Drone Laws in the US: Find the Official Rules Where You Fly
Drone rules come in layers — federal, state, and local — and no single website (including this one) can tell you everything. So instead of paraphrasing 50 states' laws, this guide teaches you how the layers fit together and points you straight to the official, authoritative sources for the rules that apply where you want to fly.
One flight, three separate questions
US drone law is layered, and each layer answers a different question. A legal flight needs a "yes" to all three. This is the single most useful mental model for staying legal:
May the aircraft be in this sky?
Federal — the FAA. Airspace class, altitude limits, flight restrictions, Remote ID, and pilot certification. Only the FAA regulates the air itself. Answer it with a B4UFLY check and, if needed, a LAANC authorization.
May I take off and land here?
Landowner, state & local. The ground is not the FAA's. Your launch and landing site is governed by the property owner and by state and local rules — city park ordinances, state park policies, and federal land bans like the National Park Service's.
May I record — and is my conduct legal?
Mostly state law. Privacy and surveillance statutes, trespass, harassment, hunting-interference, and critical-infrastructure laws all still apply when the camera is on a drone. These vary a lot by state.
Key point: an FAA certificate answers question 1 only. It never grants permission to launch from someone's land, and it never overrides a state privacy law.
Who's allowed to regulate what
The FAA's 2023 fact sheet on state and local regulation of drones draws the line like this: the FAA has exclusive authority over aviation safety and the efficient use of the navigable airspace — at any altitude. That means states and cities cannot regulate flight paths, altitudes, or airspace access, and cannot impose their own drone licensing, equipment, or geofencing mandates.
But states and local governments keep their traditional police powers over the ground and over conduct. They may regulate takeoff and landing on public property they control, privacy, trespass, harassment, land use and zoning, hunting and wildlife interference, and critical-infrastructure protection — so long as those rules don't effectively impair reasonable use of the airspace.
One important nuance: a local rule dressed up as a "land use" rule can still go too far. In Singer v. City of Newton (D. Mass. 2017), a federal court struck down a city ordinance whose combined restrictions — including a ban on flight over any city property or private property below 400 feet without consent — amounted to a city-wide drone ban that intruded on the FAA's domain. So: cities can restrict where you launch and land; they can't wall off their sky.
States also differ on whether their own cities may add drone rules. Some (like Texas and Florida) preempt most local drone ordinances; others (like Tennessee and California) leave room for city and county rules. Each state directory below tells you which situation you're in.
How to check the rules before you fly — anywhere in the US
This six-step workflow works for any location, whether or not we've published a directory for your state. It takes about ten minutes the first time and gets faster with practice.
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Check the airspace (federal layer)
Run your location through a B4UFLY service. The FAA has approved five companies to provide B4UFLY airspace checks — Airspace Link, Aloft, AutoPylot, Avision, and UASidekick — and keeps the current list on its B4UFLY page. This tells you the airspace class and any flight restrictions.
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Get airspace authorization if you need it
In controlled airspace near airports, request authorization through LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) using an FAA-approved app. The FAA’s UAS Facility Maps show the maximum altitude that can be authorized in each map grid.
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Make sure you and your drone are registered
Register your drone (and manage waivers or authorizations) through FAA DroneZone. Recreational flyers need TRUST; commercial pilots need Part 107.
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Rule out federal land bans at your launch site
The National Park Service bans launching, landing, and operating drones on all NPS-administered land nationwide — a policy set by Policy Memorandum 14-05 (2014) and carried forward in each park’s rules. Violations are a federal Class B misdemeanor with penalties up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. Other federal land managers have their own rules.
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Check your state’s drone laws
Start with our state directories below if we cover your state. Otherwise, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) tracks current state drone laws, and your state legislature’s own website has the authoritative statute text.
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Check the city and county code where you’ll take off
Most local drone rules live in the municipal code — usually in the parks chapter. Search the three big code libraries below for your city or county, or Google “[city name]” municipal code drone or “unmanned aircraft” ordinance. Also check the local parks department’s own site.
State directories with verified official links
For these states we've done the digging for you: statute citations linked to the legislature's own site, the state drone agency, park rules, and city or county ordinances we've confirmed against official sources.
Arizona
State law preempts local rules · 3 local ordinances linked
California
Cities & counties add their own rules · 3 local ordinances linked
Colorado
Cities & counties add their own rules · 3 local ordinances linked
Florida
State law preempts local rules · 3 local ordinances linked
New York
Cities & counties add their own rules · 3 local ordinances linked
North Carolina
Cities & counties add their own rules · 3 local ordinances linked
Tennessee
Cities & counties add their own rules · 2 local ordinances linked
Texas
State law preempts local rules · 3 local ordinances linked
Common questions
How do I find the drone laws for my city or county?
Search the big municipal code libraries — Municode, American Legal Publishing, and General Code eCode360 — for your city or county, or search Google for "[city name]" municipal code drone or "unmanned aircraft" ordinance. Also check the city parks department website, since takeoff and landing rules usually live in the parks code. Then check your state's laws via the NCSL drone law tracker and your state legislature's website.
Does my FAA Part 107 certificate let me fly anywhere?
No. An FAA certificate covers the federal airspace layer only. It never grants permission to take off or land from a particular piece of land, and it does not override state privacy, trespass, or park rules. You still need the landowner's or land manager's permission for your launch site, and you must follow state and local law.
Can a city ban drones entirely?
A city cannot regulate the airspace itself — flight paths, altitudes, and airspace access are exclusively federal (FAA) matters. Cities can restrict takeoff and landing on property they control, such as city parks. But courts have held that a sweeping city-wide takeoff/landing ban can go too far: in Singer v. City of Newton, a federal court struck down a city ordinance that effectively banned all drone flight over the city.
Are drones allowed in national parks?
No. National Park Service Policy Memorandum 14-05 prohibits launching, landing, or operating drones on all NPS-administered land nationwide. Violations are a federal misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. State parks are different — each state sets its own park rules, which is one reason to check your state's directory.
How do I check whether the airspace where I want to fly is controlled?
Use a B4UFLY-approved app or website — the FAA lists the currently approved providers on its B4UFLY page. If you are in controlled airspace near an airport, request authorization through LAANC via an FAA-approved service, and review the FAA's UAS Facility Maps to see the maximum altitudes that can be approved in each grid.