Ohio drone laws

Ohio wrote its first real drone statute in 2025, and for a Part 107 operator it is a short read with one sharp edge. House Bill 77 of the 135th General Assembly was signed on 8 January 2025 and took effect on 9 April 2025, enacting Ohio Revised Code sections 4561.50 through 4561.53 and rewriting ORC 4561.15 to reach unmanned aircraft. Those sections define a drone and a "critical facility," criminalize interference with police, fire and EMS crews, and create two critical-facility offenses that top out at a felony of the third degree.

What Ohio did not do is create a state license, a registration scheme or a general no-fly map. There is no Ohio permit to bolt onto your remote pilot certificate. The exposure sits elsewhere: a camera pointed at the wrong building with the wrong intent, a flight that gets in the way of a fire crew, and — the one that catches working pilots — an administrative rule barring drone operation inside any state park without permission from the division chief. Ohio also declined to preempt its cities outright, so the ordinance question is live here in a way it is not in neighboring Michigan.

State drone law changes frequently. This page was last checked on 25 August 2026; verify against the current statute before you fly.

What federal law settles before Ohio gets a say

The FAA holds exclusive authority over aviation safety and the efficient use of the navigable airspace, and its 2023 fact sheet on state and local regulation of UAS draws the line. Altitude limits, flight paths, designated drone routes, mandatory geofencing, pilot certification and air safety training all sit inside the federal field. No Ohio authority — the General Assembly, a county, a city or a park district — can move the 400-foot ceiling or add a pilot credential on top of Part 107.

Outside that field the states keep real power, and the fact sheet names it: land use and zoning, harassment, privacy, voyeurism, trespass, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, prison contraband, wildfire suppression, and photography of particular facilities such as water treatment plants and prisons. States may also decide where an aircraft takes off and lands. Ohio's statute is built almost entirely out of that list, which is why it reads as intent-based criminal law rather than an airspace rulebook. And commercial operators are more exposed to preemption, not less: the Airline Deregulation Act preempts state laws related to the prices, routes or services of an operator with economic authority to provide interstate transportation.

Ohio's drone-specific laws

ORC 4561.50 — definitions. An "unmanned aerial vehicle" is a powered aerial vehicle that carries no human operator, uses aerodynamic forces for lift, flies autonomously or by remote pilot, and is expendable or recoverable — "commonly referred to as a drone," in the statute's own words, and not a satellite.

The definition that matters most is "critical facility." Under Ohio Revised Code 4561.50(A) it means a critical infrastructure facility as defined in ORC 2911.21, plus six additions written specifically for the drone statute: a commercial distribution center; a federal, state, county or municipal court; a police station, sheriff's office, state highway patrol station or premises controlled by the bureau of criminal identification and investigation; a federal, state, county or municipal jail or prison or any other facility in which persons are incarcerated; a federal or state military installation or facility; and a hospital that receives air ambulance services.

The borrowed half is long. ORC 2911.21(F)(4) reaches refineries, generating stations and substations, chemical plants, water and waste water treatment, natural gas and crude oil pipelines and storage, telecom and broadband infrastructure, ports and trucking terminals, broadcast transmitters, regulated dams, wellheads, mining operations and any railroad property. Most count only when the site is fenced or posted against intruders.

ORC 4561.51 — the offenses. Division (A)(1) makes it a state offense to operate a drone in the airspace over Ohio if the operation is prohibited by federal law or FAA regulation, and (A)(2) exempts anyone flying under an FAA authorization who stays within its terms. That is a state hook into your Part 107 compliance and your waivers. The section states no penalty for a division (A) violation, and the chapter's general penalty section, ORC 4561.99, reaches only sections 4561.021 to 4561.13, so it does not fill the gap.

Division (B) prohibits operating a drone in a manner that disrupts, interrupts or impairs the operations or activities of law enforcement, fire department or emergency medical services personnel while on duty. Division (C)(1) prohibits using a drone to photograph, record or loiter over or near a critical facility with purpose to further another criminal offense whose elements involve causing physical harm to a person, or making a person believe the offender will cause physical harm. Division (C)(2) prohibits the same conduct with purpose to destroy or tamper with the facility.

Division (D) grades the penalties by mental state. Recklessly violating (B) is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Knowingly violating (B) is a misdemeanor of the first degree, then a felony of the fifth degree on subsequent offenses. Purposely violating (C)(1) follows the same ladder. Purposely violating (C)(2) is a felony of the third degree. Intent does the heavy lifting: photographing a substation is not the crime, photographing it to further a violent offense or to damage it is.

ORC 4561.15 — reckless operation. HB 77 narrowed the definition of "aircraft" in ORC 4561.01 to a manned device, pulling drones out of the older careless-and-reckless clause, then added a drone-specific one. ORC 4561.15(A)(5) prohibits operating a drone over Ohio in a manner that knowingly endangers any person or property, or purposely disregards the rights or safety of others. A violation carries a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, imprisonment of not more than six months, or both.

ORC 4561.53 — the state's own duty. The Department of Transportation's Office of Aviation must publish guidance on drone law and proper use for public, commercial and recreational operations, and must post picture examples of what counts as a critical facility without identifying any facility's owner or location.

