Sonoma County Drone Lawsuit

Sonoma County’s drone program, initially focused on suspected cannabis cultivation, was also used to gather imagery for code-enforcement cases involving homes and rural properties.

After the ACLU Foundation of Northern California and three residents challenged residential surveillance, the county agreed to safeguards that generally require a warrant or consent for flights over homes, along with resident notification, limits on footage retention and sharing, flight-log disclosure, and a revised public policy. The dispute also drew attention to how the county conducts and structures code enforcement, including proposals for related reforms.