Queen Anne's County, MD Drone Rules: Recreational Drones (2026)

Section 22-20 A of the Queen Anne's County Code is the broader aeronautical rule. Section 22-20 opens by saying its regulations apply to all property under the supervision or control of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Subsection A then says aeronautical activities are permitted pursuant to airport regulations, and that airplanes, helium and hot air balloons, hang gliders, parachutes, ultra-light planes, drones, or any other person-operated aircraft shall not be flown or launched from any County property except in officially designated areas by permit. The list is wide on purpose: a recreational drone sits alongside balloons and hang gliders, and the catch-all phrase person-operated aircraft covers anything not named.

The operative words are flown or launched from County property. The rule regulates where an aircraft takes off or is flown on County land and requires both a designated area and a permit. The offense is Class e, the lowest of the five classes in § 22-25 C, with a pre-set minimum fine of $50 and a minimum suspension of park privileges of one day, up to a maximum of one week. The separate park-specific rule in § 22-19 N, which names powered model airplanes, rockets and drones flown from any park area, is a Class d offense and is covered on the park restrictions record.

Permits come from the Department of Parks and Recreation under § 22-18 C, and permit fees must be paid in full before the use under § 22-23. Enforcement under § 22-24 belongs to any County employee designated by resolution of the County Commissioners, the Department of Natural Resources, the Queen Anne's County Sheriff, the Maryland State Police and other agencies the County Commissioners designate. The code of the incorporated towns, Centreville, Queenstown, Church Hill, Sudlersville, Barclay, Templeville and Millington, is separate from this chapter.