Residents of Los Alamitos are soon expected to be able to legally fly unmanned aerial systems, commonly called drones, within the city as the council finalizes the new ordinance that will govern their use.
Although a final vote is expected soon, the council recently discussed the pending ordinance in December, which staff informed the members has been development for nearly a year.
Overall, the council took little issue with the drone law presentation, though member Warren Kusumoto did express concerns about a provision in the law that required the city not only to adopt an ordinance but to also “educate” the public about it.
In response, legal advisers basically told Kusumoto that the city was in compliance with the provision which prompted Council member Richard Murphy to complain about state legislators in Sacramento sending unfunded mandates to local governments.
The Los Al drone ordinance has been drafted in tandem with a 25-member Orange County public safety task force that worked with Federal Aviation Administration to craft the law. The city had representatives serving on the task force, the Council was told.
In general, the ordinance “meets the needs, standards and expectations of the city of Los Alamitos,” the staff reported to the council, “in order to preserve quality of life for residents, visitors and businesses.”
Further, the new ordinance was designed “to balance public safety with private, recreational use of unmanned aircraft systems, or drones.”
Geographically, drone operators should understand the city’s close proximity to the Joint Forces Training Base (within five miles of an active control tower) classifies the area around the base as “Class D Airspace.” This will require any drone operator to get special permits and permission to fly within or near this so-designated classified space.
For public safety and law enforcement agencies, the ordinance does not prohibit or limit the use of drones.
In summary, the new drone law will allow residents to fly drones within the city with the following restrictions;
No person shall takeoff or land a drone outside the operator’s visual line of sight.
No person shall fly a drone within 25 feet of another individual except for the operator or designeee.
Cannot fly over private property without the consent of the property owner.
Cannot fly during permitted public events unless granted written or electronic permission by the city.
Cannot fly within 1,500 horizontal feet of any other aircraft.
Cannot fly with any type of weapon attached.
In addition, operators flying drones shall at all times avoid reckless endangerment, shall stay more than 500 feet away from any vehicle with flashing lights or sirens, shall stay more than 500 feet away from a law enforcement engagement or emergency situation, and shall not violate any FAA flight restriction or notice. Additionally, drones may not fly within 100 feet of schools without permission of proper authority.
The law also prohibits drones from flying within 500 feet of jails, holding facilities, law enforcement facilities and within 100 feet of any publicly owned building.
Finally, the new ordinance specifically defines any drone, or unmanned aircraft system as “an aircraft, without a human pilot on board that is controlled from an operator on the ground to include, but not be limited to any communications links and components that control the UA without the possibility of direct human interaction within or on the aircraft.”
