Court case: does drone surveying require a license?
Date postedJanuary 24, 2024
A case under appeal in North Carolina concerns whether selling maps and models of geographical information obtained by drones requires licensure as a land surveyor. A drone services business owner had been notified by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Land Surveyors that he could not use his drones to produce and sell maps of land - what the board argues is conduct, which can be regulated by the state. The plaintiff argues that the law is a restriction of his right to create and disseminate information - what he argues is speech, protected by the First Amendment.