Unmanned aircraft.

Senator Wahab's comprehensive drone regulation legislation establishes new restrictions on unmanned aircraft operations across multiple sectors while enhancing consumer protections for home inspections. The bill creates criminal penalties for operating drones near critical infrastructure facilities, schools, and correctional institutions, while implementing new requirements for insurance companies using drones for property inspections.

Under the home protection provisions, insurance companies must provide 14 days notice before conducting drone inspections and cannot terminate contracts based solely on drone findings without corroboration from an in-person inspector within two weeks. Companies must also furnish property owners with drone-captured photo and video evidence upon request.

The legislation defines critical infrastructure facilities - including power plants, refineries, telecommunications centers, and water treatment plants - where drone operations within 400 feet are prohibited without proper authorization. Exceptions exist for government regulators, facility operators, and FAA-compliant commercial flights. The bill also establishes misdemeanor penalties for using drones to threaten safety at schools and increases fines from $500 to $2,000 for flying drones over correctional facilities.

For enforcement, the bill creates state-mandated local programs requiring coordination between state and local authorities. While local agencies and school districts must implement new protocols for monitoring and responding to drone incidents, the legislation specifies they will not receive state reimbursement for costs associated with enforcing these new criminal provisions.