Ashwaubenon, WI Drone Rules: Event Drone Restrictions (2026)

Ashwaubenon Municipal Code § 9-1-18, adopted under Ordinance No. O5-1-17 (May 26, 2017) and amended by Ordinance No. O3-5-21 (March 23, 2021), regulates unmanned aircraft systems, commonly called drones, across the Village. Two separate provisions cover events. Under § 9-1-18(C)(4), no person may take off or land a UAS within 100 feet of any Village-permitted or Village-sponsored public event without written or electronic permission from the Village, and any operator flying within that 100-foot buffer must carry a copy of that consent. Section 9-1-18(E)(1) goes further for what the code calls a Special Event, defined at (B)(6) as any athletic event, demonstration, parade, run/walk event, exhibition, march or ceremony, or similar display on a street, park, or other public place: it is unlawful to fly or operate a UAS anywhere within the event's designated boundaries starting one hour before the scheduled time, continuing through the event, and for one hour afterward.

The same one-hour bracket applies to Ashwaubomay Park during lake operational hours. Any flight above 400 feet independently requires an FAA altitude waiver. The Village allows exceptions for authorized law enforcement, for an operator with written approval from the event organizer, or from the Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry (or a designee) for Ashwaubomay Park, or from the FAA. Public UAS operated on behalf of a government agency, including the Ashwaubenon Department of Public Safety or Brown County Sheriff, are exempt entirely under § 9-1-18(F).