CO SB059

Law enforcement may operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) only with a search warrant or under limited emergency circumstances (preventing imminent harm to life, forestalling suspect escape or evidence destruction, or responding to credible terrorist threats).

Law enforcement UAV operations must avoid collecting data on non-targets and are prohibited from using facial recognition or biometric matching on incidental data; all collected information must be destroyed within 14 days unless needed for criminal investigations or trials.

Emergency UAV use without a warrant is limited to 48 hours and requires the agency chief executive to file a written report within 24 hours; these reports are public records subject to inspection.

All law enforcement agencies must obtain federal aviation administration certification before operating UAVs, and UAVs used by law enforcement cannot exceed 25 pounds.

Private recreational UAV users must comply with federal instrument flight rules, including keeping UAVs within sight, within 3 miles, below 400 feet altitude, during daylight hours, in uncontrolled airspace, and at least 5 miles from airports; commercial and research UAV use requires federal authorization.