North Caroliina is one of those states that has gone anal over UAVs. Here is a clip:

(a) No unmanned aircraft system may be launched or recovered from any State or private property without consent.
(b) A unit of local government may adopt an ordinance to regulate the use of the local government's property for the launch or recovery of unmanned aircraft systems.


So, if a "unit of local government" has no ordinance against launching a UAV, then I'm free to launch from a city park? From the right of way of a county road?

Yup! I do all the time. I live in Ayden, no problem so far.

Don't get the private property designation....

MGR57 Posted at 2016-10-1 17:48
Don't get the private property designation....

I take it to mean " Someone else's private property".  Obviously,  you would give yourself consent to fly over your own property.

Kneepuck Posted at 2016-10-1 22:03
I take it to mean " Someone else's private property".  Obviously,  you would give yourself consent ...

You can fly over someone's private property, you just can't take off and land on it without permission. Also the law says you cannot perform "surveilance" of someone or their property, but they failed to define that word. It could mean just about anything a judge wants it to mean.

While we're at it, it goes on to say you can't photograph or video a person from a UAV if that picture is to be published somewhere (like YouTube) without their permission, unless that person is at "events or places to which the general public is invited". What's that? The county fair? Walmart parking lot? Walking down the street? They don't elaborate.

This NC drone law was tacked on to the budget legislation without any hearings or discussion. Talk about a knee-jerk reaction!

mjlstudios Posted at 2016-10-1 12:48
Yup! I do all the time. I live in Ayden, no problem so far.

mjl, if you do have any problems with doing that please let me know.

I'll send you a cake with a file in it.

State Parks...a no no. National Parks....a no no. Federal Parks...a no no. Local city parks...If it isn't posted, you might be told you are no allowed to fly by an official, but I haven't yet. City officials and police have been at the park when I fly, no problems.

Wingsy Posted at 2016-10-2 16:33
You can fly over someone's private property, you just can't take off and land on it without permis ...

While they may not have defined the surveillance in the law, court will just use common sense to interpret that. Like flying with the purpose to track and follow someone(a celebrity, for example), or hover continuously around a property for long time, can be deemed as surveillance. While a normal fly over is not

unless the person is paranoid, in which case they would consider it surveillance immediately, or perhaps even a danger to their life, hence they would discharge a weapon, in self defense.... ;)
Law... needed, but.. so goofed up sometimes... ;)

Photographs and video go with the expectation of privacy, basically if anyone can see you then you have no expectation of privacy if you are in a public place like a Walmart parking lot let's say everyone can see everything you do so you have no expectation of privacy. now the posting and making money on it is another story don't know nothing about that but I rarely post my videos anyway and mine are always out in nature where no one's around. If you want to get anal with it when you fly your Phantom flying over streets as if it was a car make turns on intersections whatnot then you're not private property

mjlstudios Posted at 2016-10-2 19:31
State Parks...a no no. National Parks....a no no. Federal Parks...a no no. Local city parks...If it  ...

It depends on local and state was California mayor just vetoed a bill for State Park which means we're okay but Los Angeles has an ordinance for many years I believe back to the seventies where you can't do the launch take off yadda yadda from County Park national parks and monuments no can't