Drone sightings map: FAA drone sighting reports by state and airport
Every drone sighting report the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published since October 2019, 13,107 of them, on one map. Pick a state, a city, an airport or a place near you and see how many reports there were, when, and what each one says.
Drone sightings map
The FAA's published drone sighting reports by state, city and airport. Pick a place and a period for the count by quarter and the reports themselves, newest first.
13,107 reports, Oct 2019 to Sep 2026, from the FAA's 28 quarterly files (FAA page updated Oct 2, 2026; read Nov 15, 2026).
- Reports a year:
- None
- 1–4
- 5–19
- 20–49
- 50–99
- 100+
- Reports at a city or spot
- 30 miles around your spot
Tap a state to pick it, then a dot to pick a city. Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Guam are drawn below the lower 48, at their own scale. Zoom in, then drag to move the map.
United States
The counts load with the map.
The newest reports load with the map.
A sighting report is what a pilot or someone on the ground told the FAA they saw. Nobody checks it before it is published, and many are not drones. Places on the map are approximate: a report is placed by the airport, distance and direction it gives, or by its city.
How the drone sightings map works
The map holds every row of the FAA's quarterly drone sighting files, 28 files from October 2019 to September 2026. Pick a place and a period; the map, the count by quarter and the list follow.
Four ways in
A state
Tap it on the map or pick it in the list. You get its count, its rank among the 54 states and territories with reports, its cities and airports with the most reports, and its reports, newest first.
A city
Tap a dot on the state, pick the city in the City list, or tap a city button. A city is the one the FAA wrote in the report, so a sighting 8 miles out of Newark may be filed under Newark.
An airport
Type its three- or four-letter code, such as EWR or KEWR, for the reports measured from it or naming it.
A place near you
Type a ZIP code, a city and state, or coordinates, or tap Use my location, for the reports placed within 30 miles, with how far each one is.
The period
The last 12 months is the default. Pick the last 2 years, all reports, or a calendar year. The chart always shows every quarter, with the period you picked in colour, so a busy spring or a quiet winter shows at a glance.
How a report gets a place
Most reports say where the aircraft was in airport terms, such as “7 SE JFK”: 7 nautical miles southeast of Kennedy airport. The map puts such a report at that distance and direction from the FAA's own airport point. A report that names an airport without a distance goes on the airport, and one with no airport goes on its city, from the Census Bureau's list of places. A report with neither has no place on the map, but it still counts in its state.
What each row says
The date, the city and state, the airport and distance, the altitude in the report, and whether the pilot took evasive action. The FAA's own text is longer (about 240 characters on average) and is not copied here; the FAA's files, named under Sources, have it.
Your location
It stays in your browser: it is rounded and the distances are worked out on the page. Nothing is stored and nothing goes into the page address. The map loads the counts for the whole country first, then one file per state you look at.
Before you fly
Sighting reports show where pilots saw drones. Whether you may fly at a spot is a different question: Can I fly here? checks airspace, no-fly zones, TFRs, the 400 ft ceiling, wind and daylight.
What is a drone sighting report?
A note in the FAA's operations log that someone saw what they took for a drone, usually a flight crew near an airport. It is unverified: nobody confirms a drone was there, and many sightings are not drones.
The FAA says reports of unmanned aircraft sightings (a drone is an unmanned aircraft, also called an unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV) come from pilots, citizens and law enforcement, and that it receives more than 100 such reports near airports each month. It publishes them each quarter as a spreadsheet, one row per report: the date, the city, the state and a short summary.
In practice they come from the cockpit. Nearly 9 in 10 summaries begin with an air traffic control tower, approach control or en route center passing on what a flight crew saw, and most end with the police department or airport that was told. A typical row reads like this, in the FAA's shorthand: an airliner on final approach at 2,600 ft reports a drone 5 miles from the runway, no evasive action, the airport police notified. About 1 in 50 rows tell of multiple drones flying together, most often two or three.
