Assembly BillIntroduced
A 615: Relates to prohibiting civilian drone use within 500 feet of a correctional facility except when in use under the Federal Aviation Administration's authorization.
What A 615 does, verified January 11, 2026
The bill aims to regulate civilian drone use near correctional facilities. It prohibits individuals from operating drones within 1,000 feet of a correctional facility. A drone is defined as any aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, and captures images or intercepts communications. Violations of this regulation will result in a civil penalty of $1,000 for the first offense and a misdemeanor for subsequent offenses. However, the regulation does not apply to commercial drone operations authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to correction (2026-01-07)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions4 total · showing 4
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to correction |
| May. 15, 2025 | print number 615a |
| May. 15, 2025 | amend and recommit to correction |
| Jan. 08, 2025 | referred to correction |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 8, 2025 · 333 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 615 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SHIMSKY -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Correction AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to civilian drone use near a correctional facility The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 608 2 to read as follows: 3 § 608. Drone use around correctional facilities. 1. No person, in a 4 private capacity, shall operate a drone within one thousand feet of a 5 correctional facility or local correctional facility in this state. 6 2. As used in this section: 7 "Drone" means a powered or unpowered aerial vehicle or a balloon float 8 or other device that: 9 (a) does not carry a human operator; 10 (b) uses aerodynamic forces or gases to provide lift; 11 (c) can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely; 12 (d) can be expendable or recoverable; 13 (e) captures images of objects or people on the ground and in the air; 14 (f) intercepts communications on the ground and in the air; and/or 15 (g) can carry a lethal or non-lethal payload. 16 3. A violation of this section shall result in a civil penalty of one 17 thousand dollars for the first offense and a misdemeanor for each subse- 18 quent offense. 19 4. This section shall not apply to the operation of a drone by any 20 person or entity that the federal aviation administration has authorized 21 to operate a drone for a commercial purpose, where the drone is operated 22 in a manner that complies with that authorization. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00243-01-5
Text of A 615 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions