"........... So far, 26 states have enacted laws addressing UAS issues and an additional six states have adopted resolutions. Common issues addressed in the legislation include defining what a UAS, UAV or drone is, how they can be used by law enforcement or other state agencies, how they can be used by the general public and regulations for their use in hunting game.
In 2015, 45 states have considered 168 bills related to drones. Twenty states–Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia–have passed 26 pieces of legislation. Four other states–
Alaska,
Georgia, New Mexico and
Rhode Island–adopted resolutions related to drones. Georgia’s resolution established a House study committee on the use of drones and New Mexico adopted memorials in the
house and
senate requiring a study on protecting wildlife from drones. Rhode Island's resolution created a legislative commission to study and review regulation of UAS. Additionally, Virginia's governor signed an executive order establishing a commission on unmanned systems. Florida and Kentucky have prefiled bills for the 2016 legislative session.
Arkansas
HB 1349 prohibits the use of UAS to commit voyeurism.
HB 1770 prohibits the use of UAS to collect information about or photographically or electronically record information about critical infrastructure without consent.
California
AB 856 prohibits entering the airspace of an individual in order to capture an image or recording of that individual engaging in a private, personal, or familial activity without permission. This legislation is a response to the use of UAS by the paparazzi.
Florida
SB 766 prohibits the use of a drone to capture an image of privately owned property or the owner, tenant, or occupant of such property without consent if a reasonable expectation of privacy exists.
Hawaii
SB 661 creates a chief operating officer position for the Hawaii unmanned aerial systems test site. It also establishes an unmanned aerial systems test site advisory board to plan and oversee test site development and appropriates funds to establish the test site.
Illinois
SB 44 creates a UAS Oversight Task Force which is tasked with considering commercial and private use of UAS, landowner and privacy rights and general rules and regulations for the safe operation of UAS. The task force will prepare recommendations for the use of UAS in the state.
Louisiana
SB 183 regulates the use of UAS in agricultural commercial operations.
Maine
LD 25 requires law enforcement agencies receive approval before acquiring UAS. The bill also specifies that the use of UAS by law enforcement comply with all FAA requirements and guidelines. Requires a warrant to use UAS for criminal investigations except in certain circumstances and sets out standards for the operation of UAS by law enforcement.
Maryland
SB 370 specifies that only the state can enact laws to prohibit, restrict, or regulate the testing or operation of unmanned aircraft systems. This preempts county and municipal authority. The bill also requires a study on specified benefits.
Michigan
SB 54 prohibits using UAS to interfere with or harass an individual who is hunting.
SB 55 prohibits using UAS to take game.
Mississippi
SB 2022 specifies that using a drone to commit "peeping tom" activities is a felony.
Nevada
AB 239 includes UAS in the definition of aircraft and regulates the operators of UAS. It also prohibits the weaponization of UAS and prohibits the use of UAS within a certain distance of critical facilities and airports without permission. The bill specifies certain restrictions on the use of UAS by law enforcement and public agencies and requires the creation of a registry of all UAS operated by public agencies in the state.
New Hampshire
SB 222 prohibits the use of UAS for hunting, fishing, or trapping.
North Carolina
SB 446 expands the authority of the state's Chief Information Officer to approve the purchase and operation of UAS by the state and modifies the state regulation of UAS to conform to FAA guidelines.
North Dakota
HB 1328 provides limitations for the use of UAS for surveillance.
Oregon
HB 2534 requires the development of rules prohibiting the use of UAS for angling, hunting, trapping, or interfering with a person who is lawfully angling, trapping, or hunting.
HB 2354 changes the term "drone" to "unmanned aircraft system" in statute.
Tennessee
HB 153 prohibits using a drone to capture an image over certain open-air events and fireworks displays. It also prohibits the use of UAS over the grounds of a correctional facility.
Texas
HB 3628 permits the creation of rules governing the use of UAS in the Capitol Complex and provides that a violation of those rules is a Class B misdemeanor.
HB 2167 permits individuals in certain professions to capture images used in those professions using UAS as long as no individual is identifiable in the image.
HB 1481 makes it a Class B misdemeanor to operate UAS over a critical infrastructure facility if the UAS is not more than 400 feet off the ground.
Utah
HB 296 allows a law enforcement agency to use an unmanned aircraft system to collect data at a testing site and to locate a lost or missing person in an area in which a person has no reasonable expectation of privacy. It also institutes testing requirements for a law enforcement agency's use of an unmanned aircraft system.
Virginia
HB 2125 and
SB 1301 require that a law enforcement agency obtain a warrant before using a drone for any purpose, except in limited circumstances. Virginia's governor also issued an
executive order establishing a commission on unmanned systems.
West Virginia
HB 2515 prohibits hunting with UAS..............."
http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/current-unmanned-aircraft-state-law-landscape.aspx
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Just sayin'.