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

Tustin sits under the airspace shared by John Wayne Airport and near the former MCAS Tustin helipads, and its drone chapter addresses aircraft proximity with two separate rules rather than naming a specific airport. Section 4962(e) sets a flat 1,500 horizontal-foot buffer around "any aircraft, including any UAS," meaning a drone cannot take off or land that close to a manned plane or to somebody else's drone anywhere in the City. Section 4964(c) layers federal airspace control directly into local law: no person may take off or land a UAS "in violation of any Temporary Flight Restriction or Notice to Airmen issued by the FAA," so a federally declared TFR, the kind issued for wildfire response, VIP movement, or a stadium event, becomes a local violation the moment a drone crosses it.

The same chapter bans attaching any weapon to a UAS under Section 4962(f) and requires the operator to stay within visual line of sight under Section 4962(a). Because "Public UAS" operated by a qualifying government agency, including the Tustin Police Department, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner, and Orange County Fire Authority, are exempt under Section 4965, the aircraft-buffer rule functions mainly against private and commercial drone traffic. A violation is a misdemeanor under Section 4667, carrying up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in the Orange County jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.