Federal Way, WA Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)

280 governs model rockets, boats, hydroplanes and unmanned aircraft in city parks, and bars any person from using model rockets, boats, hydroplanes or remote-controlled aircraft in a park area except in areas specifically designated and posted for that purpose, or after first obtaining a permit from the director. 010 defines a drone as an unmanned aircraft, and defines unmanned aircraft broadly as a motorized aircraft that does not carry a person, with motorized covering electric, combustion and pressurized motors, so battery-powered recreational drones fall squarely inside the section's reach.

Anyone flying a remote-controlled aircraft in a designated park area must also abide by the Official Academy of Model Aeronautics Safety Code and Federal Aviation Administration regulations, layering federal and hobbyist-association standards on top of the local permit-or-designated-area rule. 25 cubic inches used in designated areas must be muffled, a requirement aimed at combustion-powered models rather than electric drones. A separate permit from the director is required specifically to launch model rockets in a park area, distinct from the designated-area allowance for remote-controlled aircraft generally.

020, it reaches only park property; it does not purport to regulate drone flights over private land or non-park public rights-of-way elsewhere in the city.