Legal

Lawsuits, bans, privacy fights, and the case law being written around drones.

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Sep 15

Last updated

A DJI Mini 5 Pro hovering above a field of goldenrod

State Law

Washington Commercial Drone Fees Jump 10x to $150 After Jet Tax Repeal

Washington will charge commercial drone operators $150 per aircraft a year from January 2027, up from $15, in the bill that repealed its luxury jet tax.

Haye KestelooAug 25

El Paso Police Department drone-as-first-responder operations along the Texas border

Counter-Drone

Texas Wants Counter-Drone Power. Only 61 US Officers Are Certified.

El Paso police told Texas senators they have tracked 1,776 cross-border cartel drone incursions and need more authority to respond. Congress already granted that authority in December. The constraint is a single FBI school in Alabama that has certified 61 officers nationwide.

Haye KestelooAug 18

Federal Aviation Administration headquarters building in Washington, DC

Drone Delivery

FAA Clears Drone Delivery's Environmental Path Nationwide, Overriding 17 State Attorneys General

The FAA signed a nationwide FONSI for Part 135 drone delivery, setting a 1,150-flight hub cap and 600-foot setback while 17 state AGs demanded a full EIS.

Haye KestelooJul 31

YouTube thumbnail from Russ at 51 Drones discussing the FAA's DETER enforcement program for drone pilots

FAA

The FAA Is Cracking Down On Drone Pilots, And DETER Explains Why

Russ from 51 Drones breaks down the FAA's DETER enforcement program, why first-time violators may face faster penalties, and why every drone pilot now needs to check airspace before every flight.

Russ 51 DronesJul 21

Section 2209

NPPA Tells FAA Its Section 2209 Drone Rule Ignores The Press, And Drone Pilots Already Asked For The Same Fixes

The National Press Photographers Association told the FAA its proposed Section 2209 drone rule would create opaque, potentially permanent no-fly zones with no expiration, no review clock, and no practical protection for newsgathering — the same structural fixes drone pilots already asked for.

Haye KestelooJul 20

FCC

FCC Fines Eight Alleged DJI Front Companies $25,000 Each For Stonewalling Investigators

The FCC has proposed $25,000 fines against eight companies it suspects of selling rebranded DJI hardware in the United States after they ignored federal inquiries, escalating a case that could end in revoked equipment authorizations.

Haye KestelooJul 14

Legal

A Drone Carried a Man to Safety. That’s Usually Illegal.

A cargo drone lifted a stranded truck driver off the top of a fuel tanker and flew him over raging floodwater to dry ground in southern China. The rescue happened on July 6 in Yunbiao, a town in Guangxi that Typhoon Maysak had put underwater. A rescue worker strapped the man into a harness, and…

Rafael SuárezJul 9

DJI

DJI Air 4, Avata 360, N610BS: U.S. Buyers Wait

DJI’s 2026 drone pipeline keeps moving, and American buyers keep watching from the sidelines. The Air 4 turned up inside a Chinese flight-reporting app back in May. A model nobody can identify, the N610BS, just cleared Chinese radio certification. The Avata 360 already shipped worldwide in March. Every one of those launches hits the same…

Rafael SuárezJul 8

Legal

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