Roanoke County, VA Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)

Section 15-6, part of the county's park-conduct chapter adopted September 21, 2021, groups drones with other aircraft under its 'Traffic and vehicle use' rules. Subsection (7) bars any person from launching or landing 'any manned or unmanned aircraft, including drones, remote control planes, helicopters, gliders, jets, airplanes, powered parasails, powered paragliders, ultralight aircraft or hang gliders' inside a county park, except in an area the director has specifically designated for that use and only under a permit. The rule sits alongside other vehicle limits in the same section, including a 15-mile-per-hour park speed limit and a ban on off-road vehicles like ATVs and golf carts outside designated areas.

Permits generally fall under the § 15-9(3) process: an applicant files with the director, naming the activity, dates, hours, and expected attendance, and the director can approve it if the activity will not unreasonably interfere with public enjoyment, safety, or other scheduled uses; a denial can be appealed in writing to the county administrator within five days. Roanoke County employees flying drones within the scope of their job duties are exempt from the permit-and-designated-area requirement altogether, provided they give the director reasonable notice first, under the final sentence of § 15-6(7). Violating the drone rule is a park-chapter offense enforceable the same as any other § 15-6 violation.