Drone Federalism Act of 2017

Drone Federalism Act of 2017

This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration, in prescribing regulations or standards related to unmanned aircraft systems, to:

• define, and limit the scope of, the preemptive effect of such regulations or standards;
• preserve the legitimate interests of state, local, and tribal governments (e.g., protecting public safety);
• preserve state, local, and tribal authority to issue certain reasonable restrictions on the operation of a civil unmanned aircraft system within 200 feet of the ground or a structure;
• authorize, only with a property owner's permission, the operation of a civil unmanned aircraft in the immediate reaches of the airspace above private property; and
• establish pilot programs with state, local, and tribal governments to regulate the operation of civil unmanned aircraft systems, coordinate enforcement efforts with respect to such regulations, and identify best practices.