Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Drones on Campus: Have a Policy

  • 06/01/17

The potential for positive uses for drones on campus is attractive, but it’s important to remember that drones also carry with them the potential to invade privacy, injure people and cause property damage, even if used properly and legally.

Ideally, a campus drone-use policy — for educational use, private use or safety and security use — must comply with federal law, as well as any state laws in place. An established policy should also identify any restrictions on the drone itself (where and when they can fly, weight, height, speed, etc.) and specify what sanctions will be imposed if policy is violated.

Also important is to ensure that your institution has insurance in place that will cover any accidents.

Once your policy is developed and in place, make it public to your campus community. As updates are made to federal or state (or even local) laws concerning drone use, be sure your policy is updated and these changes are made public as well.

If you’re not sure where to start in developing a campus drone-use policy, you can review policies already in place at other colleges and universities, including:

Clarkson University
Potsdam, NY
“Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Policy”

Columbia University
New York, NY
“Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems on University Campus and Property”

Trinity University
San Antonio, TX
“Drones Policy”

University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
“UAS and Drones”

University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
“Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones)”

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.