(Image: CHS)

Attention, Capitol Hill and Central District drone pilots. If you use the remote control flying cameras for work, you have some more paperwork to do starting April 1st.

The Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation Division is reminding pilots that, starting April 1st, people or businesses using drones for commercial purposes must register their drones:

The $15 drone registration fee will support WSDOT Aviation’s work to assess and collaboratively work on integration of emerging technologies.

Steps on how to register commercial drones can be found on the Aviation Division’s website.

The new rules follow the Washington State Legislature’s passage of a bill in 2021 directing the WSDOT Aviation Division to create and manage a commercial drone registration program.

Commercial drone operators must now register their aircraft every year.

The rules join a multitude of federal and local restrictions on the aircraft including rules that prohibit the flying cameras from all city parks.

You can learn more about the new state registration requirements here.

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