Lawton, OK Drone Rules: Commercial Drones (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Lawton City Code § 16-5-1-543
- Altitude trigger
- Below 400 feet over covered facilities
- Commercial exception
- § 16-5-1-543(C)(9), FAA-authorized ops
- Penalty basis
- General penalty, Section 1-1-119
- Extra exposure
- Civil liability for facility damage
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 17-08, March 28, 2017
Summary
Lawton bars drones from flying below 400 feet over, contacting, or otherwise disturbing 'critical infrastructure facilities' like power plants, water treatment plants, and cell towers, but carves out an exception for a commercial-purpose drone operator who holds FAA authorization to operate in that airspace.
B.Except as provided in subsection C of this section, a person shall not intentionally or knowingly:1.Operate an unmanned aircraft over a critical infrastructure facility if the unmanned aircraft is less than four hundred (400) feet above ground level;2.Allow an unmanned aircraft to make contact with a critical infrastructure facility, including any person or object on the premises of or within the facility.C.This section shall not apply to conduct committed by:9.An operator of an unmanned aircraft that is being used for a commercial purpose, if the operator is authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct operations over that airspace.D.Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished as provided in Section 1-1-119 of this code, and may be civilly liable for damages to the critical infrastructure facility.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-5-1-543 of the Lawton City Code prohibits any person from intentionally or knowingly operating an unmanned aircraft over a listed 'critical infrastructure facility' at less than 400 feet above ground level, letting a drone contact such a facility or anyone on its premises, or flying close enough to interfere with or disturb the facility's operations. Covered facilities are enclosed or clearly posted sites including petroleum and alumina refineries, electrical generating and switching facilities, chemical and rubber plants, water intake and treatment structures, natural gas compressor stations and LNG terminals, telecommunications switching offices and cell towers, ports and rail switching yards, gas processing plants, licensed broadcast transmission facilities, electric-arc steelmaking plants, DHS CFATS-regulated sites, state- or federally-regulated dams, and aboveground natural gas distribution infrastructure.
Subsection C lists nine categories exempt from the ban, covering government actors, law enforcement, facility owners and their contractors, and anyone with the facility owner's prior written consent. ' That means a commercial drone business, such as a utility inspection or aerial-survey operator, can legally fly over a critical infrastructure facility below 400 feet in Lawton so long as it holds the applicable FAA authorization for that airspace, a carve-out unavailable to purely recreational fliers under this section.
Violations & Fines
Section 16-5-1-543(D) provides that any person violating the section is punished as provided in Section 1-1-119 of the general penalty code upon conviction, and may additionally be held civilly liable for damages to the critical infrastructure facility, including damage to property, the environment, or human health. A commercial operator who lacks the required FAA airspace authorization loses the exception and is exposed to both the criminal penalty and civil liability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a commercial drone operator fly over a power plant in Lawton?
What counts as a critical infrastructure facility under Lawton's drone rule?
What happens if a commercial drone operator flies without FAA authorization over these sites?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lawton
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