Wisconsin drone laws

Wisconsin regulates drones through a handful of named statutes rather than through a licensing or registration scheme. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's aeronautics program publishes the list. Under the heading "State Statutes Specific to Unmanned Aircraft" it names three: Wis. Stat. § 175.55, "Use of Drones Restricted"; § 941.292, "Possession of a Weaponized Drone"; and § 942.10, "Use of a Drone." Among broader aeronautics statutes it adds § 114.045, "Limitation on the operation of drones." WisDOT's page lists no state drone registration and no state remote pilot license, and points operators to the FAA instead.

For a working Part 107 operator, though, the provision that changes your day is not in the statute book. It is a conservation rule. The Department of Natural Resources prohibits drone use at state parks, state recreation areas, state natural areas, the Kettle Moraine and Point Beach state forests, and the Lower Wisconsin state riverway, except where posted for that use. In a state whose best scenery sits on DNR-managed land, that single rule shapes where you can work more than the criminal statutes do.

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 Wisconsin gets a say

The FAA holds exclusive authority over aviation safety and the efficient use of the navigable airspace. Its State and Local Regulation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Fact Sheet (14 July 2023) marks the boundary: no state or municipality may set flight altitudes, flight paths, aerial routes or corridors, mandatory geofencing, or a pilot licensing regime on top of the federal certificate.

Outside those fields, states keep their ordinary police powers — land use and zoning, privacy, voyeurism, harassment, trespass, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, prison contraband, and photography of particular facilities. The fact sheet also expressly permits rules about where an aircraft may take off and land, where the operator may stand, and ministerial registration that does not touch safety or airspace. That last point matters: a state drone registration would not be preempted merely for existing. Wisconsin simply has not created one.

Commercial operators are more exposed to preemption, not less. The Airline Deregulation Act preempts state and local laws related to the prices, routes or services of an operator with economic authority to provide interstate transportation, so a restriction that is safe against a hobbyist can be vulnerable applied to a paid job. That cuts both ways here: it is an argument you may one day have with a municipality, not a reason to ignore a posted property closure while you are standing on it.

Wisconsin's drone-specific laws

Read this section with its sourcing in mind. The Wisconsin Legislature's own sites refused every connection when this page was checked, so no statutory text was read. What follows is limited to two Wisconsin sources that were opened: WisDOT's aeronautics page, which lists the sections by number and official title, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison policy library, which describes what four of them prohibit. No penalty amounts or offense classifications appear below, because the statutes were not opened. Read the sections on the Legislature's site before relying on any of this.

Wis. Stat. § 942.10 — Use of a Drone. UW–Madison's research vehicle policy describes this as prohibiting "the use of a drone to invade an individual's privacy." This is Wisconsin's aerial privacy provision, and the one a member of the public who objects to your camera is most likely to invoke. If a job involves flying close to homes, plan the shot so the framing cannot be characterized that way, and get the owner's permission in writing.

Wis. Stat. § 114.045 — Limitation on the operation of drones. UW–Madison describes this as prohibiting "the operation of a drone over a correctional institution." Note that WisDOT's official title for the section is broader than that description, so do not assume correctional institutions are its only subject. Check the current text, and check the parcel against the Department of Corrections facility list before planning a flight line near one.

Wis. Stat. § 941.292 — Possession of a Weaponized Drone. A weapons offense, per WisDOT's title and UW–Madison's description. It will never touch ordinary commercial work, but attaching a weapon to an aircraft moves the conduct into an entirely different body of law.

Wis. Stat. § 29.083(2) — interference with hunting, fishing and trapping. UW–Madison identifies this as prohibiting "the use of a drone to interfere with lawful hunting, fishing, and trapping activities." Wisconsin's seasons are long and its public land is busy, so this is a real operational constraint in autumn rather than a technicality.

Wis. Stat. § 175.55 — Use of Drones Restricted. WisDOT lists this among the statutes specific to unmanned aircraft, under that title. Its text could not be opened, so nothing is stated here about what it restricts or whom it binds. Read it before you assume it does not reach you.

WisDOT also flags general aeronautics provisions that reach unmanned aircraft, because Wisconsin treats them as aircraft: § 114.002(3) definitions, § 114.02 sky sovereignty, § 114.04 flying and landing limitations, § 114.05 damages by aircraft, and § 114.09 intoxicated and reckless flying. This page could not verify any Wisconsin statute preempting municipal drone ordinances, and WisDOT's list does not include one, so treat city and county park rules as live.

