Prohibits the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to search for, scout, locate, hunt, detect, or otherwise aid in the taking of a wild animal to which the hunting season applies.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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3542
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 28, 2025
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Introduced by Sen. BORRELLO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
prohibiting the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to aid in hunting
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 11-0103 of the environmental conservation law is
2 amended by adding a new subdivision 33 to read as follows:
3 33. "Unmanned aerial vehicle" means any aircraft that is operated
4 without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on
5 the aircraft.
6 § 2. Section 11-0901 of the environmental conservation law is amended
7 by adding a new subdivision 18 to read as follows:
8 18. a. No person shall use an unmanned aerial vehicle to search for,
9 scout, locate, hunt, detect, or otherwise aid in the taking of a wild
10 animal to which the hunting season applies.
11 b. A person may operate an unmanned aerial vehicle with infrared abil-
12 ities to recover a legally taken animal, but no person shall be author-
13 ized to enter the property of another person or recover a legally taken
14 animal from the property of another person without the permission of the
15 property owner.
16 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08069-01-5
