Flying near people: distances, crowds and privacy, country by country.

The rules below are each jurisdiction's own law (association guidelines are labelled as such), kept one jurisdiction at a time; none carries over to another country. Model-aircraft associations hold authorisations in some countries that vary these rules for their members, and those are on association safety codes. Race venues are covered on race safety rules.

United States

What this rests on: regulation and statute texts published by Cornell's Legal Information Institute; faa.gov could not be opened for this research.

• Part 107 flights, 14 CFR 107.39 (as amended by Amendment 107-8, 15 January 2021): no flying a small unmanned aircraft over a person unless that person is directly participating in the operation, is under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that gives reasonable protection, or the flight meets one of the categories in Part 107 Subpart D. The FAA can waive 107.39 under 107.205.
• Subpart D sets four categories of operations over people (107.110 to 107.140). Search summaries, unconfirmed because the subpart text was not read, say that in Categories 1 to 3 the aircraft may have no exposed rotating parts that would cut human skin.
• Recreational flights, 49 U.S.C. 44809 (enacted 5 October 2018, last amended 16 May 2024): the statute has no specific rule on flying over people. It requires recreational flights to follow the safety guidelines of a community-based organisation. A search summary of the FAA's page, which could not be opened, says no recognised organisation's guidelines allow recreational flight directly over open-air crowds.
• AMA Document 550 (3 March 2021), an association guideline and not law: members do not fly close to crowds at outdoor sporting events, festivals, political gatherings, fireworks or beaches, and avoid flying directly over unprotected people.

Privacy (US)

No federal drone privacy rule was found. The US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) published voluntary best practices for drone privacy in May 2016, which it says do not replace any local, state or federal law. Their appendix for recreational flyers, also voluntary, suggests among other things telling people before filming them where practical, not intruding on a reasonable expectation of privacy without very good reason, not flying over private property without permission where that is easily avoided, and not using a drone to harass people. The AMA's Document 550 (section 5) bars members from using cameras or sensors to watch individuals, homes, businesses or property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy, unless they have written permission. State and local law was not researched.

United Kingdom

What this rests on: the CAA's Drone and Model Aircraft Code, CAP2320 (March 2026), which reflects the rules in force from 1 January 2026.

• Uninvolved people (point 4): 50 m horizontally from uninvolved people, including people in buildings and vehicles, as a cylinder up to the height limit. People involved in the flying may be closer. Aircraft under 250 g, or of class UK0, UK1 or C0 (and C1 from 1 January 2026 until 31 December 2027), may fly closer than 50 m and over people.
• Crowds (point 5): no flying over crowds, whatever the aircraft's size. The Code describes a crowd as a group that cannot move away quickly because of the number of people around them, and gives sports events as an example.
• Built-up areas (point 6): at least 150 m from residential, recreational, commercial and industrial areas, with the same lighter-aircraft exceptions as point 4.
• A3 subcategory: privately built and legacy aircraft under 25 kg are not flown within 50 m of uninvolved people, never over them, and not within 150 m of those areas.

The CAA's earlier Drone Code leaflet (CAP 2007, December 2020) also gave 50 m and 150 m figures and said heavier drones or longer flights near or over people would most likely need CAA approval in the Specific category. It predates the 2026 rules; CAP2320 is the later text.

Privacy (UK)

CAP2320 names the Data Protection Act 2018 among the law the Code is based on. The 2020 leaflet asked flyers to consider other people's privacy and pointed to the Information Commissioner. Legal commentary, seen only as search summaries, says the Information Commissioner's Office treats drone footage of identifiable people as personal data under UK GDPR, with an exemption for purely personal or household activity; the ICO's own pages were not read, so that is unconfirmed.

European Union

What this rests on: Regulation (EU) 2019/947 in its 2019 as-adopted text (since amended; the consolidated text could not be read) and EASA's FAQs. Member states apply the rules and may have national variations not covered here.

• Article 4(1)(c): an Open-category flight keeps a safe distance from people and does not overfly assemblies of people.
• A1 (UAS.OPEN.020, as adopted): never over assemblies of people. EASA's FAQ 116452 says A1 (class C0 or privately built drones up to 250 g) may be flown almost everywhere except over assemblies of people or in restricted areas, and that C1 operators must minimise flying over uninvolved people.
• A2 (UAS.OPEN.030, as adopted): no flying over uninvolved people, and at least 30 m horizontally from them, reducible to 5 m with an active low-speed mode.
• A3 (UAS.OPEN.040, as adopted): only where no uninvolved person is reasonably expected to be endangered, and at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

Published summaries disagree on the A2 and A3 distances. EASA's FAQ 116452 says A2 needs a safe distance at least equal to the flight height and never less than 5 m; search summaries of pages by Spain's AESA and Norway's CAA give 30 m for A2, reducible to 5 m; and Germany's federal dipul page attaches a 30 m minimum to A3. Germany's page also says no Open subcategory permits flying over assemblies of people, and that only class C0 in A1 may overfly uninvolved people. EASA notes the Open-category tables changed on 1 January 2024. The regulation as amended governs.

Races and spectators: EASA says spectators are not allowed in the Open category, that a race with spectators should be run in the Specific category or under a club's Article 16 authorisation, and that drones able to fly faster than 19 m/s may only operate in subcategory A3.

Privacy (EU): a search summary of an EASA page, unconfirmed, says personal data processing in the EU is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation and national rules.

Canada

What this rests on: Transport Canada's Aeronautical Information Manual, RPA chapter, effective 19 March 2026, which cites the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs), and Transport Canada's 2019 and 2025 publications.

• Basic operations: include flights 100 ft (30 m) or more from anyone not involved in the operation (CAR 901.26).
• Advanced operations (CARs 901.62 and 901.69): include flights closer than 30 m to uninvolved people, including under 5 m.
• Extended visual line of sight: from 4 November 2025, permitted without a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) in uncontrolled airspace, more than 30 m from uninvolved people, with conditions on a trained observer (Transport Canada, 2025 summary of changes).
• Advertised events: flying less than 100 ft from the boundaries of an advertised event needs an SFOC (CARs 901.41 and 903.01(b)); since 1 April 2025 paragraph 903.01(b) also requires an SFOC to fly an aircraft under 250 g at an advertised event. An advertised event is an outdoor event advertised to the public, including a sporting event (CAR 900.01).
• Under 250 g: not subject to Part IX Subpart 1, but the rule against reckless or negligent operation (section 900.06) applies.

Privacy (Canada): Transport Canada's 2019 release says drone pilots remain subject to the Criminal Code and provincial, territorial and municipal laws, including those on privacy and trespass. Those laws were not researched.

Australia

What this rests on: CASA's explanatory statement for instrument EX64/24 on the Federal Register of Legislation, and CASA's magazine. CASA's own website timed out throughout the research.

• CASR regulation 101.245 (as described in the explanatory statement registered 21 October 2024): without a CASA approval, a person must not fly a remotely piloted aircraft within 30 m of another person who is not directly associated with the operation.
• CASA's magazine Flight Safety Australia reported the 30 m rule on 20 October 2017, worded as not over or within 30 m of people unless the person is essential to controlling or navigating the drone. That article is older and its wording is not confirmed as current.

Privacy (Australia): not researched.