Unverified, and often not a drone
Every summary starts “PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS”: preliminary information, written as it came in. A pilot gets a glance at an object for a second or two from a moving aircraft, and a light, a balloon, a bird or a plastic bag can look like a drone. Some rows in the FAA files say as much and describe a balloon. When federal agencies looked into the wave of sightings over New Jersey in 2024, they found manned airplanes, helicopters and stars among the reports, as well as lawful drones (see New Jersey, 2024).
The altitude is usually the aircraft's
Most summaries give the altitude of the aircraft that saw the object (“while southbound at 2,600 feet”), not a measured height of the drone. Some say the drone was above or below the aircraft. That is why the map says “Altitude in report”, and why half of the altitudes stated are 2,700 ft or more, far above the 400 ft most drones may fly.
Sighting or incident
The FAA labels each summary a “UAS sighting” or a “UAS incident”. The map counts both the same way: the label is the FAA's, and it does not say whether a drone was found or a law was broken. A row says “evasive action” when the pilot turned, climbed or descended to avoid the object; 200 of the 13,107 do.
What the FAA says
Operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is “dangerous and illegal”, and unauthorized operators may face fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.
What the FAA drone sighting reports show
The FAA published 1,787 reports in the last 12 months (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026), about 149 a month. California, Florida and Texas have the most, and Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) is the airport named most often.
Big airports, big counts
Reports follow traffic. The busiest airports have the most flights low over cities, so the most eyes on the sky at the heights where drones fly, and the most reports. A big count near an airport says that many crews saw something there; it does not say that drones fly there more than elsewhere.
Spring and summer
From 2020 to 2025, 60% of the reports came in April to September, the six warm months. The busiest quarter in the files is April to June 2021, with 952. More people fly drones in long, warm days, and more aircraft fly low on visual approaches.
How to report a drone flying where it should not
If a drone looks dangerous or is being used for a crime, call local law enforcement right away. If it is only breaking FAA rules, contact your local FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). That is the FAA's own advice.
- Dangerous, or a crime
Call local law enforcement first, right away. A drone over a crowd, close to an aircraft, at a fire or an accident scene, or used to spy, harass or break in: the police can act on the spot.
PoliceThe exact rule
If you witness a drone operation that appears dangerous or is being used to commit a crime please report it immediately to your local law enforcement first responders.
FAA, How do I report a drone sighting?, December 16, 2024What it means: the police come first. Local law enforcement agencies can protect people on the spot and pass the case on to the FAA.
- Breaking FAA rules
Contact your local FAA Flight Standards District Office. A drone flown too high, out of sight, over people or in controlled airspace without permission is the FAA's business.
FSDOThe exact rule
If you witness a drone not following FAA rules, you may reach out to your local FAA flight standards district office. The FAA's investigators may be able to investigate your report and follow up with the drone operator.
FAA, How do I report a drone sighting?, December 16, 2024What it means: the FSDO near you takes the report. The FAA's inspectors may follow up with the pilot, and unauthorized operators may face penalties and criminal charges.
- Bothering you, not dangerous
Ask first, then look at your state's law. Privacy, trespass and harassment are mostly matters for state and local law, not the FAA.
State lawWhat to read
Our guide to flying over private property sets out what the FAA rules and the courts say, and drone laws by state lists what each state adds.
Do not touch it
A drone that lands or falls near you is someone's property and may be evidence. Leave it where it is and tell the police.
What to write down
Reports are only as good as what they hold. Note the time and the exact place, how high the drone looked and which way it went, its size, shape, colour and lights, and how long you watched it. If you can see the pilot, note where they stand and what car they came in. A photo or a video, taken without stepping into danger, helps the police more than a description.
Pilots in the air
Tell the controller on the frequency, as the crews in the FAA files do: what you saw, where, at what altitude, and whether you had to manoeuvre. That call is what becomes a row in the FAA's next quarterly file.
