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PolicyRule watch4 min read

Police can now ask the FAA to close the sky to drones over big crowds. Ten of these TFRs are live this week, from ACL Fest to Pitt-NC State

A 2024 law lets a law enforcement agency request a drone-only flight restriction over a stadium game or an outdoor festival. The FAA's TFR list now carries the type 'UAS Public Gathering,' and ten are in force between October 2 and October 18.

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Illustration: a drone with a strobe light at night (not an event venue)
Illustration: a drone with a strobe light at night (not an event venue).

Decision brief

Before you fly near a stadium, fair, or festival this month, check tfr.faa.gov for the 'UAS Public Gathering' type. The rings are small, 0.8 to 5 nautical miles, but they run for hours and cover everything from the surface to 400 feet. The only way in is FAA authorization or approval from the police agency that asked for it. The standing stadium rule still applies on top.

Active now
10 NOTAMs

Type 'UAS Public Gathering', October 2 to October 18

Dimensions
Surface to 400 ft AGL

Rings of 0.8 to 5 nautical miles

Authority
49 U.S.C. 44812

FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024; FAA Notice N JO 7210.960

The law

Congress wrote it in 2024. The FAA switched it on in August 2025.

Section 44812 of Title 49 came from the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, signed May 16, 2024. It tells the FAA to restrict drone flights over an eligible large public gathering when a credentialed law enforcement agency asks. A stadium or similar venue qualifies if it is not enclosed, has hosted events covered by the special security instructions in section 521 of Public Law 108-199, and expects at least 30,000 people. Any other outdoor venue qualifies at 100,000 people with a fixed boundary. The event must be publicly advertised. The agency must ask at least 30 days ahead, and the FAA must publish the restriction at least two days before the event.

The FAA wrote the law into its air traffic procedures with Notice N JO 7210.960, effective August 7, 2025. That notice added Section 2 to Chapter 20 of FAA Order JO 7210.3, which now lists section 44812 first among the authorities for a TFR. Requests go to the Operations Support Group manager at the FAA service center for the region. Once the NOTAM is out, no one may fly a drone inside it unless the FAA authorizes the flight for operational, safety, security, or compliance oversight purposes, or the requesting agency approves it. The restriction applies only to unmanned aircraft.

Live this week

Three NOTAMs name their event. Seven name only the city and the police agency.

As of the morning of October 6, the FAA's TFR list shows ten active NOTAMs of the type 'UAS Public Gathering.' Every one runs from the surface up to and including 400 feet above ground level, and every one cites section 44812. Three name their event. FDC 6/5849 covers the Austin City Limits Music Festival: a 1 nautical mile ring, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Central daily, October 2 through October 11, requested by the Austin Police Department. FDC 6/7358 covers Blink in Cincinnati: a 5 nautical mile ring in force without a break from 6 p.m. Eastern on October 8 until midnight at the end of Saturday, October 10, requested by the Cincinnati Police Department. FDC 6/7372 covers the Pitt v NC State football game at Acrisure Stadium: 2 nautical miles, noon to midnight Eastern on October 10, requested by City of Pittsburgh Police.

The other seven give a city and a requesting agency but do not name the event. FDC 6/7150, Atlanta: 1 nautical mile, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern on October 10, Atlanta Police Department. FDC 6/7155, Auburn, Alabama: 1 nautical mile, 1 p.m. October 10 to 1 a.m. October 11 Central, Auburn University Police Department. FDC 6/7170, Tampa: 1 nautical mile, 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Eastern on October 9, Tampa Police Department. FDC 6/7231, Santa Clara, California: 1 nautical mile, 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Pacific on the evenings of October 10 and 11, Santa Clara Police Department. FDC 6/7530, Raleigh: 0.8 nautical miles, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Eastern on October 10, NC State Police Department as the NOTAM lists it. FDC 6/6783, Perry, Georgia: 1 nautical mile, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern daily from October 9, with the last window ending October 18, Houston County Emergency Management Agency. FDC 6/7153, North Scituate, Rhode Island: 4 nautical miles, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern daily, October 10 through 12, Scituate Police Department.

Before you fly

A different ask than a security TFR: the local agency, not an FAA waiver.

These rings sit on top of two restrictions pilots already know. The FAA's standing stadium rule bans drones within 3 nautical miles of Major League Baseball, National Football League, NCAA Division I football, and major motor racing events from one hour before to one hour after. The drone-only security TFR over the Chicago Marathon on October 11 is issued under 14 CFR 99.7 and needs a Special Governmental Interest waiver from the FAA. A section 44812 NOTAM instead points pilots to a named officer at the agency that requested it. Only the Santa Clara NOTAM carries the warning that under 10 U.S.C. 130i and 6 U.S.C. 124n, federal agencies may seize or destroy a drone they judge a credible threat.

TFRs and special use airspaceHow temporary flight restrictions work and how to check them before you fly.Can I fly here?Check airspace and restrictions for a location.

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