People ask me about drone rules all the time: neighbors who see a drone overhead, clients about to hire one, and new pilots who just bought their first aircraft. The questions come down to three things. What rules do I have to follow? What laws apply here in North Carolina? And where am I actually allowed to fly?
The answers are scattered across the FAA, the North Carolina General Statutes, city park policies and federal land rules. Some of what is published online is out of date. So here it is in one place, checked against the statutes and the agencies that enforce them.
The short version
- The rules come from the FAA. Fly for any business purpose and you need a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Fly for fun and you need the free TRUST certificate. North Carolina's own state drone permit was repealed on December 1, 2024.
- The laws that North Carolina still enforces cover privacy, where you launch from, prisons, manned aircraft, weapons, hunting and thermal images.
- Where you can fly depends on two things: the airspace, and permission from whoever owns the ground you take off from. Stadiums on game day, military bases, national parks and disaster zones are off-limits without special authorization.
Part 1 · The rules: what the FAA requires
The FAA regulates all airspace in the United States, including the air over your own backyard. Which set of FAA rules applies depends on why you are flying.
If you fly for any business purpose (Part 107)
- Remote Pilot Certificate. Pass the FAA Part 107 knowledge test. Then keep it current with the free online recurrent training every 24 calendar months.
- Register the drone in FAADroneZone ($5, valid three years) and mark the registration number on the aircraft.
- Remote ID. The drone must broadcast Remote ID, either built in or with an FAA-accepted broadcast module.
- Airspace authorization. Controlled airspace needs authorization before you fly. Around RDU, Fayetteville and other airports, LAANC usually grants it in minutes through FAA-approved apps such as Aloft.
- The core operating limits. Stay at or below 400 feet above ground, keep the drone within visual line of sight, and yield to manned aircraft. Night flights require anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles.
If you fly purely for fun (recreational)
- Pass the free TRUST test and carry proof of completion.
- Register any drone over 0.55 lb (250 g), and meet Remote ID on registered drones.
- Follow the recreational safety guidelines, and get LAANC authorization in controlled airspace.
One test for which set applies: if the flight supports a business in any way, including photos for your own real estate listing, it is a Part 107 flight.
The state permit question
This is the one I hear most, because older pages online still say it. From 2014 until late 2024, North Carolina required commercial and government drone operators to pass an NCDOT knowledge test and hold a state permit on top of their FAA certificate. In June 2024 the General Assembly passed House Bill 198, enacted as Session Law 2024-15, which repealed that requirement. NCDOT's Division of Aviation confirms that after December 1, 2024, North Carolina no longer requires a state permit.
- You do not need, and cannot get, an NC state drone permit.
- Old contracts, RFPs and vendor forms may still ask for one. The correct response is that the requirement was repealed by S.L. 2024-15, effective December 1, 2024, and that FAA Part 107 is the governing certification.
- Study guides for the old NC knowledge test are obsolete.
Part 2 · The laws: what North Carolina still enforces
The repeal removed the permit. It did not remove North Carolina's drone laws. These all still apply every time you fly:
| Statute | What it says | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| G.S. 15A-300.1 | No surveillance of a person, an occupied dwelling and its curtilage, or private property without consent. No photographing an identifiable person without consent in order to publish the image. Exceptions include newsgathering and events open to the public. | The person photographed can sue for $5,000 for each photo or video published, plus attorney fees. |
| G.S. 15A-300.2 | No launching or recovering a drone from any state or private property without consent. Local governments may regulate launches from their own property. | Your takeoff spot needs permission, even when the airspace is legal. |
| G.S. 15A-300.3 | No flying within 500 feet horizontally or 250 feet vertically of a correctional or confinement facility without consent. | A misdemeanor at minimum, and a felony if the drone carries a weapon or contraband. |
| G.S. 14-280.3 | No willfully damaging, disrupting or interfering with a manned aircraft using a drone. | Class H felony. |
| G.S. 14-401.24 | No drone with a weapon attached. No hunting or fishing with a drone. Spotting fish or deploying bait is allowed. | A weapon is a Class E felony. Hunting or fishing is a Class 1 misdemeanor. |
| G.S. 14-401.25 | No publishing or distributing thermal or infrared drone images that reveal people, materials or activity inside a structure without the property owner's consent. | Class A1 misdemeanor. It matters for anyone doing thermal roof or solar work. |
For most pilots the practical takeaway is simple: get permission for the property you launch from and the property you capture, and get it in writing whenever people or homes will be in the frame. Consent solves most of the problems in that table.
Mapping and measurements: where surveying begins
This is the North Carolina rule most likely to catch a capable pilot off guard. Under Chapter 89C, the NC Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors regulates the practice of land surveying. It takes the position that drone products such as orthomosaic maps, stated-accuracy measurements and location or dimension data can fall within that practice.
A drone operator challenged that on First Amendment grounds in 360 Virtual Drone Services LLC v. Ritter. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled for the Board in May 2024, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in April 2026. So the Board's position stands in North Carolina.
In practice: photos, video, inspection imagery and visual progress documentation are ordinary drone work. If the deliverable is a measured map, boundary information or survey data someone will rely on for location or dimensions, bring in a licensed North Carolina Professional Land Surveyor to supervise and certify it. We work that way ourselves.
Part 3 · Where you can fly
Two separate questions decide whether a flight is legal. First, is the airspace open to you? Second, do you have permission to take off from the ground you are standing on? You need a yes to both.
The airspace: check it before every flight
- Near airports. Much of Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Morrisville sits under RDU's controlled airspace. That is not a no-fly zone. It means you request LAANC authorization first, and the app shows the altitude you are allowed at your exact location.
