49 U.S.C. § 44812
Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov ↗
- (a)
- (1)The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall, upon the request by an eligible entity, temporarily restrict unmanned aircraft operations over eligible large public gatherings.
- (2)Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Administrator may deny a request for a temporary flight restriction sought under paragraph (1) if—
- (A)the temporary flight restriction would be inconsistent with aviation safety or security, would create a hazard to people or property on the ground, or would unnecessarily interfere with the efficient use of the airspace;
- (B)the entity seeking the temporary flight restriction does not comply with the requirements in subsection (b);
- (C)the eligibility requirements in subsections (c) and (d) have not been met;
- (D)a flight restriction exists to the airspace overlying the same location as the temporary flight restriction sought under this section; or
- (E)the Administrator determines appropriate for any other reason.
- (b)
- (1)Eligible entities may only request a temporary flight restriction under subsection (a) not less than 30 calendar days prior to the eligible large public gathering.
- (2)Eligible entities seeking a temporary flight restriction under this section shall provide the Administrator with all relevant information, including the following:
- (A)Geographic boundaries of the stadium or other venue hosting the eligible large public gathering, as applicable.
- (B)The dates and anticipated starting and ending times for the large public gathering.
- (C)Points of contact for the requesting eligible entity and the on-scene incident command responsible for securing the large public gathering.
- (D)Any other information the Administrator considers necessary to establish the restriction.
- (c)
- (1)To be eligible for a temporary flight restriction under this section, large public gatherings hosted in a stadium or other venue shall—
- (2)To be eligible for a temporary flight restriction under this section, large public gatherings hosted in a venue other than a stadium or other venue described in paragraph (1)(A) shall—
- (d)An entity eligible to request a temporary flight restriction under subsection (a) shall be a credentialed law enforcement organization of the Federal Government or a State, local, Tribal, or territorial government.
- (e)The Administrator shall make every practicable effort to assess eligibility and establish temporary flight restrictions under subsection (a) in a timely fashion.
- (f)Any temporary flight restriction designated under this section shall be published by the Administrator in a publicly accessible manner at least 2 days prior to the start of the eligible large public gathering.
- (g)No person may operate an unmanned aircraft within a temporary flight restriction established under this section unless—
- (h)Nothing in this section may be construed as prohibiting the Administrator from authorizing the operation of an aircraft, including an unmanned aircraft system, over, under, or within a specified distance from an eligible large public gathering for which a temporary flight restriction has been established under this section or cancelling a temporary flight restriction established under this section.
- (i)Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the Administrator from using existing processes or procedures to meet the intent of this section.