House Bill 425 is a bill, not a law

House Bill 425 of the 136th General Assembly would enact a new ORC 4561.54 creating drone trespass and unauthorized recording offenses. As introduced, it would bar knowingly operating a drone system in the airspace above the land of another without privilege, and recklessly doing so where notice against unauthorized access has been given. It has not been enacted. It was introduced on 28 August 2025 and referred to the House Transportation Committee on 15 September 2025, and the legislature's own status page shows it has not been reported by committee. Treat it as a bill to watch, and be skeptical of any site that describes ORC 4561.54 as current law.

Can an Ohio city or county regulate your drone?

Ohio took a narrower approach than an express preemption clause — the enrolled text of HB 77 contains no preemption language at all. Instead, ORC 4561.52 is an affirmative grant. Subject to sections 4561.50 to 4561.53, a municipal corporation, township, park district or county may adopt ordinances, resolutions or regulations regarding two things: a drone owned and operated by that local government, and a drone operated exclusively for hobby or recreational purposes in or above a park or on other public property it owns.

Commercial operation is conspicuously absent. A local government may write rules for its own drone program and for recreational flying over its own parks; the statute does not grant it authority over your paid work. But a grant is not a prohibition, and Ohio municipalities hold home rule authority under the state constitution, so an ordinance reaching further is not automatically void — it would have to be fought on conflict and federal preemption grounds. Check the ordinance where you are working.

Where you can and cannot take off

State parks. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:46-13-11(C), the Division of Parks and Watercraft rule effective 1 January 2025, decides most jobs. It is not permissible to operate any unmanned aerial craft within the boundaries of any state park except with permission from the chief or the chief's authorized agent, or where airfields or landing zones maintained specifically for such craft are located. A second clause matters just as much for paid work: without that same permission, you may not use a drone to photograph, film or otherwise record public activities, historical or cultural features, natural formations, division facilities, or any other aspect of the lands and waters the division manages.

The rule also restates federal limits — no operation over open-air assemblies of people, beaches, boats or roadways on division land — and bars using a drone to harass people. Ask for written permission before you quote the work. This page could not open an Ohio Department of Natural Resources page stating a fee or an application form, so no figure is given here. State forests and wildlife areas fall under different divisions and were not verified.

Private and posted land. ORC 2911.21 is the criminal trespass statute, and it is where launching from someone else's ground goes wrong. Knowingly entering or remaining on the land of another without privilege is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree; doing so on a critical infrastructure facility is a misdemeanor of the first degree. It is no defense that the land was controlled by a public agency, or that permission was obtained by deception.

What still applies everywhere

Ohio changes none of the federal baseline. You still need a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, a registered aircraft and Remote ID. The 400-foot ceiling, visual line of sight, three statute miles of flight visibility and the Part 107 cloud clearances come from the FAA, and no state may alter them. Controlled airspace still needs authorization, and Ohio has plenty of it: Cleveland Hopkins under Class B, Columbus, Dayton, Akron-Canton and Wright-Patterson under Class C, and Class D fields across the state. See airspace classes and LAANC authorization, or start with how to get a drone license.

Frequently asked questions

Does Ohio require a state drone license or permit?

No. Nothing in Ohio Revised Code 4561.50 to 4561.53 creates a state certificate, registration or permit for drone operators. Your FAA remote pilot certificate and aircraft registration are what you carry. Permits still arise separately as a condition of using particular land, most notably permission from the chief before operating in a state park.

What is a "critical facility" under Ohio law?

Ohio Revised Code 4561.50(A) defines it as a critical infrastructure facility under ORC 2911.21 — refineries, power and water facilities, pipelines, telecom and rail property and more — plus commercial distribution centers, courts, police and sheriff and highway patrol stations, jails and prisons, federal or state military installations, and hospitals that receive air ambulance services.

Is it a felony to fly a drone over a power plant in Ohio?

Only with the intent the statute names. Ohio Revised Code 4561.51(C)(2) makes it a felony of the third degree to photograph, record or loiter over or near a critical facility with purpose to destroy or tamper with it. Doing so to further a violent offense under (C)(1) is a first-degree misdemeanor, then a fifth-degree felony on later offenses.

Can I fly a drone in an Ohio state park?

Not without permission. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:46-13-11(C) bars operating any unmanned aerial craft within the boundaries of any state park except with permission from the Division of Parks and Watercraft chief or an authorized agent, or at a maintained landing zone. Recording park features or activities needs that same permission, so commercial shoots must be arranged in advance.

Has Ohio banned drone trespass over private property?

Not yet. House Bill 425 of the 136th General Assembly would enact ORC 4561.54 to prohibit drone trespass and unauthorized recording, but it remains in House committee and has not passed either chamber. Until it does, Ohio's protection for private ground runs through general criminal trespass in ORC 2911.21. Test yourself with the Part 107 practice test.

Return to the state drone law index.

Sources

• FAA, State and Local Regulation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Fact Sheet, 14 July 2023
• Ohio Revised Code 4561.50 — definitions
• Ohio Revised Code 4561.51 — offenses and penalties
• Ohio Revised Code 4561.52 — local government authority
• Ohio Revised Code 4561.53 — Office of Aviation duties
• Ohio Revised Code 4561.15 — unsafe operation of aircraft or UAV
• Ohio Revised Code 4561.99 — chapter penalty section
• Ohio Revised Code 2911.21 — criminal trespass
• Ohio Administrative Code 1501:46-13-11 — aircraft on parks and watercraft lands
• Ohio Legislature, House Bill 77 status — 135th General Assembly
• Ohio Legislature, House Bill 425 status — 136th General Assembly, pending