Drones near airports and over people: what the law says
A drone may fly near an airport only with the FAA's permission in controlled airspace, and never in the way of aircraft. Flying over people is limited too. The rules below bind every drone, whatever it weighs.
- Controlled airspace
Permission first. Around most busy airports (Class B, C and D airspace, and the Class E surface areas of airports) a drone needs an FAA airspace authorization before it takes off, usually through LAANC.
Ask firstThe exact rule
No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC).
14 CFR 107.41, Operation in certain airspace; for recreational flyers, 49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(5)What it means: no authorization, no flight in that airspace. Drone airspace classes shows where it starts, and LAANC how to get the authorization in minutes.
- Airport traffic
Never in the way. A drone may not interfere with the traffic at any airport, heliport or seaplane base, controlled or not.
NoThe exact rule
No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in a manner that interferes with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport, or seaplane base.
14 CFR 107.43, Operation in the vicinity of airportsWhat it means: at a small airport in uncontrolled airspace you need no authorization below 400 ft, but you must stay out of the traffic pattern and away from the runways, as the FAA's Flying Near Airports page puts it.
- Other aircraft
The drone gives way, always. It must yield to every airplane, helicopter and balloon, and never fly close enough to make a collision hazard.
Give wayThe exact rule
Each small unmanned aircraft must yield the right of way to all aircraft, airborne vehicles, and launch and reentry vehicles. Yielding the right of way means that the small unmanned aircraft must give way to the aircraft or vehicle and may not pass over, under, or ahead of it unless well clear.
14 CFR 107.37(a); for recreational flyers, 49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(4): “does not interfere with and gives way to any manned aircraft”What it means: if an aircraft comes near, the drone pilot moves away or lands. The pilots in the FAA files rarely see a drone in time to do it for you.
- Near the runways
A federal crime. Knowingly flying a drone without authorization in a runway exclusion zone, 1 statute mile past each runway end and ½ mile wide at a Class B, C or D airport, can bring up to a year in prison.
CrimeThe exact rule
Any person who, without authorization, knowingly operates an unmanned aircraft within a runway exclusion zone shall be punished as provided in subsection (c).
18 U.S.C. 39B(b)(1), Unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft (U.S. Code, 2024 edition)What it means: a fine, up to 1 year in prison, or both (39B(c)(1)). Knowingly or recklessly interfering with an aircraft that carries people is a crime too, and causing serious injury or death can bring up to 10 years, or any term up to life.
- Height
400 ft above the ground. That is the ceiling for nearly every drone flight, and it is why a drone reported at 3,000 ft would be far outside the rules, if it was a drone.
400 ftThe exact rule
The altitude of the small unmanned aircraft cannot be higher than 400 feet above ground level, unless the small unmanned aircraft: (1) Is flown within a 400-foot radius of a structure; and (2) Does not fly higher than 400 feet above the structure's immediate uppermost limit.
14 CFR 107.51(b); for recreational flyers, 49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(6)What it means: 400 ft is the limit, with an exception close to tall structures for Part 107 pilots. How high can a drone fly has the details.
- Over people
Only within the rules for it. A Part 107 pilot may fly over people only if they take part in the flight, are under a covered structure or in a stationary vehicle, or the drone meets one of the four categories for flight over people.
LimitedThe exact rule
No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft over a human being unless— (a) That human being is directly participating in the operation of the small unmanned aircraft; (b) That human being is located under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that can provide reasonable protection from a falling small unmanned aircraft; or (c) The operation meets the requirements of at least one of the operational categories specified in subpart D of this part.
14 CFR 107.39, Operation over human beingsWhat it means: a drone over a crowd needs a drone and an operation that fit a category. Recreational flyers follow the safety guidelines of a community-based organization (49 U.S.C. 44809(a)(2)).
- Who is flying
Remote ID tells the authorities. A drone registered with the Federal Aviation Administration broadcasts its identity and position (every drone must be registered except one of 0.55 lb or less flown only for fun), and the FAA says this helps it, law enforcement and other federal agencies find the control station of a drone flying unsafely or where it may not fly.
