Kitsap County, WA Drone Rules: Airport Proximity Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 3,000 ft from installation boundary
- Sites covered
- 5 Naval Base Kitsap locations
- Applies to
- Hobby, recreational, and commercial UAS
- Exempt
- Public/government UAS
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine and/or 60 days jail
- Enacted
- Ordinance 571 (2019)
Summary
No one may launch or land a civil drone, including FAA-classified model aircraft, within the 3,000-foot military installation protection overlay area surrounding Naval Base Kitsap's Bangor, Bremerton, Keyport, and Manchester sites and the Bremerton naval hospital, absent a county exemption or FAA/Navy on-base approval.
No person shall launch or land any civil unmanned aircraft system, including those classified by the FAA as model aircraft, within military installation protection overlay areas. The specific boundaries of such overlay areas are shown below (subsections (A) through (E) of this section). These prohibitions apply to the areas in the military installation protection overlay areas and do not apply to operations approved by FAA and Naval Base Kitsap on installation property.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4864424; v0 updated 2025-12-08; through 12-08-2025).
Full Breakdown
010. 020(F)). 030(A)-(E)). The prohibition explicitly reaches model aircraft classified as such by the FAA, so hobbyist status does not exempt a flight inside the buffer. 040(A). A civil operator who needs to fly within the overlay can apply electronically for a short-term exemption, up to twelve hours, with the Navy and sheriff notified once the application is complete, or, for repeat commercial use, a two-year blanket exemption.
Violations & Fines
Launching or landing a civil drone inside the overlay area without an exemption is a misdemeanor under § 10.62.050: up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000, though officers may issue a warning instead. Sheriff's deputies may detect, track, disable, seize, or interdict a drone posing an imminent threat to a military installation without the operator's consent, and any drone used in violation is subject to impoundment and forfeiture under § 10.62.060.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close to Naval Base Kitsap can I fly a drone?
Does this rule apply to hobby drones too?
Can I ever fly a drone in the restricted zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kitsap County
Compare Kitsap County to another location·View the Washington drone rules overview
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