Clinton Township, MI Drone Rules: Recreational Drones (2026)

03 of the Clinton Township Code, part of the chapter otherwise devoted to open burning, targets a narrow category of drone: any 'unmanned airborne device' that, once airborne, emits a flame or spark, the kind of rig sometimes used to carry fireworks or incendiary payloads. The ordinance bars three things: selling or offering to sell such a device, causing or assisting one to lift into the air, and allowing particulate matter carrying sparks or flame to travel beyond the property line from which it was released.

Liability falls on both the property owner and anyone who causes or assists the launch, though an owner is relieved of liability if the device was launched by a trespasser without the owner's knowledge and opportunity to stop it. The section carves out one exception: a hot air balloon that is otherwise fully compliant with applicable law and is manned at the time it lifts off. Because the rule is written around flame and spark emission rather than flight paths, altitude, or airspace, it leaves ordinary camera or hobby drones untouched, consistent with the FAA's authority over navigable airspace; it functions as a fire-safety rule, not a drone-flight ordinance. It was adopted by Ordinance 429, passed March 13, 2017, alongside the Township's other open-burning provisions.