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

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • California Middle School Breaks Ground on Major Renovation Project

    The Hillsborough City School District (HCSD) in Hillsborough, Calif., recently began construction on new multipurpose and administration facilities for Crocker Middle School, according to a news release.