Many states have laws that allow cities to lease the air rights above public roads, vest property owners with air rights, and establish avigation easements. With these laws, states can facilitate future commercial drone operations in low-altitude airspace while Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) develop national drone policies.
State laws need to accommodate drone flights from large and small operators and clarify who—whether state, local, or federal officials—can make low-altitude airspace available. This report scores the existing laws and policies and ranks all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The report also identifies which states have laws and policies that show promise in creating drone highways and a statewide drone industry.
