Mar 1, 2016, 11:40am EST

Dave Williams Staff Writer Atlanta Business Chronicle

Legislation placing restrictions on the operation of drones in Georgia has cleared the state House of Representatives.

Under a bill the House passed unanimously during Monday’s marathon Crossover Day session, drones would be prohibited from flying low over private property without the owner’s permission. Operators would not be allowed to “weaponize” drones.

Byron E. Small

Also, the use of drones over private property would be considered an illegal search under Georgia law, requiring a warrant signed by a judge. However, legal protection from drone searches would not apply when drones are used to look for lost children or adults or for prison escapees.
Regulating drones has become necessary with the rapid increase in the number of drones in the skies, said Rep. Kevin Tanner, R-Dawsonville, the bill’s chief sponsor, who chaired a study committee last summer and fall on drones that helped develop the legislation.

“Georgia is positioned very well to take advantage of a growth industry that is exploding right before us,” he said.

Tanner said the drone industry supports the bill as a “good starting point” in regulating the operation of drones, which has prompted public safety and privacy concerns around the country.

The bill now moves to the Georgia Senate.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/blog/capitol_vision/2016/03/drones-bill-passes-georgia-house.html