- Stadiums on game day. The FAA prohibits drones within 3 nautical miles of NFL, MLB and NCAA Division I football venues and major motorsports races, and up to 3,000 feet above them. The ban runs from one hour before the scheduled start to one hour after the event. In North Carolina that covers home games at Carter-Finley, Kenan and Wallace Wade stadiums and other NFL, NCAA Division I and NASCAR venues statewide. The rest of the week, normal rules apply.
- Military installations. Large blocks of restricted airspace surround Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, and the FAA has drone security restrictions over many military facilities. Your LAANC app shows them. Treat them as no-fly unless you have Department of Defense permission.
- Disaster areas (hurricane season). After a major storm, the FAA often issues Temporary Flight Restrictions over the damage to protect rescue helicopters and relief aircraft. Flying inside one without authorization is a federal violation, whatever your intentions, and it can ground the aircraft that are saving lives. Operators supporting a response agency can request access through the FAA's Special Governmental Interest (SGI) process, sponsored by the agency they are working for. Check for new restrictions before every storm flight, not just the first.
The ground: where you can take off
- City of Raleigh parks. Drones under 400 grams may launch in most parks, but not nature preserves, lakes, wetlands or cemeteries. Heavier drones may launch only at six designated fields:
- Baileywick Park, dawn to dusk
- Marsh Creek Park, dawn to dusk
- Dorothea Dix Park, Big Field only, dawn to dusk
- Eastgate Park, noon to dusk
- Spring Forest Park, noon to dusk
- Southgate Park, noon to dusk
- Other towns and counties set their own rules for their own parks and property, as state law allows. Check the park's website or call before you unpack.
- NC State Parks. Taking off or landing a drone is prohibited unless the park issues a Special Use Permit. Plan for no, and ask the park office well in advance if you need it.
- National parks. Launching, landing or operating a drone on National Park Service land is prohibited. In North Carolina that includes the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Blue Ridge Parkway states plainly that recreational requests will not be approved.
- Private property. You need the owner's consent to launch or recover there (G.S. 15A-300.2). Your own yard is fine. For client work, put the permission in the booking confirmation.
What's next: BVLOS rules (Part 108)
The FAA proposed a new rule, Part 108, in August 2025 to allow routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations without individual waivers. As of this writing, the final rule has not been published. Until it is, beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights still require a waiver. We will update this post when the final rule arrives.
Quick answers
Do I need a North Carolina drone permit to fly commercially?
No. North Carolina repealed its state UAS operator permit and knowledge test effective December 1, 2024 (House Bill 198, Session Law 2024-15). Commercial pilots need the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.
Can I fly my drone over my neighbor's house in North Carolina?
Not to watch or photograph them. G.S. 15A-300.1 prohibits using a drone to conduct surveillance of a person, an occupied dwelling or private property without consent. Anyone whose image is published in violation can sue for $5,000 per photo or video.
Where can I fly a drone in Raleigh?
Drones under 400 grams may launch in most City of Raleigh parks. Heavier drones may launch only at six designated fields: Baileywick, Marsh Creek, Dorothea Dix (Big Field), Eastgate, Spring Forest and Southgate parks. Airspace rules still apply, and much of Raleigh sits under RDU's controlled airspace, so check LAANC first.
Can I fly a drone on the Blue Ridge Parkway or at the Outer Banks?
Not from National Park Service land. Launching, landing or operating a drone is prohibited on the Blue Ridge Parkway, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Elsewhere on the Outer Banks, check the local town's rules and the airspace before you fly.
Can I fly near a football game?
Not on game day. The FAA prohibits drones within 3 nautical miles of NFL and NCAA Division I football stadiums, from one hour before the scheduled start until one hour after the game.
Can a drone pilot make maps in North Carolina without a surveying license?
Photos, video and visual inspection are fine. Measured maps, orthomosaics with stated accuracy, and location or dimension data can fall under the practice of land surveying (G.S. Chapter 89C). Those deliverables should involve a licensed North Carolina Professional Land Surveyor.
Before every North Carolina flight
- Part 107 certificate current, meaning recurrent training within 24 calendar months (or TRUST, if recreational).
- Drone registered and marked, with Remote ID broadcasting.
- Airspace checked: LAANC authorization in hand where needed, and no stadium, military or disaster restrictions active.
- Permission from whoever owns or manages the launch site, and from the owners of any property or people you will capture.
- Clear of correctional facilities (500 feet horizontally, 250 feet vertically).
- Deliverable scoped. If it includes measurements someone will rely on, a licensed surveyor is involved.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws and agency guidance change; check the sources below, and consult an attorney about a specific situation. Verified against these sources on September 30, 2026: NCDOT Division of Aviation, Unmanned Aircraft Commercial Operators · House Bill 198 / S.L. 2024-15 · G.S. Chapter 15A, Article 16B · G.S. 14-280.3 · G.S. 14-401.24 · G.S. 14-401.25 · FAA, Stadiums and Sporting Events · City of Raleigh, Drone Guidelines in Raleigh Parks · NC State Parks Rules · Blue Ridge Parkway, Superintendent's Compendium, 36 CFR 1.5 · 360 Virtual Drone Services LLC v. Ritter, No. 24-279 · FAA, Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
About MW AIRLIFT™. MW AIRLIFT™ is a Raleigh-based drone operations services company focused on aerial field technology and documentation. Every job is delivered through MW AIRLIFT™ AIRWORKS, with each image sealed and independently verifiable. Questions about a project, or about anything in this post? Call (919) 306-1695 or send us a message.