Drone Rules in California (2026)

Chino Hills bars anyone from taking off or landing a drone, model aircraft, or remote-controlled car or boat in the…

Redondo Beach prohibits flying any powered model aircraft or glider within city limits, with a narrow exception only…

California Civil Code §1708.8 (the anti-paparazzi statute) creates physical and constructive invasion of privacy claims…

Unincorporated Santa Cruz County bans taking off or landing any unmanned aircraft system, drones included, on the…

Anaheim caps hobbyist drone flights at 400 feet above ground, daylight hours only, and within the operator's unaided…

Camarillo bans flying drones and other remote-controlled devices on its named city properties, including Constitution…

Recreational drones (Model Aircraft) in Los Angeles must stay within the operator's unaided visual line of sight, below…

Orange County prohibits operation of drones and radio-controlled devices in all county parks, beaches, and recreational…

Flying model aircraft, drones, airships or balloons is illegal within Rialto's airport area, the zone bounded by…

San Clemente regulates every drone operator under Municipal Code Chapter 8.82, a citywide safety ordinance that says it…

San Luis Obispo County bans launching, flying, or landing any model airplane, rocket, or similar device, including…

Launching, landing or operating a drone anywhere in a Santa Barbara County recreation area, meaning any county park…

The City of Sonoma restricts where anyone, including recreational flyers, can take off or land a drone citywide. Sonoma…

Ceres caps drone flights at 400 feet and 50 mph, requires visual line of sight, daylight-only operation, and a 25-foot…

Davis's code never uses the word "drone," but Section 27.02.100 bars flying model airplanes or operating model boats…

Dublin's Unmanned Aircraft Systems ordinance says it is 'not intended to preempt FAA rules,' but operates alongside…

Garden Grove bars flying a drone outside your own visual line of sight, within 25 feet of another person, or within…

Indio's drone ordinance exempts recreational flyers from local certification only if they meet the FAA's own…

Recreational drone flyers in Ontario need no city permit, but must keep the drone within visual line of sight, land…

Pasadena's drone ordinance, Chapter 9.45 of the Municipal Code, bars flying a drone recklessly over public streets and…

RMC § 12.04.045 requires anyone flying a hobby drone within Riverside city limits to follow FAA Advisory Circular…

Flying a drone carelessly, violating FAA flight restrictions, or interfering with police, fire, or emergency operations…

Unincorporated San Diego County bars anyone from launching or flying a drone inside, or within three miles of, a…

Santa Clara lets hobbyists fly drones but bans flying below 200 feet above ground level over school grounds during…

Sonoma County bans flying a drone in ways that impede firefighting, search and rescue, law enforcement, or other public…

West Covina limits recreational drone flying under Municipal Code Sec. 15-20(b): model aircraft must stay within the…

Carson's Unmanned Aircraft Systems chapter defines drones broadly enough to include toy and model aircraft, and says…

Reedley has no drone ordinance. Recreational flying follows federal rules under 49 U.S.C. 44809: pass TRUST, keep…

Flying a drone recreationally in unincorporated San Benito County needs no county zoning permit, but non-commercial…

Stockton bans flying, launching, or landing any drone within its Port (PT) Zoning Districts under Municipal Code §…

Flying recreational drones (remote-controlled aerial vehicles) is not permitted in Visalia city parks and recreation…

Yolo County lets hobbyists fly drones under 55 pounds in county parks as long as they follow 49 U.S.C. 44809…

California Civil Code §1708.8 creates "constructive invasion of privacy" liability for drones capturing visual or audio…

California Civil Code 1708.8 makes it a civil tort to use a drone to capture images or recordings of someone in a…

Drone-related privacy protections in California arise from Civil Code §1708.8 (physical and constructive invasion of…

CA Civil Code 1708.8 creates civil liability for drone-based invasion of privacy. Recording or observing individuals in…

California Civil Code 1708.8 creates physical and constructive invasion of privacy torts applicable to drone…

California Civil Code §1708.8 creates civil liability for using a drone to capture audio or visual images of private…

California Civil Code 1708.8 makes it a tort to use a drone to capture images or recordings of private activity where a…

Anaheim requires anyone flying a Civil UAS for commercial purposes in the city to first obtain a City business license…

