Yorba Linda, CA Drone Rules: Recreational Drones (2026)

Yorba Linda Municipal Code Chapter 8.52, added by Ordinance 2017-1047, states its own purpose in Section 8.52.010: the rules are meant to protect public health, safety and privacy under the City's police powers, are not intended to stop drone operators who comply with FAA rules and stay outside prohibited areas, and are explicitly not meant to preempt FAA authority but to work alongside it given limits on federal enforcement capacity. The operative limits sit in Section 8.52.030(A): no one may take off or land a drone outside the operator's visual line of sight, within 25 feet of another person besides the operator or their designee, on private property without the owner's consent, or in violation of any FAA Temporary Flight Restriction or Notice to Airmen.

Section 8.52.020 defines "visual line of sight" strictly as the operator's own unaided eyesight (glasses or contacts are fine); binoculars, night-vision goggles, magnifying devices or first-person-view goggles do not count. Section 8.52.030(B) separately bans any reckless takeoff or landing that creates a substantial risk of serious injury or property damage, regardless of distance. Section 8.52.040 exempts public safety agencies. Because the chapter carries no dedicated fine, a violation defaults to the citywide general penalty at Section 1.12.010: up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both, with the City Attorney free to charge it as an infraction instead, and each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.