Remote IDWhat the FAA says
Remote ID is the ability of a drone in flight to provide identification and location information that can be received by other parties through a broadcast signal.
FAA, Remote ID, last updated March 19, 2025What it means: a drone flown under the rules can be traced to where its pilot stands. Drone Remote ID explains the three ways to comply.
The 2024 New Jersey drone sightings: what the FAA and DHS said
The mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey made the news in late 2024: thousands of people reported drones flying over New Jersey and nearby states at night. Federal agencies said the sightings they examined were lawful drones, airplanes, helicopters and stars, and found nothing anomalous.
What the agencies said, in order
-
December 12, 2024
A joint statement of the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said there was no evidence at that time that the reported drone sightings posed a national security or public safety threat or had a foreign nexus. None of the visual sightings had been matched by electronic detection; on review of the available imagery, many of them appeared to be manned aircraft operating lawfully, and there were no reported or confirmed drone sightings in restricted airspace.
-
December 14, 2024
The FAA said it slowed traffic at New York Stewart International Airport on Friday, December 13, because of multiple reported drone sightings near and over the airport, with no safety impact on aircraft; operations resumed that night.
-
December 16, 2024
A joint statement of the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the FAA and the Department of Defense said the FBI had received tips of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in a few weeks, which produced about 100 leads. Having examined the technical data and the tips, the agencies assessed that the sightings included lawful commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars mistakenly reported as drones. They said they had not identified anything anomalous and did not assess the activity as a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other northeastern states.
-
December 19 and 20, 2024
At the request of federal security partners, the FAA published 22 temporary flight restrictions banning drone flights over critical infrastructure in New Jersey, and 30 in New York.
What the FAA files show
The FAA files hold 19 reports from New Jersey for October to December 2024, against 14 or 15 in a typical quarter since 2019. The FAA files hold the reports that reached the FAA, mostly from crews in the air. Tips about the drones reported in New Jersey that went to the FBI or the police are not in them.
Since then
Drone reports near airports go on as before: on January 13, 2025, the FAA said departures at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were delayed by a drone sighting, and on January 9 a firefighting aircraft over the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles struck a drone and landed safely.
Security TFRs on the map
Flight restrictions like the ones over New Jersey in 2024 are on the FAA's TFR list while they are in force. The TFR map shows every one, with what it means for a drone.
Related tools and guides
Where you may fly, how high, and what the rules ask of you and your drone.
Near airports
Airspace and heights.
The rules behind it
Identity, property and state law.
Drone sighting questions and answers
What is a drone sighting?
A report that someone saw what they took for a drone, most often a pilot near an airport. The FAA logs the reports it gets and publishes them every quarter. A report is not checked before it is published, and many sightings turn out to be airplanes, helicopters, balloons, birds or stars.
Where can I see drone sightings near me?
Type your ZIP code or city and state in the map above, or tap Use my location. It lists the FAA's reports placed within 30 miles of you, newest first, with how far each one is, and shows how many there were each quarter.
How do I report a drone sighting?
If the drone looks dangerous or is being used for a crime, call local law enforcement right away. If it is only breaking FAA rules, contact your local FAA Flight Standards District Office. Note the time, the place, the height and direction, and what the drone looked like.
What can you do if someone is flying a drone over your backyard?
If it is dangerous or looks like spying or harassment, call the police. If it breaks FAA rules, tell your local FSDO. Privacy and trespass are mostly state law: see flying over private property and drone laws by state. Do not try to bring the drone down yourself.
Is there a way to see drones in the sky?
Not on a public live map. Registered drones broadcast Remote ID, identification and location information that other parties can receive, and the FAA says it helps the FAA and law enforcement find the control station of a drone flying unsafely. This map shows past reports, not drones flying now.
Are drone sightings real drones?
