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

Section 5-27(b)(2), part of the unmanned aircraft ordinance the city adopted effective February 3, 2026, prohibits launching and recovering unmanned aircraft on city property unless the city manager has given prior written approval. The ordinance carves out one automatic exception: small unmanned aircraft, defined elsewhere in the section as weighing less than 55 pounds, may launch and recover in two named parks, Martha Rivers Park and Linwood Springs Park, without seeking that approval. Everywhere else on city property, including every other city park, an operator must apply to the city manager and include proof of any required state and federal registrations or permits as part of the request.

In deciding whether to grant approval, the city manager may weigh the potential benefits and risks to the city, public safety and welfare, and the specific operator proposing the flight, giving the office broad discretion rather than a fixed checklist. Operators who do fly in the two named parks still must comply with the city's general park rules under subsection (b)(3), and every operator remains bound by FAA statutes and rules under subsection (b)(1). Public safety responders operating drones in the course of their duties are exempt under subsection (c). A violation of the launch-and-recovery restriction is a misdemeanor like any other breach of section 5-27.