HomeMy WebLinkAboutUnmanned Aerial System Policy 2023
☐City Council Approved: 9/2023
☐City-Wide
☒Department
City of Edina Policy
Unmanned Aerial System (Drone) Policy for City Communications
Definitions
An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot on board controlled
by an operator on the ground. UAS, drones, remotely piloted vehicles, autonomous aircraft, model
aircraft or similar are considered aircraft and are subject to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
regulations and the statutes and rules of the State of Minnesota.
Registration
Federal law requires all drones operated for commercial use under 14 CFR Part 107 to be registered.
All registered aircraft must have their registration number displayed on the exterior. Should a drone be
removed from service, it should be unregistered.
Purpose
This policy establishes criteria for use of UAS by authorized members of the City of Edina’s
Communications Department. UAS will only be used to capture photographs or video footage for
informational and marketing uses. This policy is not intended for public safety departments with their
own policies for UAS use.
Eligibility
UAS flights will only be performed or supervised by a Communications Department staff member, age
18 or older, who has a current FAA Remote Pilot Certificate.
Crew Responsibilities
A minimum of two employees must work all UAS operations: an operator and a visual observer (VO).
The VO will accompany the operator any time the UAS is in use and will serve as an observer to watch
for and avoid any safety issues within the flight area or for violations of these guidelines. The VO does
not need to have an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, but the operator must.
Operators shall:
• Be solely responsible for the safe operation of the UAS.
• Have full authority to reject a flight due to safety concerns. No one, regardless of authority, can
order an operator to make a flight when, in the opinion of the operator, it can’t be done safely
and within FAA regulations.
• Be knowledgeable about surroundings, including obstructions and airspace activity.
• Obtain Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) approval when needed.
• Be responsive to the visual observer to accomplish a flight.
• Have in possession UAS registration and operator license when operating the UAS.
• Replace rotors and batteries and perform firmware updates and drone maintenance as required
by FAA regulations.
• Comply in all respects with all applicable FAA regulations.
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Visual Observers (VO) shall:
§ Assist the operator in maintaining visual awareness of the airspace and advise the operator of
any imminent hazards.
Pre-Flight Inspections
§ The operator must conduct a preflight inspection of the UAS prior to each flight.
§ All equipment will be tested prior to the flight by the operator.
§ Prior to initiating a flight, the operator will check current and forecasted weather conditions
and identify and verbalize obstructions and potential obstructions such as water towers,
power lines, buildings, cell towers, etc.
Crew Coordination
§ The operator and VO will work together to form the crew to accomplish the flight.
§ In the interest of safety, both the operator and the VO must be comfortable with all decisions
made while working as a crew. If there is a genuine concern on the part of either the operator
or the VO, the flight shall not proceed or shall be terminated.
§ Concerns by any crew member shall be immediately expressed to the other crew member to
ensure clear communication.
Operational Guidelines
The UAS operator will practice discretion and ensure privacy for all flights. Safety is the primary priority.
All flights must meet the following:
§ All flights must remain in line of sight.
§ Public event coordinators/leaders should be notified of flights in advance of the event.
§ UAS will not be used for intentionally capturing images of specific private property without
written consent of the property owner, or for conducting any type of surveillance on private
property, including surveillance for public safety or code enforcement purposes.
§ Footage captured by an UAS shall be maintained per the Minnesota General Records Retention
Schedule and is subject to the Minnesota Data Practices Act. Data requests should be directed
to the City Clerk’s office.
§ All flights must meet current FAA airspace regulations and requirements.
§ Flights are prohibited:
o Over stadiums, sporting events, people, moving vehicles, as per FAA rules.
o Near emergency response efforts, such as fires except in the case of training events to
be utilized for communications and marketing purposes.
o During adverse weather conditions or when adverse conditions are expected.
o For personal use.