Requires Written Permission For Flight Over Private Or City Property

The Holyoke, MA City Council Ordinance Committee voted unanimously last week to move forward with new legislation that makes it a crime to fly an unmanned aircraft over private or city property without written permission.

The proposed city ordinance is aimed primarily at hobby drone flyers, according to a report from masslive.com.

The proposed ordinance defines a drone as any unmanned aerial system. It would be limited to aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds and flying below 400 feet. The aircraft would be required to be flown only during daylight hours within sight of the operator.

Operators would not be allowed to capture images or video of people on private property without the consent of the people in the image or video.

The ordinance would be enforced by local police. A first offence would draw a written warning, with fines imposed of $100 for a second offence, $200 for a third offence, and $300 for subsequent offences.

The committee recommended that the full council adopt the ordinance.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.holyoke.org/departments/city-council