Some are and some are not, and the FAA files do not say which. In the 2024 New Jersey wave, federal agencies found lawful drones, manned airplanes, helicopters and stars among the reports, and nothing anomalous.
How often are the FAA's drone sighting reports updated?
The FAA posts one file per quarter, usually a few weeks after the quarter ends. The newest file on this map covers July to September 2026. The FAA page was last updated October 2, 2026, and this map read it on November 15, 2026.
Can a drone fly near an airport?
In controlled airspace around busy airports, only with an FAA airspace authorization, usually through LAANC. Near a small airport in uncontrolled airspace, no authorization is needed below 400 ft, but the drone must stay out of the traffic pattern and give way to every aircraft.
Sources
Named, not linked. Read Nov 9 to 15, 2026.
FAA and DHS pages
- FAA, Drone Sightings Near Airports (UAS Sightings Report), last updated October 2, 2026
- FAA, How do I report a drone sighting?, last updated December 16, 2024
- FAA, Flying Near Airports, last updated April 25, 2024
- FAA, Remote ID, last updated March 19, 2025
- FAA, General Statements: December 14, 19 and 20, 2024, January 9 and 13, 2025
- DHS and FBI, Joint DHS/FBI Statement on Reports of Drones in New Jersey, December 12, 2024
- DHS, FBI, FAA and DoD, Joint Statement on Ongoing Response to Reported Drone Sightings, December 16, 2024
Regulations and law
- 14 CFR 107.37, 107.39, 107.41, 107.43 and 107.51 (eCFR, November 9, 2026)
- 49 U.S.C. 44809 (U.S. Code, 2024 edition)
- 18 U.S.C. 39B (U.S. Code, 2024 edition)
Data on the map
- FAA, UAS Sightings Report, fiscal year 2026: FY26_Q1_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Oct–Dec 2025), FY26_Q2_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Jan–Mar 2026), FY26_Q3_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Apr–Jun 2026), FY26_Q4_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Jul–Sep 2026)
- FAA, UAS Sightings Report, fiscal year 2025: fy25_q1.xlsx (Oct–Dec 2024), fy25_q2.xlsx (Jan–Mar 2025), fy25_q3.xlsx (Apr–Jun 2025), fy25_q4.xlsx (Jul–Sep 2025)
- FAA, UAS Sightings Report, fiscal year 2024: fy24_q1.xlsx (Oct–Dec 2023), fy24_q2.xlsx (Jan–Mar 2024), fy24_q3.xlsx (Apr–Jun 2024), fy24_q4.xlsx (Jul–Sep 2024)
- FAA, UAS Sightings Report, fiscal year 2023: fy23-q1.xlsx (Oct–Dec 2022), fy23-q2.xlsx (Jan–Mar 2023), fy23-q3.xlsx (Apr–Jun 2023), fy23_q4.xlsx (Jul–Sep 2023)
- FAA, UAS Sightings Report, fiscal year 2022: FY2022_Q1_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Oct–Dec 2021), Reported-UAS-Sigihtings-January-March-2022_0.xlsx (Jan–Mar 2022), Reported-UAS-Sightings-April-June-2022.xlsx (Apr–Jun 2022), Reported-UAS-Sightings-July-Sept-2022.xlsx (Jul–Sep 2022)
- FAA, UAS Sightings Report, fiscal year 2021: FY2021_Q1_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Oct–Dec 2020), FY2021_Q2_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Jan–Mar 2021), FY2021_Q3_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Apr–Jun 2021), FY2021_Q4_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Jul–Sep 2021)
- FAA, UAS Sightings Report, fiscal year 2020: FY2020_Q1_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Oct–Dec 2019), FY2020_Q2_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Jan–Mar 2020), FY2020_Q3_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Apr–Jun 2020), FY2020_Q4_UAS_Sightings.xlsx (Jul–Sep 2020)
- FAA Aeronautical Data Delivery Service, U.S. airports layer, the airport points, read November 15, 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer Files, for the city points and the place search
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb state boundaries, for the state outlines