Bill Text: CA AB1749 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Interfering with wildfire suppression and emergency responses with drone.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Engrossed) 2026-07-01 - From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. [AB1749 Detail]
Download: California-2025-AB1749-Amended.html
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Amended
IN
Senate
June 17, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
March 19, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
March 02, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1749
| Introduced by Assembly Member Dixon |
February 09, 2026 |
An act to add Section 1714.57 to the Civil Code, relating to civil law.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1749, as amended, Dixon.
Interfering with wildfire suppression and emergency responses with drone.
Existing law makes it a crime for a person to operate or use an unmanned aerial vehicle, remote-piloted aircraft, or drone at the scene of an emergency for the purpose of viewing the scene or emergency or military personnel, and thereby impede the emergency or military personnel, in the performance of their duties in coping with the emergency. Existing law excuses a local public entity or public employee from liability for damage to an unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system, if the damage was caused while the local public entity or public employee of a local public entity was providing, and the unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system was interfering with, the operation, support, or enabling of any emergency service, as specified. Existing law makes everyone responsible for an injury occasioned to another by their want of ordinary care or skill in the management of their
property or person, as provided.
This bill would prohibit a person from operating or using an unmanned aerial vehicle, remote-piloted aircraft, or drone to knowingly or recklessly interfere with with, among other things, a wildfire suppression or law enforcement or emergency response efforts related to a wildfire suppression. The bill would authorize the Attorney General or a county counsel or city attorney to bring civil action to enforce the prohibition and authorize a prevailing plaintiff to recover civil penalties, injunctive relief, or reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, as specified.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 1714.57 is added to the Civil Code, to read:1714.57.
(a) A person shall not operate or use an unmanned aerial vehicle, remote-piloted aircraft, or drone to knowingly or recklessly interfere with(1) A wildfire suppression, or law enforcement or emergency response efforts related to a wildfire suppression.
(2) An emergency response related to an incident for which a temporary flight restriction has been issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.
(b) The Attorney General or a county counsel or city attorney may bring a civil action to enforce subdivision (a). The prevailing plaintiff in an action may recover any of the following in any court of competent jurisdiction:
(1) A civil penalty not exceeding seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) for each violation.
(2) Injunctive relief.
(3) Reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
