Garden Grove, CA Drone Rules: Recreational Drones (2026)

90, adopted by Ordinance 2879 in 2017, sets community-based safety rules for unmanned aircraft that the City says do not preempt FAA authority or state law. 030 bars taking off or landing a drone outside the operator's visual line of sight, within 25 feet of anyone other than the operator or the operator's designee, over a permitted public event without written or electronic City permission, within 1,500 horizontal feet of any aircraft, on private property without the owner's consent, or with any weapon attached. 040 separately makes it unlawful to operate a drone recklessly in a way that creates a substantial risk of serious injury or property damage.

050 layers on time, place, and manner buffers: no drone within 500 feet of an emergency vehicle running its lights or siren, within 500 feet of an active law enforcement or emergency incident, within 100 feet of a school without prior authorization from school officials, within 500 feet of a jail or law enforcement facility, or within 100 feet of any public building without prior City authorization, and no flying in violation of any FAA Temporary Flight Restriction or Notice to Airmen. 55 pounds from the entire chapter.