Kenosha, WI Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Where banned
- Poerio Nature Center, Phil Sanders Nature Area
- What's banned
- Drones, model rockets, RC vehicles/aircraft
- Citywide backup rule
- RC aircraft banned in all City Parks
- Nature Area size
- About 65 combined acres
- Max penalty
- $1,000 forfeiture plus costs
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Public Works / Park Board
Summary
Kenosha bans drone flying, model rocket launching, and remote-controlled vehicles or aircraft in or over its designated Nature Areas, Poerio Nature Center and the Phil Sanders Nature Area, under Code Section 6.065(C)(15). The same chapter's citywide park rule separately bars flying remote-control aircraft in every City Park, and violations of either carry the Parks chapter's forfeiture penalty.
C.Regulation. The following regulations are applicable to Nature Areas:1.No one may be or remain in any Nature Area between 10:00 P.M. and sunrise of the following day, except with the expressed, written permission of the Director of Public Works... 15.No drone flying, model rocket launching, remote controlled vehicles, or model aircraft, in or over a Nature Area is permitted.16.Motorized vehicles are not permitted unless such vehicles are necessary to provide accessibility pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 11 Update 1 | Zoning Ordinance: Supplement 9).
Full Breakdown
065 of the Kenosha Code creates the category of 'Nature Area,' land protected to preserve a natural habitat for local flora and fauna and formally designated by the Common Council; the code names Poerio Nature Center and the Phil Sanders Nature Area, roughly 65 combined acres running from 60th Street to 75th Street, as the two so designated. to sunrise absent the Director of Public Works' written permission, and layer on protections beyond an ordinary park: visitors must stay on marked trails, bicycles are limited to trails marked for bicycle use, alcohol is banned outright rather than permitted, collecting any plant, animal, or other substance requires the Director's written permission, hunting and trapping are prohibited, and motorized vehicles are barred except where needed for ADA accessibility.
Where a Nature Area regulation conflicts with a statute or another City ordinance, the more restrictive rule controls. 02(A)(20) separately bars flying 'any real or scale model, or miniature or U-control, or remote control or hot air balloon, propeller driven or jet aircraft or any rocket powered craft' in every City Park, so a drone, a remote-control aircraft, is barred park-wide even where the location is not a designated Nature Area.
Violations & Fines
A drone-flying violation in a Nature Area or any other City Park is enforced under Section 6.09's general Parks penalty: a forfeiture of up to $1,000 plus the costs of prosecution, and if the forfeiture is not paid, commitment to the County Jail for up to 90 days. Park staff can also order a violator to leave and can revoke any standing park use permission tied to the incident.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fly a drone in a Kenosha park?
What else is banned in Kenosha's Nature Areas besides drones?
What happens if you fly a drone in a Kenosha Nature Area?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha
Compare Kenosha to another location·View the Wisconsin drone rules overview
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