Petaluma, CA Drone Rules: Airport Proximity Rules (2026)

32, Ultralight Aircraft and Unmanned Aircraft Systems, added to Title 16 (Airport and Aircraft) by Ordinance 2905 NCS in 2025. 040 tells every remote pilot and recreational flyer operating a UAS or drone within the city that they must be aware of and avoid the aircraft traffic pattern and the takeoff and landing areas of Petaluma Municipal Airport. The same section bars a drone from interfering with airport operations and requires it to follow the right-of-way rules that apply to its operation, expressly cross-referencing 14 CFR Part 107, the FAA's small unmanned aircraft rule.

040. Because the FAA controls navigable airspace nationwide, Petaluma is not attempting to license drone flights or set altitude ceilings; it is regulating the ground-level conflict between drone operators and the airport's own air traffic, requiring avoidance and yielding rather than banning recreational flying outright. 010, which lets the city pursue remedies for any Title 16 violation, including drone conflicts near the airport, under any applicable authority, expressly naming Title 1's general enforcement chapters. 020, a code violation not expressly labeled an infraction is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, six months in county jail, or both, while a violation charged as an infraction carries a $100 fine for a first offense and $200 for a second within a year, escalating to a misdemeanor on a third violation within twelve months.