Who owns the airspace above your house

The skies are becoming more and more crowded, particularly with the increased availability of unmanned aerial vehicles e. Land owners now wonder where their property rights begin and end, and what can they do about offending aircraft. The rules governing the interplay between land owner rights and aircraft rights are complex and, in some cases, unsettled. Traditionally, it was thought a property was owned from the center of the Earth to the Heavens. With the advent of modern aviation, that view has changed dramatically.

The modern land owner more realistically owns the portions of airspace above the property within reasonable control.

There is no single set of rules for what that means since various state and local regulations shape what may be built on a parcel of land. The amount of control that can be exerted will be different for a property zoned for commercial use where a skyscraper is to be built, compared to a residential property owner who owns a two story home. Under the current law, there is no clearly defined line to understand the answer. The courts have been kicking this concept around for decades and until recently have had relatively little need for clarity.

Considering the increasing use of drones from both commercial and recreational users flying in this space, there is growing pressure to resolve this lack of clarity. The area between these spaces is considered low altitude airspace — a grey area that does not clearly belong to either group. Private property, on the other hand, has been loosely defined as owning at least as much space above the ground as they can use in connection with the land.

Both sides have legitimate interest for safety and privacy and they are both closely monitoring the drone industry. We have all seen drones flying in many locations, and often even being piloted by our neighbors. Is it okay for your neighbor to fly over your house at 50 feet? These questions will have to be resolved by the courts as more and more disputes arise. The drone industry continues to develop drone technology at lightning speed. Drone technology has huge potential and we can expect to see drones becoming more of an integral part of everyday life.

Clarity on control and ownership will come from a collaboration of efforts from lawmakers, the public, and drone users working together to keep people safe while enabling this technology to reach its full potential.

Everything above was navigable air space, available to the public. In the first 8 months, the Federal Aviation Administration received , drone registrations. Yes, if your drone weighs 0. If you will be compensated for your flight, like selling your drone photos or putting videos on YouTube with monetization turned on, you must register your drone under the Part commercial drone system.

It is true that recreational pilots, those flying just for fun and not for the furtherance of a business, do not have to register their drone if the flying weight is below g. Never fly over groups of people. This was no ordinary drone flight. The drone soared to 28, feet 8, meters.

The summit of Everest is just over 29, feet 8, meters.