Skagit County, WA Drone Rules: Recreational Drones (2026)
Key Facts
- Where allowed
- Only Department-designated, posted areas of County parks
- Engine noise limit
- Engines over 0.15 CI must be muffled
- Standard applied
- Academy of Model Aeronautics code
- Rockets
- Require Department permission to fly
- Scope
- County park property only, not countywide
Summary
Skagit County's parks code does not use the word drone, but its model-aircraft provision in SCC 9.41.200 controls recreational flying of small unmanned aircraft on County park property: flying is confined to areas the Parks and Recreation Department has specifically designated and posted, motors above 0.15 cubic inches must be muffled, and fliers must follow the Academy of Model Aeronautics code.
No aircraft shall land or take off from any body of water or land area in a County park not specifically designated for such use with the exception of bona fide emergency landings. ... (a) No one shall fly rockets or model aircraft in any County park except in areas specifically designated and/or posted for that purpose; (b) All engines over 0.15 CI used in model aircraft being flown in a designated County park shall be muffled; (c) All persons flying model aircraft in a designated County park shall abide by the official Academy of Model Aeronautics code; (d) No one shall shoot or fly model rockets in a County park without permission from the Department.
Full Breakdown
SCC 9.41.200(2) governs Model Aircraft and Rockets in every County park, and its language, covering any powered device flown for recreation rather than the word drone specifically, is the closest local rule to a recreational-drone ordinance in the Skagit County Code. No one may fly rockets or model aircraft in any County park except in areas specifically designated and posted for that purpose (SCC 9.41.200(2)(a)); any engine over 0.15 cubic inches used in a model aircraft flown in a designated park must be muffled (SCC 9.41.200(2)(b)); fliers must follow the official Academy of Model Aeronautics code (SCC 9.41.200(2)(c)); and no one may shoot or fly model rockets in a County park without permission from the Department (SCC 9.41.200(2)(d)).
The same section separately bars full-size aircraft from landing or taking off in a County park outside a designated area, except for a bona fide emergency landing (SCC 9.41.200(1)). Because Chapter 9.41 applies only to County park property, this provision does not reach recreational drone flying on private land or over the rest of unincorporated Skagit County, which instead falls under FAA rules and Washington's own state drone statutes rather than any Skagit County ordinance. Chapter 9.41 was last consolidated under Ordinance 17255 in 1998, with the model aircraft and rockets subsection carried forward unchanged into the current code.
Violations & Fines
Flying a model aircraft, drone or rocket outside a designated County park area, using an unmuffled engine over 0.15 cubic inches, or launching rockets without Department permission violates SCC 9.41.200 and is a civil infraction under SCC 9.41.020: $50 for a first offense within five years, $125 for a second, and a criminal misdemeanor of up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail for a third or later offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fly a recreational drone in a Skagit County park?
Does Skagit County have a drone ordinance for the whole unincorporated area?
Are there noise rules for model aircraft in Skagit County parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Skagit County
Compare Skagit County to another location·View the Washington drone rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.