← South Dakota drone laws›Drone Privacy & Surveillance

South Dakota Drone Privacy & Surveillance (2026)

Restricted: South Dakota (SDCL 50-15-5): a Class 1 misdemeanor to use a drone to photograph, record or observe a person in a private place with a reasonable expectation of privacy.

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: sdlegislature.gov →

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

Drone Privacy & Surveillance in states bordering South Dakota

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

IowaInfo
Iowa has no statute criminalizing private drone surveillance; Iowa Code 808.15 only makes warrantless drone-gathered information inadmissible as evidence.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: legis.iowa.gov · Full Iowa rule →
MinnesotaInfo
Minnesota's UAV statute (626.19) restricts only law-enforcement drone use; no MN law criminalizes a private person's drone surveillance. General privacy law (609.746) may apply.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: revisor.mn.gov · Full Minnesota rule →
MontanaRestricted
Montana (MCA 45-6-210, 2025): flying a drone 200 ft or lower over another's property/residence without authorization is criminal trespass.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: mca.legmt.gov · Full Montana rule →
NebraskaRestricted
In Nebraska, causing a drone over another's property to observe a person in a place of solitude/seclusion is second-degree criminal trespass (Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-521).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: nebraskalegislature.gov · Full Nebraska rule →
North DakotaConditional
North Dakota (NDCC ch. 29-29.4) regulates drone surveillance — law enforcement needs a warrant and it bars authorizing nonconsensual private-person drone surveillance; no general criminal offense.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: ndlegis.gov · Full North Dakota rule →
WyomingInfo
Wyoming has no drone image-capture/surveillance statute (bills failed); W.S. 10-4-303 only bars unlawful low flight or landing on another's land without consent (a misdemeanor).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: wyoleg.gov · Full Wyoming 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 South Dakota drones rules. If a tracked rule changes, you get one short email — never more than one a week. Free, unsubscribe anytime.