforcement countermeasures against unauthorized drone flights over prisons, jails, and military facilities, which SDCL 50-15-3 already makes a class 6 felony.
Proposed (1)
Noticed but not confirmed as adopted.
Noticed January 7, 2026
Proposed rule · All pilots
Wyoming: State Parks Chapter 1 rule amendments (notice of intent)
State parks
Proposes allowing drone use in state parks with the park superintendent's prior written permission. Proposed, not confirmed as adopted.
Did not pass
New Mexico SB 136: Postponed indefinitely January 29, 2026; died with the session
Would have created stand-off and surveillance offenses. None of it is law. New Mexico Legislature: SB 136 status
Colorado SB26-024: Postponed indefinitely
Would have limited local drone regulation. Colorado still has no statewide preemption, so city and county rules apply. Colorado General Assembly: SB26-024
Common questions
What new drone laws take effect in 2026?
This tracker lists 22 state laws and agency rules from 20 states that were enacted in 2026 or take effect in 2026 or on January 1, 2027. The biggest trends are buffers around ticketed events (Arizona, Alabama, California) and new limits on flights over prisons and jails (Maine, Georgia, Idaho).
Which states ban drones near concerts and stadium events?
Among 2026 enactments: Alabama (400 feet, from October 1, 2026), Arizona (one mile, commercial flights only, since September 12, 2026), Missouri (below 400 feet inside large open-air venues, since July 9, 2026), and California (400 feet, plus amusement parks at all times, from January 1, 2027). Georgia already had a 400-foot event rule. Large stadium events also sit under a standing FAA flight restriction.
Do these state laws apply to Part 107 pilots?
Usually yes. Most apply to anyone flying a drone, and some exempt commercial operators only under narrow conditions. California's exemption requires FAA authorization to fly beyond visual line of sight, and Arizona's event ring applies only to non-hobby flights. Read each state's page before working near a covered site.
Use this data
The tracker is available as a free CSV and JSON download under CC BY 4.0 from the Drone Authority datasets page.
Related
- State drone laws: all 50 states and DC
- Part 108: where the federal BVLOS rule stands
- Drone news and rule watch
Educational, not legal advice. Summaries are short on purpose; the linked text controls. Local ordinances and federal rules also apply.