Gastonia, NC Drone Rules: Event Drone Restrictions (2026)

Section 5-27(b)(7) of the Gastonia Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance No. 26-848 and effective February 3, 2026, makes it unlawful to use an unmanned aircraft, defined to include drones, remote-controlled aircraft, and model aircraft, for racing or acrobatics anywhere in the city unless the flight takes place at an event the city has specifically permitted. The companion provision at subsection (b)(4) separately prohibits operating a drone in the city in a way that interferes with a public safety incident or an emergency response scene, covering situations like a drone flying over an active police scene, a fire, or a wreck being worked by first responders.

Both prohibitions sit inside the city's broader unmanned aircraft framework, which also requires every operator to follow FAA statutes and rules, bars drones carrying pyrotechnic devices or objects that could be dropped as a safety risk, and exempts emergency vehicles and public safety responders from the section entirely. The exception for city-permitted events means an organizer running a drone race or aerobatic demonstration can apply for city permission rather than being categorically barred, distinguishing this rule from a flat ban. Enforcement falls to the Gastonia Police Department, and any violation, whether the racing/acrobatics rule or the emergency-interference rule, is charged the same way under subsection (e).