Upland, CA Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Default rule
- Drones/model aircraft permitted at all parks
- Line of sight
- Required for takeoff/landing
- Distance from people
- 25 ft minimum for takeoff/landing
- Weapons/attachments
- Banned on any unmanned aircraft
- Gas-powered RC vehicles
- Banned outright, § 12.36.050(C)(2)
- Penalty
- Infraction under § 1.16.020 via § 12.36.100
Summary
Drones, model planes, and helicopters are allowed by default in every Upland park, but Municipal Code § 12.36.050(C)(1) bars launching or landing one outside your visual line of sight, within 25 feet of anyone else, with a weapon attached, or in a reckless manner risking injury or damage.
Unmanned aircrafts, including, but not limited to, drones, model or toy airplanes, helicopters, or similar devices are permitted at all parks. When operating unmanned aircraft within parks, no person shall takeoff or land an unmanned aircraft under the following circumstances: a. Outside of the person's visual line of sight. b. Within 25 feet of another individual, except the operator or the operator's designee. ... d. With any type of weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, animate or inanimate, that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury, attached to it. e. In a reckless manner so as to create a substantial risk of serious injury to any person or substantial risk of damage to the property of another. 2. Gas-powered remote-controlled vehicles, including, but not limited to, toy or model cars, trucks, watercrafts, and similar toys are prohibited at all parks and park facilities.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4480959; v4 updated 2025-09-22).
Full Breakdown
050(C) governs 'Unmanned Aircraft and Toy Vehicles' inside Upland's park system. Subsection (C)(1) starts from permission: unmanned aircraft, including drones, model or toy airplanes, helicopters, and similar devices, are permitted at all parks. It then restricts only the takeoff and landing moments, prohibiting them outside the operator's visual line of sight, within 25 feet of another individual (other than the operator or a designee), within 500 feet of a city-permitted public event, with any weapon or dangerous device attached, or in a manner reckless enough to create a substantial risk of serious injury or property damage.
020 as an aircraft without a human pilot on board, controlled from the ground, operating without the possibility of direct human intervention from within the aircraft. Subsection (C)(2) separately prohibits gas-powered remote-controlled vehicles, including toy or model cars, trucks, and watercraft, outright at all parks and park facilities, with no line-of-sight or distance exception at all. 36 park regulations, alongside restrictions on vehicles, fires, alcohol, amplified sound, and animals, all enforced the same way.
Violations & Fines
Violating any restriction in § 12.36.050(C)(1) or the outright gas-powered vehicle ban in (C)(2) is punishable as an infraction under § 1.16.020, per the chapter's general enforcement section, § 12.36.100, and the violator is subject to removal from the park, designated park, or park facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fly a drone at any city park in Upland?
Can I attach anything to my drone while flying it in the park?
Are gas-powered RC cars or boats allowed in Upland parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Upland
California rules heatmap·Compare Upland to another location·View the California drone rules overview
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