City of Berkeley Passes First-In-California Drone Regulation
On Tuesday, February 25, the Berkeley City Council enacted a one-year moratorium on City use of drones—in particular use by law enforcement for any purpose. The original proposal was for a more significant, and longer, prohibition. But the Council adopted a more limited proposal that extends for only one year and includes an exemption that allows the Fire Department to use drones for disaster response purposes. The Council made clear that the moratorium would not affect private use, but any limitation on use by local government has the potential to affect the market for commercial drones. In addition, privacy concerns expressed by the Council could inform broader legislation to be considered in the future. To that end, the Council also voted to continue to study and draft more comprehensive drone policy for consideration a year from now. The City has not yet posted the minutes of the meeting or published a version of the resolution as adopted by the City Council. But here is a link to the Council agenda which includes a video of the discussion of the item.