Florida Drone License & Drone Laws (2026): State Rules, No-Fly Zones and Part 107

A Florida drone license is really an FAA certificate. Florida doesn’t issue its own, but it does have some of the toughest drone statutes in the country, including felony charges for flying over airports, power plants, seaports and spaceport territory.

One thing to remember up front: states do not control airspace. The FAA does. States, counties and cities can only limit takeoff and landing from public land. Private property is private, and those same governments, and especially HOAs, cannot regulate flights over it the way the FAA regulates the air.

Now add Disney’s permanent flight restriction, busy Class B airspace over Miami, Orlando and Tampa, and hurricane-season TFRs, and Florida is a state where planning matters. Here’s what you need to know before you launch.

Quick answer

• License: The FAA issues it, not the state. Flying for pay requires a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Flying for fun requires the free TRUST certificate.
• State laws that matter most: §330.41 (critical infrastructure, schools and agricultural land), §934.50 (drone surveillance of private property) and §330.411 (weapons and Remote ID tampering).
• Biggest risk: Flying over a critical infrastructure facility, which includes airports, seaports, military installations and spaceport territory, is a third-degree felony unless an exception applies.
• Parks: Launching and landing drones in Florida State Parks is prohibited.
• Last reviewed: October 2026 by The Drone U team.

Do you need a drone license in Florida?

If you’re flying for any business purpose, yes. What people call a Florida drone license is the FAA’s Remote Pilot Certificate, earned under Part 107. For example, real estate listings, roof inspections, wedding video and content for a company page all count. When in doubt, the FAA says to assume Part 107.

To qualify, you must be at least 16, pass the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) knowledge test at an FAA-approved testing center, and clear a TSA security check. After that, you stay current with the FAA’s free online recurrent training every 24 calendar months.

Recreational pilots, on the other hand, take the free TRUST instead. Our TRUST test guide explains it. Either way, register any drone that weighs 250 grams or more ($5 for three years). In addition, a registered drone must broadcast Remote ID.

Here’s a Florida twist. The state’s critical infrastructure law has an exception for flights that are “for a commercial purpose” and in compliance with FAA rules. As a result, a hobby flight doesn’t qualify for that exception, and neither does a paid flight without a certificate. So a Florida drone license does more than satisfy the FAA—it’s part of your legal defense.

Flying for clients in Florida? Get your Florida drone license with our Part 107 course. It’s $147 (regularly $197), with lifetime access and a 14-day money-back guarantee. Drone U has 10+ years of in-person drone training and 14+ years of online drone education.

Florida state drone laws

The FAA regulates airspace and flight safety. States, however, can regulate things like property, privacy and security. Florida has used that room aggressively. In other words, earning your Florida drone license is step one, and knowing these statutes is step two.

What counts as critical infrastructure in Florida

The list is long. However, most sites qualify only if they’re fenced or posted, though seaports count either way. It includes:

• Power plants, substations and electrical control centers
• Water and wastewater plants, refineries, gas facilities and chemical plants
• Communications towers and their ground equipment
• Seaports and inland freight ports
• Airports and spaceport territory
• Military installations and armories
• Dams, locks and floodgates
• State prisons, county jails and juvenile detention facilities

In our experience, communications towers are the easiest item on that list to overlook. After all, they’re everywhere, and it’s easy to drift close to one while framing a shot.

The privacy rule, in plain English

Under §934.50, a person is presumed to have a reasonable expectation of privacy on their own property if they can’t be seen by people at ground level. That’s true even if a drone could see them. Think of a privacy fence as a legal wall: if a neighbor couldn’t see over it from the sidewalk, don’t film over it.

The law also lists exceptions, such as aerial mapping in compliance with FAA rules, cargo delivery and utility inspections. Notably, real estate shoots aren’t on the list. Instead, the offense turns on intent to surveil. So frame your client’s property, keep neighbors’ backyards out of the shot, and get written consent when you can.

Florida drone no-fly zones: airports, theme parks, military bases and launch sites

Unfortunately, there’s no single official “Florida drone no-fly zones map.” Instead, you check the FAA’s tools, then layer state law on top.

• Airports. Miami International, Orlando International and Tampa International sit inside Class B airspace, and many other airports have Class C or D. As a result, you need FAA authorization through LAANC or DroneZone to fly there. Also remember that flying over the airport itself can be a state felony.
• Walt Disney World. FAA NOTAM FDC 4/3634 prohibits all aircraft, including drones, within 3 nautical miles from the surface up to 3,000 feet above ground level. It’s national defense airspace, so violations can bring federal criminal penalties.
• Military installations. Florida has many, including MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. The FAA also restricts drones over designated security-sensitive federal sites, from the ground up to 400 feet.
• Space launches. Spaceport territory is critical infrastructure under state law. Moreover, the FAA can issue TFRs for space launch and reentry operations.
• Stadiums. No drones within 3 nautical miles of MLB, NFL, NCAA Division I football and major auto racing events, from one hour before to one hour after.
• Hurricanes. The FAA prohibits flying over emergency or rescue operations, including hurricanes, and it issues TFRs for natural disasters. After a storm, check before you launch.

