Drone Rules in Texas (2026)
69 rules on the books across Texas, 50 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Recreational Drones
Local rules for flying drones as a hobby, including where you can fly, altitude limits, and restrictions near parks and public events.
Texas: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsTexas Government Code Chapter 423 occupies the field of unmanned aircraft regulation. Cities and counties cannot adopt…
Read full rule →New Braunfels
Heavy RestrictionsNew Braunfels bars any flying machine, device, or vehicle from taking off or landing anywhere in the city: language…
Read full rule →Rockwall
Some RestrictionsRockwall's airport rules ban launching, flying over, or landing model aircraft and drones at the city airport, except…
Read full rule →San Angelo
Some RestrictionsSan Angelo cannot pass its own drone rules. Texas Government Code §423.009 preempts local drone ordinances…
Read full rule →El Paso
Light RestrictionsRecreational drone use in El Paso is primarily governed by FAA regulations under 14 CFR Part 107 and the Exception for…
Read full rule →Midland
Light RestrictionsMidland recreational drone use is governed by FAA rules and local ordinances. Drones under 55 lbs must be registered…
Read full rule →Tarrant County
Light RestrictionsRecreational drones in Tarrant County are governed by FAA 14 CFR Part 107 and 49 USC 44809. Drones 250 grams or more…
Read full rule →Wichita Falls
Light RestrictionsWichita Falls has no citywide drone ordinance, the FAA governs airspace, but radio-controlled model aircraft, including…
Read full rule →Abilene
Few RestrictionsAbilene recreational drone use is governed by FAA rules and local ordinances. Drones under 55 lbs must be registered…
Read full rule →Allen
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone operation in Allen is governed by FAA Part 107 and TX Government Code Chapter 423. Drones may not be…
Read full rule →Austin
Few RestrictionsAustin allows recreational drone flight under FAA rules with park-specific bans. Pilots must register drones over 0.55…
Read full rule →Beaumont
Few RestrictionsBeaumont recreational drone use is governed by FAA rules and local ordinances. Drones under 55 lbs must be registered…
Read full rule →Brownsville
Few RestrictionsBrownsville sets no recreational drone rules and cannot, because Texas Government Code section 423.009 preempts…
Read full rule →Carrollton
Few RestrictionsCarrollton recreational drone use is governed by FAA rules and local ordinances. Drones under 55 lbs must be registered…
Read full rule →Cedar Hill
Few RestrictionsCedar Hill defers to FAA Part 107 and Texas Government Code Chapter 423 for recreational drones; no city park flights…
Read full rule →College Station
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone flying in College Station runs on federal rules plus one Texas criminal statute. The FAA layer…
Read full rule →Collin County
Few RestrictionsCollin County follows FAA Part 107 and the Remote ID Rule. Texas Government Code Chapter 423 limits drone imaging of…
Read full rule →Conroe
Few RestrictionsConroe does not have a local drone ordinance. Texas state law prohibits municipalities from adopting drone regulations…
Read full rule →Converse
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone operators in Converse must follow FAA Part 107 hobbyist rules and Texas Government Code Chapter 423…
Read full rule →Dallas
Few RestrictionsDallas permits recreational drone flight under federal FAA rules with park restrictions. Pilots must register drones…
Read full rule →Dallas County
Few RestrictionsFAA regulations govern recreational drone use. Texas Government Code Chapter 423 preempts local drone ordinances…
Read full rule →Denton
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone flights in Denton are governed primarily by federal FAA regulations and Texas Government Code…
Read full rule →Denton County
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone operations in Denton County are governed primarily by FAA regulations and Texas Government Code…
Read full rule →Edinburg
Few RestrictionsEdinburg bans flying model aircraft, drones, kites, rockets, and balloons within five miles of the municipal airport…
Read full rule →Fort Worth
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone use in Fort Worth is primarily governed by FAA regulations under 14 CFR Part 107 and the Exception…
Read full rule →Grand Prairie
Few RestrictionsTexas Government Code §423.009 prohibits cities from adopting drone ordinances except for limited exceptions. Grand…
Read full rule →Harris County
Few RestrictionsHarris County has no local drone ordinance. Recreational drone use in unincorporated areas follows FAA regulations and…
Read full rule →Houston
Few RestrictionsHouston permits recreational drones subject to FAA rules and limited park bans. Pilots must register drones over 0.55…
Read full rule →Killeen
Few RestrictionsKilleen recreational drone use is governed by FAA rules and local ordinances. Drones under 55 lbs must be registered…
Read full rule →League City
Few RestrictionsLeague City does not have a local recreational drone ordinance. Recreational drone use is governed by FAA regulations…
Read full rule →Lewisville
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone use in Lewisville is governed primarily by FAA regulations and Texas Government Code Chapter 423…
Read full rule →Little Elm
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone use in Little Elm is governed by FAA rules and Texas Government Code Chapter 423, which restricts…
Read full rule →Live Oak
Few RestrictionsRecreational drones in Live Oak are governed by FAA rules, Texas Gov Code 423, and Randolph Air Force Base airspace…
Read full rule →Mcallen
Few RestrictionsMcallen recreational drone use is governed by FAA rules and local ordinances. Drones under 55 lbs must be registered…
Read full rule →McKinney
Few RestrictionsMcKinney recreational drone use is governed by FAA Part 107 and TX Government Code Ch. 423. McKinney sits within DFW…
Read full rule →Mesquite
Few RestrictionsHobbyist drone flights in Mesquite follow FAA Part 107/TRUST rules and Texas Government Code Chapter 423; the city has…
Read full rule →Odessa
Few RestrictionsOdessa has no drone-specific ordinance. Its 1964 aircraft code broadly defines "aircraft" to include any flying…
Read full rule →Pasadena
Few RestrictionsPasadena has no local drone ordinance. Recreational drone use follows FAA regulations and Texas Government Code Chapter…
Read full rule →Richardson
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone use in Richardson is governed primarily by FAA Part 107 and the FAA Recreational Flyer rules, with…
Read full rule →San Antonio
Few RestrictionsTexas law (Government Code § 423.009) preempts local drone regulation, so San Antonio cannot enact its own UAS…
Read full rule →Travis County
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone flight in Travis County is regulated by FAA Part 107 and 49 USC §44809. Austin-Bergstrom Class C…
Read full rule →Tyler
Few RestrictionsRecreational drones in Tyler follow FAA rules, not a local ordinance. Register any drone weighing 0.55 pounds or more…
Read full rule →Universal City
Few RestrictionsRecreational drone flight in Universal City is governed by FAA rules and Texas Government Code Chapter 423. Randolph…
Read full rule →Commercial Drones
Additional permits and requirements for using drones for business purposes like photography, delivery, or inspections.
