Oregon Commercial Drone Rules And State Preemption Framework

FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs all commercial small-UAS operations nationwide, including remote-pilot certification, daylight or waivered night operations, visual line of sight, and registration. Oregon adds ORS 837.360 requiring every public body that owns a UAS to register the aircraft with the Oregon Department of Aviation and adopt written use policies. ORS 837.310 bars weaponized UAS regardless of operator. ORS 837.385 places UAS regulation primarily with the Legislative Assembly, preempting cities and counties from imposing operational rules on commercial flights beyond ordinary land-use, trespass, and privacy laws of general application.

Operating a public-agency drone without state registration violates ORS 837.360; commercial flight without FAA Part 107 certification can trigger federal civil penalties up to $32,666 per violation.