Submitting Campus

Prescott

Student Status

Undergraduate

Class

College of Engineering

Advisor Name

Sarah Nilsson

Abstract/Description

The purpose of this Directed Study was to investigate and compile the drone laws that exist within the United States, both on the federal level and for each individual state. The federal laws are directed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under laws that pertain to “Unmanned Aircraft Systems” (UAS) and are relatively new. Most states have further regulations on UAS that they have passed. Most of these laws are in place to protect public safety and privacy, but some also prohibit certain locations of flight and certain modifications that might be made to the platform. State laws that limit or permit certain drone activities are relatively new as well. However, drone laws throughout the United States are constantly changing and evolving to include new situations that arise as public use of UAS platforms increases. To compile the laws within the United States, the FAA’s laws had to be researched first to get a basic understanding of the current situation of UAS, when and where they can be flown, and what permissions can be obtained. These laws also serve as the most important laws to follow. After the FAA, each states’ laws were recorded and summarized. The entire set of state and federal laws are collected and discussed together to provide a guide to follow when flying a drone in any state and what regulations to be aware of.

Document Type

Undergraduate Research

Publication/Presentation Date

Fall 2017

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