There is a city wide (BAN) on drones in Laguna Beach.  As a matter of  fact, "Every Beach Entrance Has Signs," except for one beach.  
I don't know how much the FINE $$$ is, but signs on County & Federal Land post up to $1,000.00

How sad............... Dana Point has set forth applications for NO DRONE signs.

i wanted to take one of those cheap paper signs, but im sure it an arrestible offense for sure, so i to a pick instead.

Its very expensive to post signs on every beach entrance, but they did....................

Hi Sir, it's a pity to hear this. Thanks for sharing with us. Hope other pilots note this as well.

The FAA has total authority of the air space from the ground up in the US. I haven't found anything new that cities have authority over the air in and around their city. The "NO DRONE ZONE" sign is the official image of an FAA "NDZ" sign...except it doesn't have the FAA emblem on the sign. I was once challenged by life guards on a NC beach and was told I couldn't fly my drone. I challenged back and called a city offical while the life guard listened in as I explained that the FAA had authority on the air space in his city. The city offical agreed and confessed that I was the first to challenge the ban and that I had the right to fly.  https://www.dpreview.com/news/96 ... r-local-regulations

If anyone has different info, I would like to know.

MJLSTUDIOS Posted at 2017-12-12 02:50
The FAA has total authority of the air space from the ground up in the US. I haven't found anything new that cities have authority over the air in and around their city. The "NO DRONE ZONE" sign is the official image of an FAA "NDZ" sign...except it doesn't have the FAA emblem on the sign. I was once challenged by life guards on a NC beach and was told I couldn't fly my drone. I challenged back and called a city offical while the life guard listened in as I explained that the FAA had authority on the air space in his city. The city offical agreed and confessed that I was the first to challenge the ban and that I had the right to fly.  https://www.dpreview.com/news/96 ... r-local-regulations

If anyone has different info, I would like to know.

Nope you are correct
However, they have total control over where you can takeoff and land
I.E. National Parks, you can overfly any park within FAA constraints but you are not permitted to takeoff and land within the boundaries of the park.

This totally cracks me up, Cali will allow nude beaches, pot smoking, give safe harbor to illegal aliens, tax the ever lovin heck out of its citizens, but they wont let you fly a small UAV on a beach...I guess the nudist doesn't want anyone to see them LOL...too funny, just too funny

Genghis9 Posted at 2017-12-12 03:03
This totally cracks me up, Cali will allow nude beaches, pot smoking, give safe harbor to illegal aliens, tax the ever lovin heck out of its citizens, but they wont let you fly a small UAV on a beach...I guess the nudist doesn't want anyone to see them LOL...too funny, just too funny

I agree whats the point of having a nudist beach if you not allowed to watch ......oh hang on you can go there in person and perv all you like and not get arrested but launch a drone that has limited vision ..... off with his head. The laws are just ridiculous

Take it to the supreme court.....This has to stop!

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-12-12 04:35
Take it to the supreme court.....This has to stop!

we go towards a time that there will be an irrational hatred towards us and our apparatus

I think this kind of situation has already been tested in court - and the conclusion is, local municipalities cannot pass laws that supersede federal laws because federal laws are "the Supreme Law of the Land" as stated by the Supreme Court.

http://thedronegirl.com/2016/06/ ... al-drone-use-trial/

Hence, we can fly where we want within federal guidelines.  But launching and landing, as Genghis pointed out above, is a different matter.

The other problem is, I don't know if it's against the law for a municipality to make a BS law, even it it's not legally enforeable.  And I suspect many don't know this including the cop who is placing the handcuffs around your wrists.  

This may change some day as there are discussions going on right now at a federal level to decide whether local municipalites should have the legal right to limit drone use.  

MJLSTUDIOS Posted at 2017-12-12 02:50
The FAA has total authority of the air space from the ground up in the US. I haven't found anything new that cities have authority over the air in and around their city. The "NO DRONE ZONE" sign is the official image of an FAA "NDZ" sign...except it doesn't have the FAA emblem on the sign. I was once challenged by life guards on a NC beach and was told I couldn't fly my drone. I challenged back and called a city offical while the life guard listened in as I explained that the FAA had authority on the air space in his city. The city offical agreed and confessed that I was the first to challenge the ban and that I had the right to fly.  https://www.dpreview.com/news/96 ... r-local-regulations

If anyone has different info, I would like to know.

