18 U.S.C. § 40A
Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov ↗
- (a)Except as provided in subsection (b), an individual who operates an unmanned aircraft and knowingly or recklessly interferes with a wildfire suppression, or law enforcement or emergency response efforts 1 So in original. Probably should be “effort”. related to a wildfire suppression, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both.
- (b)This section does not apply to the operation of an unmanned aircraft conducted by a unit or agency of the United States Government or of a State, tribal, or local government (including any individual conducting such operation pursuant to a contract or other agreement entered into with the unit or agency) for the purpose of protecting the public safety and welfare, including firefighting, law enforcement, or emergency response.
- (c)In this section, the following definitions apply:
- (1)The term “unmanned aircraft” has the meaning given the term in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code.
- (2)The term “wildfire” has the meaning given that term in section 2 of the Emergency Wildfire Suppression Act (42 U.S.C. 1856m).
- (3)The term “wildfire suppression” means an effort to contain, extinguish, or suppress a wildfire.