← Pennsylvania drone laws›Drones Near Prisons & Critical Infrastructure

Pennsylvania Drones Near Prisons & Critical Infrastructure (2026)

Restricted: Pennsylvania (18 Pa.C.S. 3505(a)(3)) makes it a second-degree felony to use a drone to deliver contraband to a prison/correctional facility.

RestrictedVerified Jul 7, 2026

Drone rules change at the state line — and in your state.Track them in the free LawLert iPhone app: it alerts you when you cross into a state where they differ, and when they change in your state. No account.Get the app

Official source: legis.state.pa.us →

General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.

Drones Near Prisons & Critical Infrastructure in states bordering Pennsylvania

The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.

DelawareRestricted
11 Del. C. 1334 bars flying a drone over critical infrastructure (correctional facilities, government/military buildings, power plants), large events, or first-responder incidents.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: delcode.delaware.gov · Full Delaware rule →
MarylandRestricted
Maryland (Crim. Law 9-417.1) makes it a misdemeanor to use an unmanned aircraft to deliver contraband to a person confined in a place of confinement.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · Full Maryland rule →
New JerseyRestricted
New Jersey: operating a drone that endangers a correctional facility on its premises or nearby is a 4th-degree crime; drone surveillance of such a facility is a 3rd-degree crime (2C:40-28(b)).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: pub.njleg.state.nj.us · Full New Jersey rule →
New YorkInfo
No enacted statewide statute bars drones over critical infrastructure or prisons in New York; FAA/federal rules apply.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: nysenate.gov · Full New York rule →
OhioRestricted
Ohio (ORC 4561.51(C)) criminalizes flying a drone to photograph/record/loiter over or near a critical facility with intent to further a violent offense or to destroy or tamper with it.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: codes.ohio.gov · Full Ohio rule →
West VirginiaRestricted
West Virginia (61-16-2(b)): a misdemeanor to fly a drone over a 'targeted facility' (critical infrastructure) to deploy an object or to surveil/gather info with intent to do harm.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: code.wvlegislature.gov · Full West Virginia rule →

Don't get caught off guardCross into a state where this law is different and the free iPhone app tells you what changed, even with the app closed. It also alerts you when a law you track changes where you live. No account.Get the free app

Track this law — get alerted when it changes

We watch the official sources behind Pennsylvania drones rules. If a tracked rule changes, you get one short email — never more than one a week. Free, unsubscribe anytime.