All of you have great responses, especially yours.  

1) Yes, the FAA is the only one to control Airspace

2) Yes, i think the city can issue you a Citation kind of like the (NO DOGS ON THE BEACH LAW) because the sign below says Laguna Beach Municipal Code 7.80.040.  

I don't know if they are issuing citations.  In addition, if i were creating the law, i would also insert (Noise Abatement) clause as well.  Not only do you not have permission to take off in our city, you cannot disturb the peace with your drone.

3) Yes, I have seen signs on county beach land as well stating No Dogs, No Camping, recently added, No Drones up to $1,000.00 fine.

So, I went down to Dana Point Harbor and went the northwest side beach that's located behind the Ocean Institute.  These beach is a "No Man's Land" beach as it does not have any sand, only giant rocks from like basketball size and bigger........so people don't lay out, there's nobody to really bother.

So i made the mistake of walking up to the beach while carrying my drone in plain site.  I was approached by 2 people from the Ocean Institute, they had a bunch of shells out about to teach a class.

The old lady and old man say, "No Drones" and they pull out a piece of paper with signatures on the bottom saying, "Read This."  I knew that it was a LIE so i said, how about you read it to me instead.  

So, she starts reading, "This is a preserve, drones are prohibited on the entire beach."  Then she continued, "You can fly over the beach, but only at ABOVE 400 ft.

What?  Then i said, "Then i cant fly here because above 400ft violates federal law.  Then the old man started laughing saying, "I know ha ha ha."  Ill be honest, it did uspet me that they were lying to people, so i picked up my drone and walked down the breakwater which gave me a lousy Return to Home area, but i got my picks.

So, if you guys are in the are go down and see the recently posted paper sign saying, "Application for Signage, PRESERVE."  So, if its a county beach, then the sign will have 1,000.00 fine on it.  

Fly your drone even right at the beach entrance like i did and see what happens.

So, im going to post the best drone shots ever on their yelp and give them a (one star ) out of five rating lol.

Hellsgate Posted at 2017-12-12 03:52
I agree whats the point of having a nudist beach if you not allowed to watch ......oh hang on you can go there in person and perv all you like and not get arrested but launch a drone that has limited vision ..... off with his head. The laws are just ridiculous

I know really!!!

Pretty much entire southern California is a no-fly zone for drones, I don't think I will even bother to bring my copters on my California trip this year.
Edit: I also noticed that the more liberal the state is, the more restrictions there are on drones.   

If you have Part 107 Certification and if you have liability insurance you might be able to get a special use film permit for your drone. In my area, the City of Miami Beach issues film permits involving drone flights. There is no cost for the permit if your flights are only in the City of Miami Beach, but you are required to have Part 107 and liability insurance. There is a charge of $100 for a Film Permit in the City of Miami but the permit is good for 28 days.

There is a similar process for obtaining a Special Use Film Permit in the National Parks. Even the State Parks here in Florida have a process. In all cases the process to register for a film permit is online, making it slightly less painful.  If you are willing to obtain Part 107 Certification, buy liability insurance, and jump through a bunch of hoops, they won't stop you from flying. Be advised though, that if your flight requires an FAA waiver, you will need to go through that process too. From what I have seen, the Special Use Permit process is a lot more painless than the FAA waiver.

I possess Part 107 Certification, though I do not have liability insurance yet. So, I have not personally experienced this process. But it looks like many local, state, and federal government agencies are starting to accept some use of drones for the purpose of filmmaking.

Here is a link to the City of Miami Beach policy on commercial drone use: http://web.miamibeachfl.gov/tcd/filmprint/scroll.aspx?id=29804

yea these people need chalenged.another example of morans in charge.

Nebuchadnezzar Posted at 2017-12-13 02:37
[view_image]

WOW, this really happened to a person i know at my flying field that i fly out of...........

SkyEye21 Posted at 2017-12-12 08:04
All of you have great responses, especially yours.  

1) Yes, the FAA is the only one to control Airspace

That’s a great solution, lol.

The 1/5 star review with awesome pictures, lol.

Unfortunately these things will happen anywhere there are municipalities that will entertain the demands of local nimbys.