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

045 governs the flying of model aircraft and civil unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) citywide. For model aircraft, defined as any unmanned aircraft capable of sustained flight, flown within the operator's visual line of sight, and flown for hobby or recreational purposes, the section requires flights within Riverside city limits to conform to FAA Advisory Circular 91-57A (dated September 15, 2015, or as later amended), the FAA's model-aircraft safety guidance. Layered on top of that, any model-aircraft flight occurring within five miles of the airport requires the operator to first notify the FAA Air Traffic Control Tower before flying, reflecting the airport's control zone and the risk to manned aircraft in that radius.

040, which bans releasing or flying moored balloons, kites, unmanned rockets or unmanned free balloons within five miles of the airport if they could be ingested by an aircraft engine, obstruct a pilot's view, or endanger airborne aircraft, and requires compliance with the FAA's balloon/kite/rocket regulations at 14 CFR Part 101. Both sections sit in Title 12 (Airport), administered by the Airport Manager, who oversees rules for all persons using the airport or its facilities.