Garland
Significant RestrictionsGarland allows commercial drone delivery hubs only by Specific Use Provision under GDC § 2.52(A)(38), with small hubs…
Read full rule →Cedar Park
Some RestrictionsCedar Park requires a city-issued permit before flying a drone from or over a permitted special event, capping issuance…
Read full rule →Brownsville
Few RestrictionsBrownsville has no drone ordinance, and Texas Government Code section 423.009 bars the city from adopting one…
Read full rule →Cedar Hill
Few RestrictionsCommercial drone work in Cedar Hill requires FAA Part 107 certification; city film/event permits apply for organized…
Read full rule →Converse
Few RestrictionsCommercial drone operations in Converse require FAA Part 107 certification, operational waivers for complex flights…
Read full rule →Denton
Few RestrictionsCommercial drone operations in Denton require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and compliance with Texas…
Read full rule →Denton County
Few RestrictionsCommercial drone operations in Denton County require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Denton County does not…
Read full rule →Laredo
Few RestrictionsCommercial drone operators in Laredo must hold FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and follow all federal operating…
Read full rule →San Angelo
Few RestrictionsCommercial drone pilots in San Angelo need an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Texas Government Code §423.009…
Read full rule →Travis County
Few RestrictionsCommercial drone operators need FAA Part 107 certification plus LAANC authorization for Austin-Bergstrom Class C…
Read full rule →Tyler
Few RestrictionsCommercial drone operators in Tyler need an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate; the city issues no separate permit…
Read full rule →Park Drone Restrictions
Bans on launching, landing, or operating drones in city and county parks, with exceptions for designated model-aircraft fields.
Celina
Significant RestrictionsCelina bans model aircraft, drones, and other radio-controlled devices in all city parks, with violators subject to…
Read full rule →Harris County
Significant RestrictionsFlying a drone or model aircraft in a Harris County park is banned outside specifically designated areas, and even…
Read full rule →Irving
Significant RestrictionsIrving confines recreational drone flying to three parks: Mountain Creek Preserve, Running Bear Park, and Sam Houston…
Read full rule →Longview
Significant RestrictionsLongview prohibits launching, operating, ascending, or descending any drone in city public recreational facilities…
Read full rule →Plano
Significant RestrictionsPlano requires a permit before launching or landing any aircraft, the ordinance's own list runs from hot air balloons…
Read full rule →Parker
Some RestrictionsParker's Code of Ordinances bars operating drones and other radio-controlled or motorized model devices in any city…
Read full rule →Travis County
Some RestrictionsTravis County allows drones in its parks only during daylight in good weather, bars flying between dusk and dawn, and…
Read full rule →Wichita Falls
Some RestrictionsRadio-controlled aircraft, the ordinance category covering drones, are banned from flying west of the runway at Lake…
Read full rule →Airport Proximity Rules
No-fly zones near commercial airports, FAA controlled-airspace authorization (LAANC), and additional state/local proximity rules.
San Antonio
Significant RestrictionsDrone pilots cannot fly inside the Class C or D airspace covering San Antonio International and Stinson Municipal…
Read full rule →El Paso
Some RestrictionsDrones flown near El Paso International Airport fall inside a zoning map covering all land within five miles of the…
Read full rule →Travis County
Some RestrictionsIn Travis County parks, drone operators must comply with all FAA rules, including the FAA's prohibited airspace zones…
Read full rule →Event Drone Restrictions
Temporary flight restrictions over stadiums, parades, and major public events, plus the federal sports-stadium TFR rules.
Cedar Park
Significant RestrictionsFlying a drone over or from a permitted special event within Cedar Park -- or in its extraterritorial jurisdiction…
Read full rule →Abilene
Some RestrictionsAbilene's Special Events Permit article classifies any event using drones as a "fireworks/pyrotechnics/specialized…
Read full rule →Houston
Some RestrictionsHouston does not ban drones at public gatherings outright, but any large outdoor music event must get a Mayor's Office…
Read full rule →Longview
Some RestrictionsLongview bans launching or flying drones in city recreational facilities, including at events held there, unless the…
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