Vermilion Parish, LA Drone Rules: Event Drone Restrictions (2026)

Article V of Chapter 26, enacted by Ord. No. 2025-O-01 on 9-17-2025, restricts unmanned aircraft systems, commonly called drones, around large-scale public events. Section 26-115 states the purpose: to promote public safety and protect citizens attending large-scale public events by restricting take-off and landing within a defined radius. The Police Jury rests the article on its authority to regulate the use of property, including where unmanned aircraft can take off and land.

Section 26-116 defines a designated event as any public gathering within Vermilion Parish expected to attract a large crowd, including festivals, fairs, parades and similar events, as determined by the governing authority or law enforcement agency. The restricted zone is the land or property within a 2-mile radius of the boundaries of a designated event, and it is used to regulate takeoff and landing only.

Section 26-117(a) makes it unlawful for any person to take off or land a drone within that 2-mile radius unless expressly permitted under § 26-118. Subsection (b) carves out drone flights that occur solely in navigable airspace above the restricted zone, without taking off from or landing within the restricted area. So the rule bites on where the pilot stands and where the aircraft lands, not on flying over the zone.

The Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office or another designated law enforcement agency enforces the article under § 26-119. Officers can issue citations or summonses, order the immediate cessation of drone operations in violation, and confiscate equipment used in a violation when necessary to preserve public safety. Written authorization for certain uses is described in § 26-118.