Recreational drone flights anywhere in Saginaw County follow FAA rules: register drones over 250 grams, pass the TRUST test, stay below 400 feet, and keep visual line of sight. Michigan law bars cities and townships from adding their own drone ordinances.
Neither Saginaw County nor its cities and townships can regulate who flies a drone or how. Michigan's Aeronautics Code, MCL 259.305, preempts local drone ordinances; only the state may regulate the ownership or operation of unmanned aircraft. So Saginaw, Frankenmuth, and Bridgeport cannot pass their own flight rules, though they can still control take-off and landing from park land they own. Federal law governs the flying: under 49 USC 44809 hobby flyers register any drone over 250 grams, pass the free TRUST test, keep the aircraft in sight, and stay under 400 feet. The controlled airspace around MBS International Airport near Freeland requires LAANC authorization, and the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge bans drone launches on federal land.
The FAA enforces the flight rules with civil penalties reaching thousands of dollars for unregistered or unsafe flight. A city or township can cite launching from a posted park but cannot ban overflight under MCL 259.305.
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See how Saginaw County's recreational drones rules stack up against other locations.
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