Plano, TX Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 15's activities-requiring-a-permit article treats aircraft and models as two separate categories, both barred from park grounds without department authorization. Subsection 15-4(a)(8) makes it an offense to 'launch or land any aircraft, including, but not limited to, hot air balloons, airplanes, paraplanes, ultralights, helicopters, and gliders, on the grounds of a park or park facility without a permit', the 'including, but not limited to' language means the list of named craft is illustrative, not exhaustive. ' Neither subsection names 'drone' or 'unmanned aircraft system', the ordinance predates that phrasing becoming standard, but the FAA's own regulatory framework defines an unmanned aircraft as an aircraft operated without a human on board, which is why Plano's parks department applies the § 15-4(a)(8) permit requirement to recreational drone flights over park property in practice, alongside the model-craft permit in (a)(9) for smaller radio-controlled devices.

Both offenses were adopted by Ord. No. 2000-8-32 in August 2000, with the current permit-application procedure at § 15-5 and denial standards at § 15-6 governing how a flight permit is requested, reviewed within five business days, and can be appealed to the city manager under § 15-8.