Unauthorized Drone ‘Surveillance’ of Iowa Farmsteads to be Outlawed

Governor Reynolds has signed a bill into law to make it a crime for unauthorized drones to be flown over anything on an Iowa farmstead that covers at least 40 acres. 

A 2024 bill has already prohibited drones from flying over animal feeding operations and homesteads. The new law will forbid secret surveillance of farm equipment, crops and any farm animal, as well as barns, sheds and other structures on the farm. Representative Derek Wulf, a farmer from Hudson, says it’s an important expansion of last year’s law.

Senator Dan Zumbach, who farms near Ryan, says drones scare livestock.

It will be a simple misdemeanor to fly a drone over a farmstead – and a serious misdemeanor if the drone can capture audio or video. The law will not apply to farm property that is within city limits.

story courtesy of Radio Iowa; contributed photo