Piscataway, NJ Drone Rules: Commercial Drones (2026)

Piscataway Township Code § 12-9.5, added by Ordinance No. 2020-35, carves commercial drone use out of the park-wide permit and 100-foot/400-foot operating rules that otherwise apply under §§ 12-9.2 and 12-9.4. Subsection c allows individuals and entities to fly 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,' but restricts data collection to 'the properties that provide consent thereto alone,' so a business operator cannot sweep footage of a neighboring, non-consenting parcel.

Subsection d extends the same daylight-hours, consent-based approach to Township parks themselves: businesses may fly there 'if the Township provides consent for same,' again with data collection confined to park property. Both exceptions sit alongside § 12-9.5.a and .b, which separately clear law enforcement, emergency services, and state or federal agencies to fly drones for lawful purposes, and § 12-9.5.e, which subjects all of this to 'specific Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, if any.' A commercial operator who lacks the property owner's or Township's consent, or who flies outside daylight hours, falls back into the standard § 12-9.2 permit and § 12-9.4 restrictions, including the $25 annual fee, 100-foot buffer from people and structures, and 400-foot altitude ceiling.