Rock County, WI Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)

Sec. " The same sentence extends the written-consent requirement to a list of other flying activities: hang gliding, parasailing, hot air ballooning, land sailing, flying model airplanes, and sky diving, none of which may occur in any Rock County park without that same Manager sign-off. "Manager" is defined in Sec. 01 as the Parks Manager of Rock County Parks, the official empowered under Sec. 02(17)(A) to close land, structures or property in a park by posted notice and, under Sec. 02(17)(E), to expel any person from a park for violating state law, the parks ordinance, or a posted rule.

A drone operator without consent is therefore subject to expulsion in addition to citation. Enforcement of the drone rule flows through the same channel as every other Sec. 02 park rule: Sec. 02(27) gives enforcement authority to the Manager or designees, the Rock County Sheriff's Office, and Wisconsin DNR Wardens, and Sec. 02(26) sets the penalty as a forfeiture referenced to County Resolution 08-8A-054, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense. Courts may substitute community service under Wis. Stat. 03(3).

The rule sits next to, but is separate from, the metal-detector permit requirement in Sec. 02(17)(F) and the boat-operation restrictions in Sec. 02(17)(H), both of which use the same written-consent or permit mechanism the county applies broadly across special-equipment uses in parks.