Kentucky Drone Laws

Requires law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant that specifically authorizes UAS use before conducting drone surveillance. The warrant must comply with the Fourth Amendment and Section 10 of the Kentucky Constitution. Evidence gathered by a police drone without proper authorization is inadmissible in Kentucky civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings. Prohibits equipping drones with lethal payloads for any non-military use. Data collected must minimize information on bystanders.

Prohibits recreational, professional, or educational drone operators from recording images of privately owned property or its occupants with intent to surveil them or publish unauthorized images in violation of a reasonable expectation of privacy. The statute presumes reasonable privacy expectation for persons not visible to someone standing at ground level where that person has legal right to be, even if overhead drone could see them. Creates private civil action allowing property owners to sue for injunctive relief, actual and punitive damages, court costs, and attorney's fees with seven-year statute of limitations (KRS 411/413).

Prohibits knowingly using a drone to fly above property containing key infrastructure assets with intent to cause harm or damage, or to conduct surveillance, without the owner's consent. Enumerated assets include: electrical generation and power plants, petroleum refineries, rubber and hazardous-chemical manufacturing and storage facilities, natural-gas processing stations and above-ground pipelines, railroad yards and tunnel portals, drinking-water treatment facilities, prisons and jails and juvenile justice facilities, military weapons facilities, wireless and telecom switching facilities, cable and broadband delivery infrastructure, commercial food manufacturing and processing facilities, animal feeding operations and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and electrical highway infrastructure. For food, animal-feeding, and CAFO categories, merely operating a drone or recording above facilities without owner consent is unlawful (no harmful intent required). Commercial operators flying in compliance with FAA authorization are exempt. Owners, government agencies, emergency responders, utilities, and insurers are exempt.

Any person who commits an offense with the aid of a drone is guilty of that offense and faces the same penalty as if committed in person, unless the conduct is solely lawful operation in normal airspace. Extends criminal liability for stalking, harassment, criminal trespass, voyeurism, burglary facilitation, and other crimes when committed via drone. Drone is not a loophole—it is treated like any other tool used to commit underlying crime.

Prohibits drone operation into areas marked as prohibited on a commercial airport's unmanned-aircraft facility map without airport operator approval. Also prohibits operating a drone in a reckless manner that creates serious risk of physical injury or property damage. FAA-compliant commercial operators are exempt from facility-map restriction. Prior statute KRS 183.085 was repealed in 2025 by SB 87; KRS 183.086 survives as the operative restriction.

Effective October 16, 2025. Makes it unlawful to use an aircraft or drone to fish, hunt, or take wildlife, to drive or herd wildlife for those purposes, or to harass wildlife. Definition of 'take' is broad, covering pursuing, hunting, catching, trapping, and lesser acts to lure or attract game. Narrow exceptions for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife staff, authorized landowners conducting lawful wildlife-damage control, and commercial fishers removing invasive carp.

Louisville Metro Parks Conduct Rules

Drone launch and landing on Louisville Metro Parks property are subject to parks conduct rules and regulations.

Lexington Parks and University of Kentucky Campus Operations

Drone launch and landing on city and university property subject to local conduct rules and campus policies.

Covington Permit Requirements (§ 94.017)

Covington Municipal Code § 94.017 requires permits for certain drone activities.

Dayton Activity Restrictions (§ 95.34)

Dayton Municipal Code § 95.34 limits certain drone activities to designated areas.

Bowling Green Parks Director Written Consent Requirement

Bowling Green Parks Department requires written consent from Parks Director for all drone operations on city property.