Arkansas has no state drone license. You need the free FAA TRUST certificate for recreational flying or a Part 107 certificate for paid work, plus FAA registration for drones of 250 g or more. Arkansas law limits drone recording of critical infrastructure, and a 2025 law made it an offense to use a drone to capture images of people or private property for surveillance. State parks require a special use permit.
Do you need a drone license in Arkansas?
Not from the state. FAA rules apply:
- Recreational: pass the free TRUST test. Register with the FAA ($5, 3 years) if your drone weighs 250 g or more.
- Commercial: a Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate for real estate, ag work, inspections and paid content.
- Airspace: Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas airports have controlled airspace, and Little Rock Air Force Base adds more. Use LAANC where needed and stay at or below 400 ft.
Arkansas state drone laws
Act 597 of 2025 rewrote much of Arkansas's drone law:
- Critical infrastructure (A.C.A. 5-60-103): you can't use a drone to surveil, gather information about or record critical infrastructure without the owner's written consent. The list includes power plants and lines, refineries, chemical plants, rail facilities, communication towers, food processing plants, prisons and natural gas facilities. Flying over your own property and some utility, insurance and public works uses are exempt.
- Surveillance images: purposely using a drone to capture images of a person or private property to conduct surveillance is a misdemeanor. Sharing those images is a separate offense, and the property owner can sue for $5,000 per episode, or $10,000 if the images were shared.
- Lawful uses (A.C.A. 27-118-101): the law lists permitted image uses, including farming, utility and pipeline inspection, licensed surveyors and engineers, insurance work and real estate marketing where no person is identifiable.
- Voyeurism: Arkansas's video voyeurism laws cover drones.
- Hunting: Game and Fish rules prohibit using aircraft, drones included, to hunt or to locate game for hunting.
Where you can fly in Arkansas
- State parks: Arkansas State Parks prohibit drones unless the director's office issues a special use permit. Expect to show FAA registration and liability insurance.
- National park units: banned at Hot Springs National Park, Buffalo National River and other NPS sites.
- National forests: the Ozark-St. Francis and Ouachita forests generally allow drones outside wilderness areas and TFRs.
- Private land: fly from your own property or with the owner's permission. Avoid filming neighbors.
Before you fly in Arkansas
- Check airspace and TFRs in B4UFLY or Aloft.
- Get written consent before photographing or inspecting critical infrastructure.
- Don't record people or homes for surveillance.
- Carry your TRUST certificate or Part 107 card.
A sub-250 g drone like the DJI Mini 5 Pro or Mini 4 Pro needs no FAA registration for recreational flying. If you do commercial work, read Part 107 vs recreational, and see the Arkansas Legislature site for the statute text.
Rules current as of October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
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