drones; entertainment districts; prohibition

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is listed in metadata but not specified in the provided text; it defaults to the 'general effective date' per Section 8 of the bill.

SB1160: Rules for Flying Non-Hobby Drones Near Ticketed Events

This law makes it a crime to intentionally fly a non-hobby drone within or above 5,280 feet of certain ticketed entertainment events unless the operator has written permission.

What This Bill Does

• Prohibits intentionally operating a civil unmanned aircraft (non-hobby drone) within 5,280 feet of or above a ticketed entertainment event.
• Classifies breaking this rule as a class 1 misdemeanor crime.
• Allows exceptions for people with written consent from the person in charge of the event.
• Exempts employees of the venue or public utilities who are doing official work.
• Lets owners fly their own non-hobby drones over private property if they do not use them for business, broadcasting, or to interfere with events.

Who It Names or Affects

• People operating civil unmanned aircraft (non-hobby drones) near ticketed entertainment events.
• Event organizers who can grant written consent for drone flights.
• Employees of venues and public utility companies conducting official business.
• City, town, county, or state employees acting in their official capacity regarding preemption rules.

Terms To Know

Civil unmanned aircraft

A drone used for any purpose other than strictly hobby or recreation, including commercial work like mapping or media services.

Ticketed entertainment event

A music, sports, or performing arts event held outdoors, in a retractable roof venue, or in a facility with at least 1,000 seats where entry requires proof of purchase and access is restricted by gates or barriers.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law does not apply to drones flown strictly for hobby or recreational purposes.
• Operators flying over their own private property cannot use the drone for commercial reasons, broadcasting, or recording events.
• Local governments generally cannot make new rules about owning or operating drones, except in specific cases like regulating takeoff on public parks.

Official Summary Text

SB1160 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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PASSED BY HOUSE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED #2

FACT SHEET FOR
s.b. 1160

drones; entertainment districts; prohibition

(
NOW:

drones; entertainment events;
prohibition
)

Purpose

Prohibits a person from intentionally operating a
civil unmanned aircraft within 5,280 feet of or above a ticketed entertainment
event, except as specified, and classifies a violation as a class 1 misdemeanor.
Exempts a city, town, county or state employee acting in the employee's
official capacity from the state preemption on the unlawful operation of an
unmanned aircraft.

Background

A person may not
operate a civil unmanned aircraft or a model aircraft if the operation:

1) is prohibited by a federal law or regulation that governs aeronautics,
including Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations; or 2) interferes
with a law enforcement, firefighter or emergency services operation. A person
may not 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. A city or town 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 unmanned aircraft system
(
A.R.S.
� 13-3729
).

The FAA
prohibits a person from flying drones in and around stadiums beginning one hour
before and ending one hour after the scheduled time of any normal-season or
post-season event for: 1) Major League Baseball; 2) the National Football
League; 3) National Collegiate Athletic Association Division One Football
games; and 4) racing events held by Indy Car, Champ Series and the National
Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (
FAA
).

An
unmanned
aircraft
is 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. A
civil unmanned aircraft
is 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, such as aerial mapping or geospatial imaging, or in
furtherance of or incidental to any business or media service or agency (
A.R.S.
� 13-3729
).

There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state
General Fund associated with this legislation.

Provisions

1.

Prohibits a person from intentionally operating a civil unmanned
aircraft within 5,280 feet of or 5,280 feet above a ticketed entertainment
event.

2.

Classifies a violation of the prohibition as a class 1 misdemeanor.

3.

Exempts, from the prohibition, a person who:

a)

obtains
written consent from another person with legal authority over the ticketed
entertainment event;

b)

is
an employee of the property where the ticketed entertainment event is held or a
water, sewer, electric, telecommunications, cable or other public or regulated
utility and is conducting official business; or

c)

is operating the person's own civil unmanned aircraft above the person's
own private property in a manner consistent with federal law.

4.

