Recreational drone flying across Whatcom County follows federal FAA rules under 49 U.S.C. 44809: register drones over 250 grams, pass the TRUST test, stay below 400 feet, and keep visual line of sight. Washington adds no broad drone-preemption statute; local rules reach only launch and landing.
Neither Whatcom County nor its cities regulate the airspace; the FAA does. Under 49 U.S.C. 44809 you may fly for fun without a Part 107 certificate if you register any drone over 250 grams, pass the free TRUST test, keep the aircraft in visual line of sight, and stay below 400 feet in uncontrolled airspace. Bellingham International Airport throws Class D and E airspace over much of the county, so flying there needs LAANC authorization first. The Canadian border matters here: you may not fly a drone across it, and border airspace is watched by Customs and Border Protection. Whatcom County and Bellingham parks may restrict launching and landing on their land but cannot ban overflight.
The FAA enforces the flight rules with civil penalties reaching thousands of dollars for unregistered or unsafe flight. Local park rangers can cite launching from posted park land, and crossing the border by drone invites federal action.
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