Where you can and cannot take off

State parks and DNR properties. The Department of Natural Resources states that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, along with other flying-related activities such as hang gliding, parasailing, hot air ballooning, land sailing, flying model airplanes and sky diving, is prohibited except where posted for their use at state parks, state recreation areas, state natural areas, the Kettle Moraine and Point Beach state forests, and the Lower Wisconsin state riverway, citing Wis. Adm. Code ch. NR 45.04(1)(c). That is a default prohibition with a posting exception, not a permit system. Absent posted authorization, the answer on DNR land is no.

Richard Bong State Recreation Area. The DNR names one property with a Special Use Zone where visitors may fly model airplanes, rockets, hang gliders and hot air balloons, and says visitors "must call ahead at least a week before their planned event for permission to use the area, which is often booked in advance." The DNR's description of that zone lists those activities rather than UAVs by name, so confirm with the property that a Part 107 flight is covered before you build a shoot around it.

Everywhere else. With no verifiable state preemption statute, the ground layer is a mix of municipal park ordinances, county rules and private property. The FAA fact sheet is clear that localities may regulate take-off and landing locations and where an operator stands, so those rules are generally enforceable against you even though a local altitude or flight-path rule would not be. Get landowner permission for the launch point in writing when the job matters.

What still applies everywhere

Nothing Wisconsin does changes Part 107. You still need a remote pilot certificate, an FAA-registered aircraft, and compliance with the federal operating rules: 400 feet above ground level or within 400 feet of a structure, visual line of sight, three statute miles of flight visibility, cloud clearance of 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally, and airspace authorization before operating in controlled airspace. Wisconsin adds no license and removes no federal requirement. If you are working toward the certificate, start with how to get a drone license, then LAANC authorization and airspace classes explained.

Frequently asked questions

Can I fly a commercial job in a Wisconsin state park?

Not unless the area is posted for that use. The DNR states that drone use is prohibited except where posted at state parks, state recreation areas, state natural areas, the Kettle Moraine and Point Beach state forests, and the Lower Wisconsin state riverway, citing Wis. Adm. Code ch. NR 45.04(1)(c). Contact the property before planning a shoot.

Which Wisconsin statutes are actually about drones?

WisDOT lists three under "State Statutes Specific to Unmanned Aircraft": § 175.55, Use of Drones Restricted; § 941.292, Possession of a Weaponized Drone; and § 942.10, Use of a Drone. It lists § 114.045, Limitation on the operation of drones, among relevant aeronautics statutes. UW–Madison adds § 29.083(2) on hunting interference.

Does Wisconsin require a state drone registration?

None appears on WisDOT's list of relevant statutes, and WisDOT directs operators to the FAA for registration. A ministerial state registration would be permissible under the FAA's fact sheet — Washington runs one — so this is an absence rather than a legal impossibility. Your obligations here are the federal ones.

Can a Wisconsin city ban drones in its parks?

This page could not verify any Wisconsin statute preempting local drone ordinances, so assume municipal and county park rules apply to you. Under the FAA's fact sheet, a locality can lawfully regulate take-off, landing and where the operator stands, even though it cannot set altitudes, routes or flight paths.

What happens if I fly near hunters?

UW–Madison's policy identifies Wis. Stat. § 29.083(2) as prohibiting the use of a drone to interfere with lawful hunting, fishing and trapping. Wisconsin public land is heavily hunted in autumn, so check season dates before scheduling work over woodland or wetland, and expect questions if you are flying low over a field during deer season.

Return to the state drone law index, or check your federal knowledge with the Part 107 practice test.

Sources

• FAA, State and Local Regulation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Fact Sheet, 14 July 2023
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Unmanned Aircraft Systems — relevant Wisconsin statutes and statutes specific to unmanned aircraft
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Flying-related activities, Wisconsin State Park System — Wis. Adm. Code ch. NR 45.04(1)(c) and the Richard Bong Special Use Zone
• University of Wisconsin–Madison Policy Library, UW-4005, Research Vehicle Safety Oversight — identifies Wis. Stat. §§ 941.292, 942.10, 114.045 and 29.083(2) and what each prohibits

The Wisconsin Legislature's statute sites refused every connection when this page was checked, so no section of the Wisconsin Statutes was read in its own text.