New Drone Registration Laws

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has introduced new laws which will require all drones in Australia to be registered.

Drones are classified as either:

(a) Commercial or

(b) Recreational.

A drone is classed as commercial if the operator receives any payment or operates the drone as part of a business e.g. a real estate agent taking aerial photos of property for sale. 

Current Rules For Recreational Drones

Key current rules for recreational drones include:

• Only operate drones in daylight, and not allowed in cloud or fog;

• Must keep the drone in line-of-sight and on-board video camera or goggles not acceptable;

• Keep drone at least 30m from any person;

• Altitude of drone must not exceed 120m (approx. 360ft) high;

• Must not operate drones over crowds, public events or incident scenes such as fires or accidents;

• Keep drone at least 5.5km from major airports e.g. controlled airports with tower;

• Drone may be within 5.5km of smaller airports but must remain clear of all planes e.g. especially clear of approach and take-off paths.

The Civil Aviation Safety Amendment (Remotely Piloted Aircraft and Model Aircraft Accreditation) Regulations 2019 will take affect later this year in stages, with commercially operated drones commencing first.

We'll keep you informed as the new laws roll out.