Eyes Strict Rules For Operation Of Unmanned Aircraft

The tiny town on DeWitt, MI north of Lansing has become the latest to determine that it can't wait for the FAA to establish federal rules governing the use of UAVs and written its own legislation.

The rules, which were set to be considered Tuesday night by the DeWitt City Council, would greatly limit where UAVs could be flown.

The Lansing State Journal reports that the rules have been in the works for six to eight months, according to City Administrator Dan Coss. He said there had been a UAV flying over a city sponsored parade earlier this year, and "elected officials took notice of that and wanted to craft an ordinance that would protect drone users and non-users," Coss said.

Coss said that while the city considered an outright ban, it settled on including the rules governing UAVs in its nuisance ordinance.

The text of the regulations were posted on the city's Facebook page:

"No person, firm or corporation shall operate any unmanned aircraft so as to interfere with the privacy, safety, peace or repose of persons or endanger the health of another,recklessly, carelessly or in violation of Federal law, including but not limited to the following regulations:
1. Operation of the unmanned aircraft shall be completely prohibited within 500 feet of a school, police investigation, fire, traffic accident, medical emergency, fire investigation, Public Gathering Space, or such place that may endanger person or property or interfere with persons discharging their public duties.
2.The unmanned aircraft shall not be used to photograph or video record any other person, or private property without their consent.
3. No unmanned aircraft shall be operated directly over any person who is not involved in the operation of the unmanned aircraft, without such person’s consent; or directly over property that the operator does not own, without the property owner’s consent, and subject to any restrictions that the property owner may place on such operation;
4. The unmanned aircraft shall not be operated outside the visual line of sight of the operator.
5.An unmanned aircraft shall not be operated within 500 feet of any electric generating facility, substation or control center, or within 100 feet of any electric transmission facility, or within 25 feet of any electric distribution facility or of any overhead wire, cable, conveyor or similar equipment for the transmission of sounds or signal, or of heat, light or power, or data, upon or along any public way within the City, without the facility or equipment owner’s consent, and subject to any restrictions that the facility or equipment owner may place on such operation;
6.The operation of unmanned aircraft will be for recreational purposes only.
C.Exceptions:
Notwithstanding the prohibitions set forth in this section, nothing in this section shall be construed to (1) prohibit any person who is authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate an unmanned aircraft in City air space from conducting such operations in accordance with the terms of such authorization and, if applicable, in accordance with this section or (2) from the City operating an unmanned aircraft.

If enacted Tuesday night, the regulations would go into effect on December 13, 2015.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.dewittmi.org