The Overview

Flying a drone within a mile of a ticketed concert, ballgame or race in Arizona has been a crime since Saturday, Sept. 12. The ban covers the airspace around and above the event, unless the pilot has permission or another exception applies. Violators face a class 1 misdemeanor, the state’s most serious misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine. ​

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed Senate Bill 1160 on June 22. Sen. Tim Dunn (R-Yuma) sponsored it after operators of Phoenix Raceway, which hosts NASCAR races, told him drones over their events could fall into a crowd, the Arizona Capitol Times reported.

What The Law Does

The law covers music, sporting and performing arts events at gated or barrier-controlled venues that require a ticket to enter. It bans civil drones within 5,280 feet of those events, and within 5,280 feet above them.

Drones can still fly there with written consent from the event’s organizers, or when venue or utility workers are on official business. Property owners can fly their own drones over their own land, as long as the flight follows federal law and is not commercial, for broadcast or publication, or meant to monitor or interfere with the event.

The Debate

The bill started with a 400-foot limit and was expanded to a mile before it passed. NASCAR, the Arizona Cardinals, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Live Nation backed it, and House Majority Leader Michael Carbone (R-Buckeye) said the bigger zone aimed to stop drone operators from “stealing” the show.

Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) called the bill “a significant threat to our First Amendment rights.” He said it would keep reporters from flying drones nearby, even to watch traffic, and that a ban on recording events should say so directly.

The Senate first passed the bill 24-3 in February. The House passed it 32-23 in April, then called it back and passed a revised version 41-16 on June 11, and the Senate gave final approval 28-1 the next day.

What’s Next

The Federal Aviation Administration already bars drones within three nautical miles of major sporting events with 30,000 or more seats, from an hour before to an hour after. Arizona’s law has no seat minimum, so it reaches ticketed events of any size.

That broader reach is where the two sides split. Supporters framed the mile as crowd safety and protection from unauthorized filming, while Kolodin argued those goals called for narrower language, and the law took effect with its full one-mile zone intact.

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