400ft Max Height
Under 100 MPH
Avoid airports
Only line of sight
If you live in North Carolina and would like to fly your drone safely (and legally), you’ll have to be familiar with the drone laws there. Drone operation in North Carolina is broadly governed by the FAA, in this article we’ll look into the different laws regarding drone use.
You may be wondering about that, drones are allowed in North Carolina for recreational and commercial uses!
They’re however regulated by a variety of laws and regulations. There are three types of drone laws in North Carolina which we’ll go over in this article.
Starting with the first and general type of laws; federal drone laws.
Federal laws are laws created by the federal government, and that apply to every US state, including North Carolina.
I have already done an in-depth article about the general drone laws in the US, which you can find here. But we’ll briefly cover them in this section.
Drone flying comes in two categories, commercial and recreational:
Recreational flying is any flying that you don’t get paid for, basically flying for fun. All you have to do to fly your drone recreationally is pass the TRUST test.
The TRUST is a free test that you can pass online, it usually takes 45 minutes and you’re good to go (my personal recommendation are Uavcoach, they’re an FAA approved test provider).
Commercial flying is any sort of flying that you’re compensated for, i.e receive money from your drone activities, you’ll have to study for and pass the 107 test. I have done a complete guide on that test here.
There are also various other conditions that you need to fulfill. You can check them here.
Below are the federal drone laws in North Carolina that you’ll have to keep in mind:
I invite you to read up more on that in my US drone laws article, where I go over airspace classifications and various other things related to drone regulations.
State laws are laws that were created by North Carolina’s legislators and that apply only to North Carolina. We’ll go over each one of them in this section.
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, North Carolina has several state laws governing drone use:
Flying over or close to correctional facilities is prohibited according to this law. Correctional facilities include not only prisons but also asylums and juvenile centers. There are exceptions however for those operating in an official capacity.
This law prohibits taking-off or landing in any park area in North Carolina. Exceptions can be made if you have special permission from the park’s staff.
According to this law, you can “break” the laws above if your reason for flying has to do with an emergency situation. Fire hazards, search and rescue, floodplain mapping… All of these provide a good reason to bypass the laws.
We spoke about the federal laws regarding drones and the requirements for flying, in North Carolina however there are other requirements.
For example, commercial drone operators must:
Recreational operators aren’t required to provide anything other than the TRUST test we spoke about. While government operators must take and pass NCDOT’s UAS Knowledge Test and then apply for a state permit.
These local drone laws are laws that only apply to certain cities or regions within the state of North Carolina. They’re created and enforced by the local authorities.
I’ve found 5 cities in North Carolina that have extra drone laws, they’re as follows:
This town’s ordinance prohibits drones flying within or above any town-owned property. That means all public areas are off limits, even streets.
In this official article, you will find which areas you can fly in and which are off-limits.
Basically, drones may not fly in areas classified as “nature preserves,” “nature parks,” or “wetland centers”.
Taking off from or landing on lakes is also prohibited.
This county's legislation prohibits drone flying over or near any park area unless prior permission has been obtained.
You cannot fly your drone over city parks. Learn more from this ordinance.
In this town, local authorities have the right to enforce the FAAs laws and regulations.
That’s actually because in normal cases, it’s the FAA that regulates drone use and enforces drone laws, and not law enforcement agencies.
Read up more on that here.
Fines are up to the enforcement division, but the FAA will rarely go for the maximum.
In the case of an accidental first-offense, the FAA tends to require a temporary suspension of their UAS Airman certificate and remedial training.
For the more egregious offenses, such as flying in an airport vicinity, expect slightly more serious repercussions.
In conclusion, just make sure you keep the federal laws in mind as they are the most important, and keep in mind to always ask for permission before flying in public parks.
Have fun and fly safely, most of these laws are just common sense.
Become an FAA-Certified Drone Pilot
Use the code DRONESGATOR for $50 off
