The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) is responsible for public safety on the Capitol Campus, which is the primary reason it has adopted rules that prohibit launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft systems, commonly referred to as drones, on the 486-acre Olympia campus.

The rules take effect Feb. 11 and apply to all types of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including drones used for business or recreational purposes and remote-control model aircraft.

The rules formalize and refine existing DES policy, and add visibility and clarity to UAS/drone restrictions on the campus. Rulemaking also enabled an extensive formal public process in which the Federal Aviation Administration, commercial interests, hobbyists, emergency response, state agency and other groups came to the table to weigh in on the issue.

While no specific incident on campus prompted DES to consider rules, the increase in reported incidents across the country in which unmanned aircraft have injured people, interfered with emergency responses and caused other problems did factor into the decision to seek public input and conduct a formal rulemaking process. Another factor was the increased sales of these aerial devices.

"This is an important safety rule," said DES Deputy Director Bob Covington. "We're seeing more and more that drones and crowds are not a good mix."

Tens of thousands of people visit the Capitol Campus each year, including about 25,000 school children coming for tours of the Capitol Building. In addition, about 7,000 people work on the campus and additional people come to the campus to participate in the legislative process, exercise free speech rights, provide support services and work on construction projects.

DES took a proactive approach to adopting UAS/drone rules because safety is a crucial component of the department's stewardship of the Capitol Campus. Department concerns include:

• Potential public safety risks for people below or in an UAS/drone flight path.
• Risk of interfering with emergency response activities on Capitol Campus.
• Potential disruption of state business by unmanned aircraft/drone activity.

The prohibition does not apply to UAS/drones used for emergency response by law enforcement and other first response agencies, such as local fire and health departments and state and federal environmental protection agencies.

There is also a provision within the rule that allows UAS/drone use for the care and custody of the campus, but only with prior written approval by the DES director. In addition, the department or its contractors also would need to obtain advance permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch, land or operate a drone for business purposes on the campus.

About the Campus

The Capitol Campus includes the executive, legislative and judicial branch buildings, the Governor's Mansion, 15 state agency office buildings, 18 public monuments and works of art, Capitol Lake, and Centennial, Heritage, Marathon and Sylvester parks.

More information:

• UAS/drone web page
• FAQ
• Rulemaking web page
• Visit the Capitol Campus

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