Sherman, TX Drone Rules: Airport Proximity Rules (2026)

The rule is § 1.07.095(q) of the Sherman Code of Ordinances, part of the airport operating rules the city council adopted by Ordinance 6303 on 7/6/20 under Texas Transportation Code chapter 22 and amended by Ordinance 6523 on 9/6/2022. The clause lists four separate acts: operating a model aircraft at the airport, taking off or launching one from the airport, flying one over the airport, and landing one there. Flying over the airport is its own prohibited act, listed alongside launching and landing.

The code does not use the words drone or unmanned. The operative phrase is "model aircraft not capable of carrying a person," and under § 1.07.091(b) the terms aircraft and airplane take the meaning given in part 1 of Code of Federal Regulations title 14, aeronautics and space. A pilot of any remote-controlled craft near the field has to read the clause on its own words: it turns on whether the craft can carry a person, not on what the craft is called.

The one exception is tied to events. Model A/C operations for specific aeronautical events such as fly-ins or air shows can be approved for specific times by the city council. This clause gives that approval to the city council, not to the airport manager.

Other airport rules sit on top of this one. Under § 1.07.095(h) the airport manager or a designee can suspend or restrict any or all operations whenever that action is deemed necessary in the interest of safety. Section 1.07.092(18) requires any meeting or event on airport property to have a reservation through the city's public works department, bars non-aeronautical events that temporarily close the airport or interfere with its use, and requires Form 7460-1 to be filed 45 days in advance if a special event impacts navigation and/or airspace around the airport. Section 1.07.099 says the FAA's Federal Aviation Regulations prevail over these rules in a conflict, and that where a conflict exists with another city rule for the same area, the more stringent limitation or requirement governs.

The rule stops at the airport property. Model aircraft powered by internal combustion engines flown elsewhere in the city fall under the noise article, § 8.07.003(12), which is covered on the aircraft noise page for Sherman.