Sonoma County Drone Lawsuit

Sonoma County faced an ACLU challenge after inspectors used drones to photograph homes, yards, and rural properties during code-enforcement investigations.

The program, initially associated with detecting unpermitted cannabis cultivation, expanded into surveillance used to support building-code cases and fines. The settlement generally requires warrants or consent for residential flights, resident notification, limits on retaining and sharing imagery, public revision of the county’s drone policy, and disclosure of flight logs. It also includes payments to three residents who brought the lawsuit.