Ocean City Council to Consider Ban on Drones Near Ocean City Airport

Ocean City Council take a stand on the controversial issue of drones Thursday night.

It will consider an ordinance on introduction to ban the use of drones in airspace within five miles of the Ocean City Airport when it meets Thursday night. Thursday night’s council meeting at City Hall has a special start time of 5:30 p.m.

The proposed ordinance argues that drones, also known as remote helicopters, present an unreasonable and unacceptable threat to the rights of individual privacy and safety in Ocean City, as the unmanned aircraft have the capability to monitor people’s cell phone use.

The ordinance also states that drone technology is developing so rapidly that potential impacts on the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure is difficult to predict, and that the state and federal governments have yet to catch up with the technology.

Anyone who violates the proposed ordinance would be subjected to a penalty of no more than $500 for the first offense and no more than $1,000 and/or 30 days in prison for each subsequent offense.

In August, a Cape May County man was indicted on charges of second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree criminal mischief for allegedly shooting down a drone that was flying in the area of his home last year.

The operator of the drone was not charged because there are no regulations in place stating things seen from the air is an invasion of privacy, according to nj.com.

The Federal Aviation Administration has a list of what people can and can’t do with their drones.

The list of don’ts includes not flying near manned aircraft or out of the line of sight of the operator, not flying contrary to community-based guidelines and not flying model aircraft for commercial pay. It also can’t weigh more than 55 pounds.

A complete set of guidelines from the FAA is expected by the end of the year, according to the report.

To view the full proposed ordinance, click here for the agenda packet.

To view the full agenda, click here.