Before every flight, check B4UFLY, the FAA’s UAS Facility Maps and the TFR list.

Where you can fly in Florida: state parks, beaches and cities

Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks prohibits launching or landing a drone in a state park except in very rare circumstances. The rule (62D-2.014(15), F.A.C.) bans any “aerial apparatus” from taking off or landing in a park except in an emergency or at a designated landing facility. The Florida Park Service counts drones as aerial apparatus, and it says no state park currently has a guest-accessible landing facility. That includes state park beaches.

National parks

Florida’s national park units, such as Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas, follow the National Park Service ban on launching, landing or operating drones unless a park allows it. For more, see our guide to flying in national parks and forests.

Beaches and cities: Miami, Orlando and Tampa

Because of state preemption, cities like Miami, Orlando and Tampa can’t write their own altitude or flight-path rules for drones. Even so, they can enforce general laws on nuisance, harassment and reckless endangerment, and they still control access to their property and events. So ask the property manager or event organizer before launching from a city beach, park or venue.

The bigger constraint in those cities is airspace:

• Miami: Miami International’s Class B covers much of the metro, so most launches need authorization.
• Orlando: Orlando International’s Class B covers much of the area, and the Disney restriction sits southwest of downtown.
• Tampa: Tampa International’s Class B plus MacDill on the peninsula leave little room for casual flying.

Finally, one more inland caution: agricultural land. Groves, ranches and farms classified as agricultural are off-limits without the owner’s consent, and you can’t tell the tax classification from the air. In short, if it looks like a farm, get permission.

Where to fly legally in Florida

So where does that leave you? In our experience, these are the most reliable options:

• Private land with permission, outside controlled airspace and away from critical infrastructure
• Club flying fields run by FAA-recognized community-based organizations, such as the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA)
• FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs), where drones without Remote ID can fly; the FAA publishes a map of approved sites
• Controlled airspace with LAANC approval, as long as the launch site itself is legal

For every option, the order is the same. First check the airspace, then the land, then the people around you.

How to get your Part 107 in Florida

1. Get your FAA Tracking Number (FTN) by creating an IACRA profile.
2. Prepare for the knowledge test. Since October 26, 2026, the test has included image-based chart questions. Our Part 107 test changes guide covers it.
3. Schedule the test at an FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center using the link on the FAA’s remote pilot page. Search by ZIP code to find one near Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville or wherever you are.
4. Apply on FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA once you pass, then complete the TSA check.
5. Print your temporary certificate and start flying commercially.

On cost, the FAA says testing centers charge approximately $175. Registration is $5 per drone. For the full budget, see our drone license cost breakdown and our Part 107 license guide.

FAQ: Florida drone license and drone laws

Is there a Florida drone license separate from the FAA?
No. Florida doesn’t issue a separate state license or registration. Your Florida drone license is the FAA Part 107 certificate for commercial work, or TRUST for recreation.

Can I fly my drone over my neighbor’s house in Florida?
Overflight alone isn’t a state crime. However, recording a neighbor with intent to surveil, where they can’t be seen from ground level, violates §934.50. Making contact with their property with intent to harass violates §330.41(7).

Can I fly a drone on Florida beaches?
Not from a state park beach, since launching and landing are prohibited. On other beaches, check the airspace, the property owner’s or city’s access rules and any posted event restrictions first.

Can I fly a drone at Disney World?
No. A permanent FAA restriction covers 3 nautical miles around Walt Disney World from the surface to 3,000 feet. The restriction applies to every drone, hobby or commercial.

Can you fly a drone at night in Florida?
Federally, yes. Under Part 107, your drone needs anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, and you need current training. Florida doesn’t add a separate night rule, but the no-fly zones still apply in the dark.

Get your Florida drone license with Drone U

In the end, Florida rewards pilots who check the map, the property and the statute before takeoff. That’s also exactly the judgment the Part 107 test is built to measure.

Not sure you’re ready? Take our free Part 107 practice test. Planning a road trip? Check our drone laws by state hub.

Start our Part 107 course for Florida pilots for $147 (regularly $197). You get on-demand video lessons, FAA-aligned quizzes (a 90%+ score is a good sign you’re ready), a downloadable study guide, private community access, lifetime access and a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Training a team? Explore our Enterprise Drone Programs or book a consultation to plan training for your organization.

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