Unmanned aircraft.

New Insurance Code Section 2036 prohibits residential property insurance companies from conducting onsite inspections using remotely operated unmanned aircraft. This expands coverage beyond the previously addressed home protection contracts to all residential property insurance.

The school drone provision (Penal Code 626.8(b)) was narrowed to apply only to 'school building or school ground' rather than also covering 'public property adjacent to the school,' removing the broader geographic reach of the drone surveillance prohibition near schools.

For drone inspections conducted on or after May 1, 2025 that gathered evidence for contract termination, the insurer must provide written notice to the policyholder stating the reason for potential termination and what is required to comply with the contract. The policyholder receives 120 days to remedy the issue before the contract can be terminated.

If a policyholder provides documentation within 120 days showing the required work was completed, the insurer may not cancel the contract (or must reinstate it if already terminated). The insurer also may not conduct a subsequent inspection of the same property within two years after such a drone inspection.

The new Section 2036 is temporary and expires on January 1, 2028, at which point it is automatically repealed.

The definition of critical infrastructure facility was narrowed by removing: polymer or rubber manufacturing facilities, medication or medical device production facilities, steelmaking facilities using electrical arc furnaces, and freight transportation facilities other than ports (railroad switching yards, trucking terminals, and other freight facilities were removed).

The bill was reformatted from a traditional printed legislative document (with page numbers, line numbers, and two-column layout) to a web-based presentation format with navigation links, version tracking, and structured sections. No changes to the actual statutory language or policy content were made.

The offense of flying a drone over critical infrastructure facilities was downgraded from a misdemeanor to an infraction punishable by a fine of $1,000, significantly reducing the severity of the penalty.

The school drone offense was significantly broadened. A new standalone misdemeanor (subdivision (b)) was added for using a drone on or above school property with intent to surveil, closely monitor, record, or threaten the safety of any person. Previously, the only drone-related school offense required intent to threaten immediate physical safety.

A new Penal Code Section 402.6 was added creating an infraction ($1,000 fine) for flying a drone within 50 feet of or below 400 feet above the State Capitol grounds, the Legislative Office Building at 1020 N Street, or the state office building at 1021 O Street in Sacramento. Exceptions include emergency responders, the Department of General Services for Capitol maintenance, and persons authorized by the Joint Rules Committee.

A specific 400-foot buffer zone was added as a standalone violation: allowing a drone to come within 400 feet of or below 400 feet above a critical infrastructure facility is now explicitly prohibited, providing a clear numerical threshold in addition to the existing 'interference with operations' standard.

The definition of 'critical infrastructure facility' was expanded to include: city halls and county administration buildings where a board of supervisors meets; bridges that are part of the state or federal highway system; dams classified as high hazard or extremely high hazard by the Department of Water Resources; and oil, petroleum, or chemical pipelines, drilling sites, storage facilities, and production facilities. Electrical power generating facilities were also expanded to explicitly include geothermal, hydroelectric, nuclear, solar, and wind.

The definition of 'dam' in Section 402.5 was changed from a standalone definition to a cross-reference to Section 6002 of the Water Code.

The penalty for operating a drone over prison, jail, or juvenile facility grounds was reduced from the originally proposed $2,000 fine to $1,000 (still an increase from the existing $500).

The offense of intentionally or knowingly operating a drone near critical infrastructure facilities was downgraded from a misdemeanor to an infraction punishable by a $1,000 fine. This substantially reduces the severity of the penalty.

The fine for knowingly operating a drone over a state prison, jail, or juvenile hall, camp, or ranch was reduced from $2,000 to $1,000.

A new exception was added to the school drone provision (Penal Code 626.8(b)(2)): the misdemeanor for using a drone on or above school grounds with intent to surveil, monitor, or record does not apply if the person has express authorization from the school where they are operating the drone.

A specific prong requiring that the drone be flown 'over' a critical infrastructure facility at 400 feet or below was removed. The remaining offense now only covers coming within 400 feet of (or below 400 feet above) a facility, or coming close enough to interfere with its operations.

The definition of critical infrastructure facility was reorganized: 'chemical' was removed from the polymer/rubber manufacturing category (now just 'polymer or rubber'), and the standalone definition of 'dam' was replaced with a cross-reference to Water Code Section 6002.