United States

Drone policy, incidents, and industry news across the United States — from statehouses to the national airspace.

2,767

Articles

189

Beats covered

Reporters on beat

Oct 21

Last updated

US drone news covers the federal, state and local layers separately, because a Washington DC tariff decision and a city council’s first drone purchase move on completely different timelines and neither one explains the other.

At the federal level, the White House summoned 40 drone companies as a tariff deadline and Beijing loomed, and the DJI restrictions keep tightening: DJI is offering college students cash and free gear even as the FCC blocks its new drones from certification, a company betting on brand loyalty while it fights for market access. The FAA desk and Department of Defense desk track the rulemaking and contracts driving all of it.

States are moving on their own timelines. Washington’s commercial drone fee jumped 10x to $150 after a jet tax repeal, a state-level cost increase with nothing to do with federal policy. New York, California, Texas and Florida carry the most dedicated coverage of any states, reflecting where drone legislation, police adoption and industry activity concentrate.

Underneath the policy fights, the effect on working pilots is direct: DJI ban coverage on pilots asking whether their businesses survive is not abstract, it is operators making real supply decisions right now. Every US story, federal to local, is in the feed below.

Key facts

What this covers: Drone news across the United States, from federal policy fights to state legislation to individual city drone programs
Biggest state desks: New York, California, Texas and Florida each carry the most dedicated coverage of any US state
The live fight: Tariffs, the DJI restrictions and state-by-state commercial drone fees are moving fast enough to change week to week

Start here

White House Summons 40 Drone Companies As Tariff Deadline And Beijing Loom — August 20, 2026
Washington Commercial Drone Fees Jump 10x to $150 After Jet Tax Repeal — August 25, 2026
DJI Ban Hits Home: Drone Pilots Ask Whether Their Businesses Survive — August 20, 2026

Last updated October 21, 2026 — the feed below updates with every new story.

Amazon Prime Air MK30 delivery drone lifting off over a fenced launch pad as a crew member in an orange safety vest stands below and another works on a row of parked drones

United States · Amazon

Amazon Targets Mid-November Tallahassee Drones. A Permit Is Pending

Amazon aims to start Prime Air drone deliveries in Tallahassee by mid-November. The drones' on-site housing is still under permit review.

Haye KestelooOct 215 min read

White Wing delivery drone with yellow wingtips carrying a blue Walmart package on a tether, flying past a sunlit tree

Drone Delivery

Wing and Walmart Now Fly Drones From 7 Charlotte Stores, 2 More Due

Wing and Walmart drone delivery now covers 10 Charlotte-area towns from seven Supercenters, with a 2.5-pound order cap and two more stores due.

Haye KestelooOct 21

DJI Mavic Air 2

DJI Keeps the Mavic Air 2 and Air 2S Alive With Oct. 20 Firmware

DJI's Oct. 20 firmware moves the Mavic Air 2 to v01.01.18.00 and the Air 2S to v02.04.28.00, their first updates since 2023 and 2024.

Haye KestelooOct 21

DJI Mini 2

DJI Mini 2 Gets Its First Update Since 2023, Under an FCC Waiver

DJI shipped Mini 2 firmware v01.07.0300 on October 20, its first since March 2023. An FCC waiver lets US owners get it, and lasts until at least 2029.

Haye KestelooOct 21

West front of the United States Capitol in Washington under a blue sky, white dome and columns above a green lawn lined with red tulips

Amazon

Amazon Has Lobbied Washington on Drones for 52 Straight Quarters

Amazon has listed drones on 52 straight federal lobbying reports. Its Part 108 comment asks for a path past the 110-pound cap and never says parachute.

Haye KestelooOct 21

Senator Rick Scott smiling in his official Senate portrait, with the U.S. flag on the left and the Florida state flag on the right

FCC Ban

Rick Scott Backs DJI Ban. Florida Idled an Estimated $200M Fleet

Sen. Rick Scott wants DJI and Autel kept on the FCC Covered List. Florida's own ban idled an estimated $200 million in agency drones.

Haye KestelooOct 21

A white DJI Agras T100 agricultural drone hovers over a green cornfield releasing two white plumes of spray, with mountains and a pastel sky behind it

Drones for Agriculture

Spray Drone Sales Fell 59%, and Dealers Want an FCC Carve-Out

ASDC says US spray drone sales fell 59% in 2025 after CBP held DJI shipments, and asks the FCC to keep Part 137 sprayers out of its proposed ban.

Haye KestelooOct 21

Aerial view of Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, with empty grandstands wrapped around a green field

Legal

Birmingham's $500 Drone Fine Spares Pilots Who Follow FAA Rules

Birmingham police can now write $500 drone tickets near ticketed events, starting with the Magic City Classic. HB 429 exempts FAA-legal flights.

Haye KestelooOct 21

Frequently asked questions

What is the single biggest US drone story right now?

The overlapping fights over DJI restrictions and drone tariffs. A White House meeting summoned 40 drone companies as a tariff deadline and Beijing loomed, and 100% tariffs on thermal drones landed the same month small operators started openly asking whether their DJI-built businesses survive.

Does DroneXL cover state-level drone law?

Yes, both state legislation and the local fee and permitting changes that follow it. A Washington state commercial drone fee jumping 10x to $150 after a jet tax repeal is the kind of story covered as it happens, alongside dedicated archives for the highest-activity states.

Which US states have their own archive on DroneXL?

New York, California, Texas, Florida and New Jersey currently have dedicated state pages, reflecting where drone news volume is highest. Coverage for other states exists through search and tags even without a standalone page yet.

United States

Key facts

Start here

Frequently asked questions

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.