NYC Mayor Unveils New Guidelines for Drone Use in City

NEW YORK—Mayor Eric Adams recently announced the city is issuing new rules for a permitting process and guidelines for use of unmanned aircraft in New York City for building and infrastructure inspections, capital project planning and other uses.

“Today, New York City is flying into the future, using drones to make city services faster and safer, and likely saving taxpayer dollars as well,” Adams said before briefly operating a small drone flying near the Manhattan Bridge.

https://insideunmannedsystems.com/nyc-mayor-unveils-new-guidelines-for-drone-use-in-city/

“Drones are already saving lives, such as in the tragic garage collapse in Lower Manhattan, but their true potential is just taking off. With these rules, we are paving the way for drones to help in New Yorkers’ everyday lives—not just in emergencies. Drones are going to allow us to make façade inspections faster and safer, help us inspect and maintain our bridges, tunnels, and critical infrastructure, and allow us to monitor our beaches more easily for unauthorized swimmers and hazardous conditions, among other things. This is how we ‘get stuff done’ for New Yorkers.”

Under the new rules, individuals and entities will be required to apply for a permit to take off or land a drone or any other kind of unmanned aircraft in New York City. The NYPD will administer the permitting process. The permits will include a site temporarily designated as a takeoff or landing site by the Department of Transportation. Applicants will also be required to comply with all federal, state and local regulations, and to have obtained authorization to operate their devices from the FAA.