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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho House Bill 499 authorizes drone interception near prisons and sets criminal penalties
Last action · January 21, 2026: Reported Printed and Referred to Judiciary, Rules & Administration
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What This Bill Proposed
Idaho House Bill 499 authorizes the Department of Correction and law enforcement to use electronic interference and physical capture against drones operating within two miles of prison facilities in a nefarious manner. The measure makes unauthorized drone use near correctional facilities a crime punishable by fines between $2,000 and $5,000, up to one year in prison, and mandatory equipment , taking effect July 1, 2026.
Drone operators flying near Idaho correctional facilities face mandatory equipment seizure and criminal penalties starting July 1, 2026, while state agencies gain explicit legal immunity for damaging unauthorized aircraft through defensive interference.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
unmanned aircraft system operators
Drone operators face criminal penalties, fines, and equipment forfeiture for flying within two nautical miles of correctional facilities.
Department of Correction
The department is authorized to deploy mitigation measures against drones, gains immunity from property damage liability, and must post warning notices.
law enforcement officers and agencies
Law enforcement personnel are granted explicit authority to intercept and disable drones operating near correctional facilities.
Key Facts
- Defines 'mitigation measures' as actions including jamming to cause electronic interference and neutralize, intercept, disable, or disrupt an unmanned aircraft system.
- Defines 'nefarious manner' as using a drone for illegal, dangerous, or harmful purposes such as spying, smuggling contraband, or facilitating criminal activity.
- Establishes 'proximity' as within two nautical miles from the farthest defined perimeter of a correctional facility.
- Authorizes the Department of Correction, law enforcement officers, or agencies to take reasonable and necessary mitigation measures against drones operating near restricted airspace in a nefarious manner upon reasonable suspicion.
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- Grants immunity from liability to the Department of Correction and law enforcement for any loss of or damage to an unmanned aircraft system resulting from mitigation measures.
- Requires the Department of Correction to post notices on roads near correctional facilities designating the area as a 'Drone No Fly Zone.'
- Makes operating an unmanned aircraft system within the proximity of a correctional facility's restricted airspace unlawful.
- Establishes criminal penalties for unlawful drone use near prisons of a fine between $2,000 and $5,000, imprisonment for not more than one year, and mandatory forfeiture of the unmanned aircraft system.
- Places the responsibility on drone operators to be familiar with airspace restrictions and prison locations, explicitly barring lack of knowledge as a defense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can law enforcement and corrections officers do to drones near prisons?
What are the penalties for flying a drone near an Idaho correctional facility?
Can a drone operator claim they did not know the prison was nearby?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 21, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Judiciary, Rules & Administration
- Jan 20, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy30Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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