Recreational drone flights in Benton County follow FAA rules under 49 U.S.C. 44809: register drones over 250 grams, pass the TRUST test, stay below 400 feet, keep visual line of sight. Federal rules bar flying over the Hanford Site.
Washington has no statewide drone-preemption law, but it also has no broad drone code, so recreational flying in Benton County runs on the FAA's Exception for Recreational Flyers, 49 U.S.C. 44809: register any drone over 250 grams, pass the free TRUST test, keep it within visual line of sight, stay below 400 feet, and yield to crewed aircraft. Benton County and the Tri-Cities can still restrict launches and landings from their own parks. The big local limit is federal: since December 2017 the FAA has prohibited drone flight from the surface to 400 feet over the Hanford Site, and airspace near Richland Airport may need LAANC authorization.
FAA penalties for unregistered or unsafe recreational flight can reach thousands of dollars. Flying over the restricted Hanford Site airspace draws federal enforcement. Local park violations bring citations from county or city parks staff.
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