Campus policy requires prior authorization from the University for drones purchased or operated by University affiliates, as well as for any drones operated on University property.

[Policy Link]

Use

Prior authorization from California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) and Risk Management Services (RMS) is required before operating a drone in the following circumstances:

1. Any drone flight launched from University-owned or managed property, regardless of drone ownership.
2. Any drone flight on or off campus using a CSUS-owned* drone.

*For purposes of this policy, drones owned or purchased by CSUS auxiliaries (including UEI and other recognized auxiliaries) are considered CSUS-owned drones.

Drone Flight Approval Request Form

Purchase

Drones and components currently listed on the Blue Cleared List or campus cleared list can be approved by procurement offices prior to purchase. Those vendors or manufacturers not yet cleared must obtain approval from the Research Integrity and Compliance Officer, and procurement offices will not approve purchases without this compliance approval. Purchases from foreign covered entities may be denied.

Please have the following information ready for review: vendor/manufacturer of drone and components, intended use, and applicable funding.

Cleared Vendors / New Vendor Requests

Prohibition

Prohibition

Federal funds, including grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements, may not be used—directly or indirectly—to operate, purchase, or otherwise acquire unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or associated components from covered foreign entities.

Covered foreign entity

This includes, but is not limited to, manufacturers based in the People’s Republic of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, such as DJI and Autel Robotics.

Federal law

This restriction is required under the American Security Drone Act of 2023, as incorporated into the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), effective December 2025.

Existing Drones

The University may allow continued use of an existing DJI or other covered drone only if all of the following conditions are met:

• The drone was not purchased with federal funds, and
• The drone is not used for federally funded activities, and
• The operation does not rely on federal resources or support, including personnel, facilities, or cost-sharing.

All drone-collected data (including photos, video, and telemetry) must be stored securely in accordance with University IT and data governance policies. Automatic cloud uploads must be disabled, and users may be required to operate in offline modes or use approved secure data-routing methods.

Want to confirm whether you can use an existing DJI or covered drone?

Email Us

Report Incidents or Violations

Individuals are responsible for staying informed about changes to federal, state, and local regulations pertaining to UAS. Failure to comply with University policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including loss of UAS privileges, academic penalties, denial of reimbursement of costs if the purchase bypassed procurement review, or other disciplinary actions including possible enforcement actions by federal funding agencies.

Report:

• crashes, injuries, property damage, near misses, complaints, or lost aircraft
• unauthorized flights

Submit a Report