Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ Drone Rules: Commercial Drones (2026)

Section 123-4 of the Monroe Township Code lists exceptions to the drone chapter adopted 9-24-2018 by Ord. No. O:27-2018. Subsection D says the chapter does not prohibit individuals and entities from using drones during daylight hours for business purposes in the airspace within the boundary lines of private, commercial or residential property with the property owner's consent. The limit is on data: data collection is restricted to the properties that provide consent. Section 123-2 defines data collection as the acquisition of information by use of one or more sensing devices, and sensing devices include cameras, microphones, thermal detectors, chemical detectors, radiation gauges and wireless receivers.

Subsection E ties authorized and lawful drone operation for commercial, business, educational, scientific, research, environmental and personal purposes to specific FAA regulations, if any. Subsection F separately protects a private property owner's use of unmanned aircraft within the boundary lines of that property, or of other private property in the Township with that owner's consent. Section 123-5A adds that nothing in the chapter restricts a person authorized by the FAA, under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 or a certificate of waiver, certificate of authorization or airworthiness certificate under Section 44704 of Title 49, from conducting those specific flight operations in Township airspace.

Commercial operators still face the chapter's general rules. Section 123-3B requires a current FAA certificate of aircraft registration and, where the use requires it under 14 CFR Part 107, a remote pilot certificate, shown immediately on request of a Monroe Township Police Officer or Code Enforcement Officer. Section 123-3A bars taking off from or landing on Township-owned property, though Section 123-4C lets the Code Enforcement Officer issue a written waiver. Section 123-3E requires written permission from school authorities to operate on or below 400 feet above a public school, and Section 123-3F requires it to capture images of school grounds. The surveillance definition in Section 123-2 covers gathering images or data about another person or business in a manner offensive to a reasonable person. Accidents on public property must be reported immediately to the Police Department under Section 123-6.