{
 "citation": "14:337",
 "heading": "Unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system",
 "doc_id": "919584",
 "source_url": "https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=919584",
 "classification": "F",
 "enacted_year": "2014",
 "last_amended_year": "2025",
 "penalties": [
  {
   "subsection": "E(1)",
   "text": "E.(1) Whoever commits the crime of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system as provided in Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) of this Section shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.",
   "los_min": "0",
   "los_max": "6M",
   "hard_labor": "",
   "benefits": "",
   "death": false,
   "condition": ""
  },
  {
   "subsection": "E(2)",
   "text": "(2) On a conviction for a second or subsequent offense as provided in Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) of this Section, the offender shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than four thousand dollars or imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not less than six months nor more than two years, or both.",
   "los_min": "6M",
   "los_max": "2Y",
   "hard_labor": "W/WO",
   "benefits": "",
   "death": false,
   "condition": ""
  },
  {
   "subsection": "E(3)",
   "text": "(3) Whoever commits the crime of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system as provided in Subparagraph (A)(1)(b) of this Section shall be fined not more than two thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.",
   "los_min": "0",
   "los_max": "6M",
   "hard_labor": "",
   "benefits": "",
   "death": false,
   "condition": ""
  },
  {
   "subsection": "E(4)",
   "text": "(4) On a conviction for a second or subsequent offense as provided in Subparagraph (A)(1)(b) of this Section, the offender shall be fined not less than two thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than one year, or both.",
   "los_min": "0",
   "los_max": "1Y",
   "hard_labor": "W/WO",
   "benefits": "",
   "death": false,
   "condition": ""
  },
  {
   "subsection": "E(5)",
   "text": "(5) Whoever commits the crime of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system as provided in Subparagraph (A)(1)(c) of this Section shall be fined not less than two thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars and imprisoned at hard labor for not more than five years.",
   "los_min": "0",
   "los_max": "5Y",
   "hard_labor": "AT",
   "benefits": "",
   "death": false,
   "condition": ""
  }
 ],
 "referenced_statutes": [
  "14:40.6",
  "14:402",
  "14:61",
  "3:41"
 ],
 "text": "RS 14:337\n\n\u00a7337. Unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system\n\nA.(1) Unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system is any of the following:\n\n(a) The intentional use of an unmanned aircraft system to conduct surveillance of,\ngather evidence or collect information about, or photographically or electronically record a\ntargeted facility without the prior written consent of the owner of the targeted facility.\n\n(b) The intentional use of an unmanned aircraft system over the grounds of the\ngovernor's mansion, state or local jail, prison, or other correctional facility that incarcerates\nor detains juveniles or adults accused of, convicted of, sentenced for, or adjudicated\ndelinquent for violations of criminal law without the express written consent of the person\nin charge of that state building, state or local jail, prison, or other correctional facility.\n\n(c) The intentional use of an unmanned aircraft system to conduct surveillance of,\ngather evidence or collect information about, interfere with the operation of, or\nphotographically or electronically record a federal or state military installation, facility,\naircraft, ship, military vehicle, or weapon system located therein without obtaining prior\nwritten consent from the military installation or facility commander.\n\n(2) The unmanned aircraft system shall be seized by a law enforcement officer in the\ncourse of arrest or issuance of summons or shall be seized by order of court pursuant to other\nprovisions of law.\n\nB. As used in this Section, the following definitions shall apply:\n\n(1) \"Federal government\" means the United States of America and any department,\nagency, or instrumentality thereof.\n\n(2) \"Federal or state military installation or facility\" means either a permanent\nmilitary base or temporary installation where federal or state military personnel conduct\noperations related to national or state defense or security including but not limited to the\nstaging or storage of military equipment or service members, base operations or mission\nrelated activities, logistical support operations, military drills or exercises, or civil support\nor rescue services.\n\n(3) \"Mitigation measures\" mean actions, such as jamming, that are taken to cause\nelectronic interference to neutralize, intercept, disable, or disrupt an unmanned aircraft\nsystem in order to prevent illegal or harmful activity.\n\n(4) \"Nefarious manner\" means an illegal, dangerous, or harmful purpose in which\nan unmanned aircraft system is used. Such purpose may include but is not limited to spying,\nsmuggling contraband as defined in R.S. 14:402, facilitating criminal activity, or posing a\ndirect threat to public safety.\n\n(5) \"State government\" means the state of Louisiana and any department, agency, or\ninstrumentality thereof.\n\n(6) \"Targeted facility\" means the following systems:\n\n(a) Petroleum and alumina refineries.\n\n(b) Chemical and rubber manufacturing facilities.\n\n(c) Nuclear power electric generation facilities.\n\n(d) School and school premises as defined by R.S. 14:40.6(B).\n\n(e) Critical infrastructure as defined by R.S. 14:61(B).\n\n(f) Grain elevators and grain storage facilities.