Stipulates
that a person who operates a civil unmanned aircraft above the person's own private
property may not use the aircraft:

a)

for commercial purposes;

b)

to convey or communicate a message or to record for the purposes of
commercial broadcasting or publication; or

c)

to monitor or otherwise interfere in any way with the ticketed
entertainment event.

5.

Exempts, from the state preemption on unlawfully operating model or
unmanned aircraft, a city, town, county or state employee who operates an
unmanned aircraft, including a public unmanned aircraft, while acting in the
employee's official capacity.

6.

Defines
a
ticketed entertainment event
as a music, sporting or performing arts
event:

a)

that is held in a location with gated entries or
barriers that prevent access to the general public;

b)

for which an owner, operator or lessee of the property has issued evidence
of the right of entry; and

c)

that is held outdoors, at a venue with a retractable roof or in a
facility with a capacity of at least 1,000 attendees.

7.

Makes
conforming changes.

8.

Becomes
effective on the general effective date.

Amendments
Adopted by Committee

�

Increases, from 400 feet to 5,280 feet, the distance from a
ticketed entertainment event in which a person is prohibited from operating a
civil unmanned aircraft.

Amendments
Adopted by Committee of the Whole

�

Specifies that a person must obtain written consent, rather than
consent, from another person with legal authority over the ticketed
entertainment event in order to be exempt from the prohibition.

Amendments
Adopted by the House of Representatives

1.

Exempts a city, town, county or state employee
acting in the employee's official capacity from the state preemption on the
unlawful operation of a model or unmanned aircraft.

2.

Specifies
that the prohibition applies to a person who intentionally operates a drone as
outlined.

3.

Modifies
the definition of a
ticketed entertainment event
to:

a)

include an event for which an owner, operator or lessee of the property
has issued evidence of the right of entry, rather than a revocable license
required for attendance at the event; and

b)

add that the event is held outdoors, at a venue with a retractable roof
or in a facility with a capacity of at least 1,000 attendees.

4.

Makes
technical and conforming changes.

Senate
Action
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House
Action

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On
reconsideration

Prepared by Senate Research

June 11, 2026

KJA/SDR/hk

Current Bill Text

Chapter 0215 - 572R - H Ver of SB1160

House Engrossed
Senate Bill

drones;
entertainment districts; prohibition

(now: drones; entertainment events;
prohibition
)

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

CHAPTER 215

SENATE BILL 1160

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.
1. Section
13-3729, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
13-3729.

Unlawful operation of model or unmanned aircraft; state
preemption; 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
intentionally operate a civil unmanned aircraft within
five
thousand two hundred eighty feet of or within
five
thousand two hundred eighty feet above a ticketed entertainment event Unless
the person:

1. Obtains written consent from
another person with legal authority over the ticketed entertainment event.

2. Is an employee of the property
where the ticketed entertainment event is held and is conducting official
business.

3. Is an employee of a water, sewer,
electric, telecommunications, cable or other public or regulated utility and is
conducting official business.

4. Is operating the person's own
civil unmanned aircraft above the person's own private property and the
operation is consistent with federal law and is not used for any of the
following:

(
a
) Commercial
purposes.

(
b
) To convey
or communicate a message or to record for the purposes of commercial
broadcasting or PUBLICATION.

(
c
) To monitor
or otherwise INTERFERE in any way with a ticketed entertainment event.

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
or another city, town, county or state
employee
while acting in the first responder's
or
employee'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.

E.

F.
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

or C
of this section is a class 1 misdemeanor.

F.

G.
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.

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. "Ticketed entertainment
event" means a music, sporting or performing arts event that
meets all of the following:

(
a
) The event is
held in a location with gated entries or barriers that prevent access to the
general public
.

(
b
) An owner,
operator or lessee of the property
has issued evidence of
the right of entry.

(
c
) The event
is held in one of the following locations:

(
i
) Outdoors.

(
ii
) At a venue
with a retractable roof.

(
iii
) In a
facility with a capacity of at least one thousand attendees.

7.

8.
"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.

9.
"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.