Commercial drone use during Moorpark filming productions requires a director-issued permit with pilot certification…

Commercial drone operators in Ontario must hold a City drone operating permit and a business license before flying, on…

Building a dedicated takeoff-and-landing facility for commercial drone shipping or delivery in unincorporated San…

In the City of Sonoma, anyone using a drone for a commercial filming activity must first obtain a film permit under…

Yolo County bans commercial drone use in its parks outright unless the Director gives written authorization or issues a…

Downey Municipal Code Chapter 16 requires anyone flying a Civil UAS, defined to include commercial and business use, to…

El Dorado County requires any filming permit application involving a drone to include the pilot's remote pilot…

Commercial drone work in El Monte is regulated by FAA Part 107, no city UAS permit exists, but pilots must clear El…

Kern County requires an operational permit from the Fire Marshal before anyone may "operate aircraft or drones for…

Los Angeles regulates commercial drone use under LAMC § 56.31, which defines any drone flown for business, commercial…

Norwalk commercial drone operators must hold a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA. Additional local permits…

A commercial film permit application in unincorporated Placer County must disclose any planned drone use, and County…

Commercial drone operators in Rancho Cucamonga need an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate plus LAANC airspace…

Riverside requires civil unmanned aircraft flown for anything beyond hobby or recreational use, including commercial…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County bans operating any drone, commercial UAS included, in a way that interferes with…

Commercial drone operations in Sunnyvale require FAA Part 107 certification, proper airspace authorization, and a…

Anyone using a drone for commercial filming in Thousand Oaks must disclose it on their film permit application. TOMC…

Upland Municipal Code § 12.36.050(C) permits drones and other unmanned aircraft in every city park but bans takeoff or…

Indio, in Riverside County, California, does not add extra licensing for commercial drone flights beyond FAA rules, but…

Radio-controlled devices, expressly including drones, are banned at all times in Springtown Open Space under LMC §…

Marin County Open Space District Code section 02.02.080 bars anyone from operating a drone, or any other self-propelled…

Monterey Code Section 23-6 bans flying any drone or other remote-control model aircraft in city parks, playgrounds…

Moorpark bans flying drones and unmanned aerial vehicles in any city park or open space unless the area is specifically…

Oxnard outlaws flying drones over Ormond Beach, the city's protected coastal wildlife area, treating them the same as…

Rialto bans flying any motor driven model aircraft, including drones, helicopters and rockets, in city parks under…

Alhambra bars flying any drone or unmanned aerial vehicle in a city park or public ground without first getting written…

Ceres has no park-specific drone ban, but its citywide drone chapter covers park flights too: daylight only, 25 feet…

Chino Hills bans unmanned aircraft takeoff and landing outright at six named parks and facilities, and at every other…

Flying a drone in any Chula Vista park or recreation area is unlawful unless it's in a spot posted for that purpose by…

Cupertino bars flying drones or powered model airplanes in any city park unless the department of parks and recreation…

Downey's citywide drone ordinance limits when and where a UA or UAS can fly, and those limits apply the moment a drone…

Dublin Municipal Code Chapter 5.116 makes it unlawful to launch or fly a drone within one-half mile of any government…

Launching, landing or operating a drone in any Fremont city park or recreation area is prohibited under Municipal Code…

Indio, in Riverside County, California, bars flying a drone over any public street, park, sidewalk, hiking trail or…

Lancaster bans flying drones, along with model airplanes, boats, cars and rockets, anywhere in a city park unless the…

Monterey County bans flying or landing drones and model airplanes in any County park without a permit under Monterey…

Orange treats drones as a 'game' object under its Park Ordinance: flying one in a City park is barred everywhere except…

Redondo Beach prohibits operating any motorized or remote-controlled model aircraft or glider in a City park unless it…

RMC § 9.08.090 bars flying drones or model aircraft anywhere in a Riverside city park except at a spot the Parks…

Sacramento County bans flying model airplanes, model helicopters, and drones in county park facilities except in…

In unincorporated San Diego County parks, drones and other unmanned aircraft systems are banned outside areas the Parks…

County parks ban flying drones and model aircraft except in areas the Park Administrator designates and posts, and only…

Operating a drone in any San Rafael park or building is prohibited unless it's within an area specifically designated…

Flying a drone, kite, balloon, model plane or glider is banned within Goleta Beach County Park west of the pier under…

Santa Clara bans drone takeoffs and landings in every city park under Municipal Code § 8.60.030(a)(3), part of the…

Launching or landing a drone in any Santa Clara County Park requires a Valid Permit from the Parks Director…

Flying a drone in a Solano County park requires a permit from the parks manager. Section 19-160(aa) bars operating any…

Flying a drone in a Turlock city park is prohibited except in areas the City has specifically designated for that use.

