Fremont, CA Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)

060(y) makes it unlawful to launch, land or operate a drone anywhere within a Fremont park or recreation area. The ordinance carves out a single narrow exception for an emergency landing, but places the burden squarely on the drone's owner or operator: that person must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the community services director, that a real emergency existed that justified bringing the aircraft down inside the park. There is no exception for photography, recreational flying, or launching from outside the park boundary and merely passing over it to land elsewhere within park limits; the subsection bars all three verbs, launch, land and operate, without qualification.

A companion rule at subsection (z) separately prohibits operating any drone (along with motor vehicles, e-bikes, model craft and similar devices) in a reckless or negligent manner that endangers people, wildlife or property, even in the rare instances where drone use is otherwise permitted or authorized in a park. 060 to cover unmanned aircraft as drone use became common in city parks. 020 may expel violators from the park for the rest of the day.