\n\n(7) \"Unmanned aircraft system\" means an unmanned, powered aircraft that does not\ncarry a human operator, can be autonomous or remotely piloted or operated, and can be\nexpendable or recoverable. \"Unmanned aircraft system\" does not include any of the\nfollowing:\n\n(a) A satellite orbiting the earth.\n\n(b) An unmanned aircraft system used by the federal government or a person who\nis acting pursuant to contract with the federal government to conduct surveillance of specific\nactivities.\n\n(c) An unmanned aircraft system used by the state government or a person who is\nacting pursuant to a contract with the state government to conduct surveillance of specific\nactivities.\n\n(d) An unmanned aircraft system used by a local government law enforcement\nagency or fire department.\n\n(e) An unmanned aircraft system used by a person, affiliate, employee, agent, or\ncontractor of any business which is regulated by the Louisiana Public Service Commission\nor by a local franchising authority or the Federal Communications Commission under the\nCable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 or of a municipal or\npublic utility, while acting in the course and scope of his employment or agency relating to\nthe operation, repair, or maintenance of a facility, servitude, or any property located on the\nimmovable property which belongs to such a business.\n\nC.(1) Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a person from using an unmanned aircraft\nsystem to conduct surveillance of, gather evidence or collect information about, or\nphotographically or electronically record his own property that is either of the following:\n\n(a) Located on his own immovable property.\n\n(b) Located on immovable property owned by another under a valid lease, servitude,\nright-of-way, right of use, permit, license, or other right.\n\n(2) Third persons retained by the owner of the property described in Paragraph (1)\nof this Subsection shall not be prohibited under this Section from using an unmanned aircraft\nsystem to conduct activities described in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.\n\nD. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any of the following:\n\n(1) Any person operating an unmanned aircraft vehicle or unmanned aircraft system\nin compliance with federal law or Federal Aviation Administration authorization or\nregulations or to any person engaged in agricultural commercial operations as defined in R.S.\n3:41.\n\n(2) The operation of an unmanned aircraft by institutions of higher education\nconducting research, extension, and teaching programs in association with university\nsanctioned initiatives.\n\nE.(1) Whoever commits the crime of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system\nas provided in Subparagraph (A)(1)(a) of this Section shall be fined not more than five\nhundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.\n\n(2) On a conviction for a second or subsequent offense as provided in Subparagraph\n(A)(1)(a) of this Section, the offender shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor\nmore than four thousand dollars or imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not less than\nsix months nor more than two years, or both. In addition to the sentence imposed pursuant\nto this Paragraph, the court shall order the forfeiture of the unmanned aircraft system used\nin connection with the offense and provide for the destruction, sale, or other disposition of\nthe unmanned aircraft system.\n\n(3) Whoever commits the crime of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system as\nprovided in Subparagraph (A)(1)(b) of this Section shall be fined not more than two thousand\ndollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.\n\n(4) On a conviction for a second or subsequent offense as provided in Subparagraph\n(A)(1)(b) of this Section, the offender shall be fined not less than two thousand dollars nor\nmore than five thousand dollars or imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than\none year, or both.\n\n(5) Whoever commits the crime of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system as\nprovided in Subparagraph (A)(1)(c) of this Section shall be fined not less than two thousand\ndollars nor more than five thousand dollars and imprisoned at hard labor for not more than\nfive years. In addition to the sentence imposed pursuant to this Paragraph, the court shall\norder the forfeiture of the unmanned aircraft system used in connection with the offense and\nprovide for the destruction, sale, or other disposition of the unmanned aircraft system.\n\nF. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to unmanned aircraft systems used\nfor motion picture, television, or similar production where the filming is authorized by the\nproperty owner.\n\nG.(1) A law enforcement officer or agency may take reasonable and necessary\nmitigation measures against a threat posed by an unmanned aircraft system operating within\nthis state in a nefarious manner. Such measures may include but not be limited to any of the\nfollowing:\n\n(a) The use of detection, tracking, and identification methods.\n\n(b) The interception or disabling of an unmanned aircraft system through legal and\nsafe methods, including but not limited to jamming, hacking, or physical capture.\n\n(2) A law enforcement officer or agency shall act pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this\nSubsection only if there is reasonable suspicion that the unmanned aircraft system is involved\nin criminal activity, poses an imminent threat to public safety, or is otherwise operating in\nviolation of state or federal law.\n\nActs 2014, No. 661, \u00a71; Acts 2016, No. 529, \u00a71, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2016, No.\n539, \u00a71; Acts 2021, No. 265, \u00a71, eff. June 14, 2021; Acts 2024, No. 19, \u00a71; Acts 2025, No.\n23, \u00a71; Acts 2025, No. 170, \u00a71."
}