SB 1627

House Engrossed
  Senate Bill
schools; prohibition;
  unmanned aircraft
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
CHAPTER 236
SENATE BILL 1627
AN
ACT
AMENDING SECTION 13-3729, ARIZONA REVISED
STATUTES; RELATING TO UNMANNED AIRCRAFT.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 13-3729, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE13-3729. Unlawful operation of model or unmanned aircraft; classification;
definitions
A. It is unlawful for a
person to operate a model aircraft or a civil unmanned aircraft if the
operation:
1. Is prohibited by a federal law or regulation that
governs aeronautics, including federal aviation administration regulations.
2. Interferes with a law enforcement, firefighter or
emergency services operation.
B. It is unlawful for a person to operate or use an
unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system to intentionally photograph or
loiter over or near a critical facility in the furtherance of any criminal
offense.
C. It is unlawful for a person to
operate or use an unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system to intentionally photograph or loiter two hundred feet or less above a
property if the operator is operating the unmanned aircraft or unmanned
aircraft system for hobby or recreational purposes and knows or reasonably
should know that all of the following apply:
1. The property is not zoned for
residential use.
2. The property is used to provide
instruction to students in kindergarten programs or in ANY
OF grades one through twelve when school is in session or
when school activities are occurring on the property outside of normal school
hours.
3. The property owner or a person who
has lawful control over the property has posted reasonable notice prohibiting
entry on or over the property.
4. A peace officer, the owner of the
property or a person who has lawful control over the property has notified The
operator of the unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system of the
prohibition and given a reasonable request to leave the property.
C. D. Except
as authorized by law, a city, town or county may not enact or adopt any
ordinance, policy or rule that relates to the ownership or operation of an
unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system or otherwise engage in the
regulation of the ownership or operation of an unmanned aircraft or an unmanned
aircraft system. Any ordinance, policy or rule that violates this
subsection, whether enacted or adopted by the city, town or county before or
after August 6, 2016, is void.
D. E. This section does not:
1. Apply to a person
or entity that is authorized or allowed by the federal aviation administration
to operate or use an unmanned aircraft system if the person's or entity's
operation or use complies with the authorization granted to the person or
entity or with federal aviation administration rules.
2. Prohibit a city, town or county from enacting or
adopting ordinances or rules on the operation or use of a public unmanned
aircraft that is owned by the city, town or county.
3. Prohibit a city, town or county from enacting or
adopting ordinances or rules that regulate the takeoff or landing of a model
aircraft in a park or preserve owned by the city, town or county if:
(a) There are other parks or preserves that are
within the city, town or county and that are available for model aircraft
operation.
(b) The city, town or county only has one park or
preserve that is within the city, town or county.
4. Apply to the operation of an unmanned aircraft,
including a public unmanned aircraft, by a first responder as defined in
section 36-661 while acting in the first responder's official capacity or
an emergency worker while engaged in or supporting authorized emergency
management activities or performing emergency functions pursuant to title 26,
chapter 2.
F. Subsection C of this section does
not apply to a person who has legal AUTHORITY or administrative oversight over
the property or who obtains consent from another person with legal authority or
administrative oversight over the property.
E. G. A violation of subsection B of this section is a
class 6 felony, except that a second or subsequent violation is a class 5
felony. A violation of subsection A of this section is a class 1 misdemeanor.�
A violation of subsection C of this section is a class 3
misdemeanor.
F. H. For
the purposes of this section:
1. "Civil unmanned aircraft" means an
unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system that is operated by a person for
any purpose other than strictly for hobby or recreational purposes, including
commercial purposes, or in furtherance of or incidental to any business or
media service or agency.
2. "Commercial purposes" means the use of
an unmanned aircraft in return for financial compensation and includes aerial
photography, aerial mapping or geospatial imaging.
3. "Critical facility" means any of the
following:
(a) A petroleum or alumina refinery.
(b) A petroleum, chemical or rubber production,
transportation, storage or processing facility.
(c) A chemical manufacturing facility.
(d) A water or wastewater treatment facility and
water development, distribution or conveyance system, including a dam.
(e) An electric generation facility, as defined in
section 42-14156, and any associated substation or switchyard.
(f) An electrical transmission or distribution
substation.
(g) An electrical transmission line of at least
sixty-nine thousand volts.
(h) An electronic communication station or tower.
(i) An energy control center.
(j) A distribution operating center.
(k) A facility that transfers or distributes natural
gas, including a compressor station, regulator station, city gate station or
pressure limiting station or a liquefied natural gas facility or supplier tap
facility.
(l) Any railroad infrastructure or facility.
(m) A federal, state, county or municipal court.
(n) A public safety or emergency operation facility.
(o) A federal, state, county or municipal jail or
prison or other facility in which persons are incarcerated.
(p) A federal or state military installation or
facility.
(q) A hospital that receives air ambulance services.
4. "Model aircraft" has the
same meaning prescribed in section 336 of the FAA modernization and reform act
of 2012 (P.L. 112-95), as amended means an unmanned
aircraft that is ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
(a) capable of
sustained flight in the atmosphere.
(b) flown
within the visual LINE of sight of the person operating the model aircraft.
(c) flown for
hobby or recreational purposes.
5. "Person" means a corporation, firm,
partnership, association, individual or organization or any other group acting
as a unit.
6. "Public unmanned aircraft" means an
unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system that is operated by a public
agency for a government-related purpose.
7. "Unmanned aircraft" means an aircraft,
including an aircraft commonly known as a drone, that is operated without the
possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.
8. "Unmanned aircraft system" means an
unmanned aircraft and associated elements, including any communication links
and components that control the unmanned aircraft. END_STATUTE
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR JUNE 22, 2026.
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 22, 2026.