Ventura County Ordinance Code § 6307-9 makes it illegal to operate any model aircraft or drone in any County Park, with…

Santa Cruz County's park code doesn't use the word 'drone,' but § 10.04.150 bans operating any motorized model aircraft…

Drones, model planes, and helicopters are allowed by default in every Upland park, but Municipal Code § 12.36.050(C)(1)…

Yolo County allows recreational drone flying in its parks by default under Sec. 9-3.220, but a park can be closed to…

Remote-controlled recreational devices, including flying drones and wheeled RC vehicles, are prohibited in all Visalia…

Livermore Municipal Airport bars radio-controlled aircraft and drones from the airport operating area outright. The…

Anaheim bans flying a drone or model aircraft inside the controlled airspace of any airport without the airport control…

Hayward bans drone flights inside the Airport Operations Area at Hayward Executive Airport under Municipal Code Section…

Los Angeles bars flying a recreational drone within 5 miles of any airport unless the airport's own air traffic control…

No drone may land or take off within five miles of any airport in Ontario without air traffic control authorization…

Garden Grove's drone code bars takeoffs and landings within 1,500 horizontal feet of any aircraft and requires…

Indio, in Riverside County, California, bans operating any drone in a way that interferes with air traffic patterns at…

Petaluma Municipal Code Section 16.32.040 requires every remote pilot and recreational drone flyer in the city to stay…

Riverside requires anyone flying a model aircraft within five miles of Riverside Municipal Airport to first notify the…

Most of San Jose lies within controlled airspace around Mineta SJC, Reid-Hillview, and the San Martin general aviation…

The City of Sonoma bars anyone from taking off or landing a drone within 1,500 horizontal feet of any aircraft. Sonoma…

Anaheim bans flying a drone within 1,000 feet of Angel Stadium, the Honda Center, the Anaheim Convention Center…

Carson prohibits flying, deploying, or launching a drone below 400 feet within a half-mile of any large venue special…

Drones can't fly within 500 feet of any special event in Ceres without written authorization from the City Manager…

Dublin bars launching or flying a drone within a half-mile radius of any government facility or city-sponsored event…

Garden Grove bans drone takeoffs and landings over any permitted public event unless the operator has written or…

Indio prohibits operating a drone within 500 feet of any special event in the city, including Coachella and Stagecoach…

Drones are barred outright from every licensed tailgating lot in Inglewood, in both routine 'Tailgating' and…

Monterey County bans flying or landing a drone in any County park without a permit, and even then approval is one-time…

Drones cannot fly over an active parade, motorcade, or City event without the City Manager's written authorization, and…

Pasadena's drone ordinance bars flying, launching, or landing a drone over any special event or active filming permit…

RMC § 9.08.120(A)(1)(i) requires a Facility Reservation permit before anyone brings, lands, or launches a drone…

In unincorporated San Diego County, drones are barred from launching, landing or flying inside, or within three miles…

Santa Clara's Unmanned Aircraft Systems ordinance bars drone takeoffs and landings within a one-mile radius of any…

The City of Sonoma prohibits taking off or landing a drone within visual line of sight of any permitted public event…

Flying a drone over a publicly advertised, city-sponsored event on city property in West Covina requires advance…

The City of West Sacramento, Yolo County bans operating any drone, model aircraft, or civil UAS within 1,000 feet of…

Chino Hills bars drone takeoffs and landings within 500 feet of any City-permitted event open to the public inside…

Downey bars drone flights within 200 feet of a school during school hours or events without the school's written…

Los Angeles bans flying a drone within 25 feet of any person other than the operator or the operator's helper: a rule…

San Clemente prohibits flying a drone over any city-permitted event open to the public unless the operator carries…

Drones may not take off or land within 500 feet of any city-permitted public event held in an Upland park under…