Drones in the US and the users older than 13 must be registered on a government database starting from 21st December to improve accountability in cases of dangerous drone use. Drone owners have to register their drones before 19 February 2016. Hobby drones, unmanned aerial vehicles and remote-controlled copters are all covered to keep the US skies safe from nuisance.
The country’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said that any drone weighing 228g to 22.7kg purchased from December 21, must be logged before the first outdoor flight. Registration fee of $5 (£3.30) will be waived to encourage registration within the first 30 days.
Defiant hobbyists will face civil penalties of up to $27,500, but in severe cases, criminal prosecutions could result in a $250,000 fine and a maximum of three years in prison.
The regulations fall some way short of calls to make it legal for emergency services to forcibly disable drones by using electronic jamming.
