Flying a drone over people in Canada

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Canada. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• PermittedConditional
• ProhibitedNo
• Authorisation requiredConditional
• Separation distance30.48 mConditional
• Aircraft class conditionConditional
• Weight condition0.25 kgConditional
• Access controlNot resolved
• Uninvolved person definedConditional
• ExceptionsNo

What changes the answer

• location

  Distance below 5 m

• location

  Horizontal distance at or above 100 ft

• location

  Horizontal distance at or above 30 m

• location

  Horizontal distance above 5 m

• location

  Horizontal distance below 30 m

• location

  Horizontal distance at or below 5 m

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Acceptance Letter Requirement for Medium RPAS VLOS Operations Near People

  An acceptance letter is required for Medium RPAS VLOS operations conducted at a distance of less than 500 feet (152.4m) from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability of Division II (Basic Operations)

  Division II applies to the operation of small remotely piloted aircraft conducting VLOS operations in uncontrolled airspace at a horizontal distance of not less than 100 feet (30 m) from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to Medium RPA VLOS in Uncontrolled Airspace (100 to 500 feet from People)

  This Division applies to the operation of a medium remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a VLOS operation in uncontrolled airspace and at a distance of less than 500 feet (152.4 m) but not less than 100 feet (30 m), measured horizontally, from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to Medium RPA VLOS Near People (Less than 100 feet)

  This Division applies to the operation of a medium remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a VLOS operation at a distance of less than 100 feet (30 m), measured horizontally, from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to Small RPA VLOS Near People (16.4 to 100 feet)

  This Division applies to the operation of a small remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a VLOS operation at a horizontal distance of less than 100 feet (30 m) but not less than 16.4 feet (5 m) from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Applicability to Small RPA VLOS Near People (Less than 16.4 feet)

  This Division applies to the operation of a small remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a VLOS operation at a horizontal distance of less than 16.4 feet (5 m) from any person not involved in the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Declaration Required for Medium RPA VLOS Near People (100 to 500 Feet)

  No pilot shall operate a medium remotely piloted aircraft system in VLOS at a horizontal distance of less than 500 feet (152.4 m) but not less than 100 feet (30 m) from any person not involved in the operation, unless a declaration has been made to the Minister.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Declaration Required for Medium RPA VLOS Very Near People (Under 100 Feet)

  No pilot shall operate a medium remotely piloted aircraft system in VLOS at a horizontal distance of less than 100 feet (30 m) from any person not involved in the operation, unless a declaration has been made to the Minister.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• CARs Standard 922 - RPAS Safety Assurance — Department of Justice CanadaOpen
• Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433), Part IX - Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Department of Justice CanadaOpen

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on operations_over_people.exceptions; the binding position is published.
• 1 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in Canada

• Do I need to register my drone in Canada?Registration in Canada depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in Canada?Drone flights in Canada are held to a published general height limit of 30.48 m AGL. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in Canada?Drone flights near aerodromes in Canada are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in Canada?BVLOS in Canada runs through a defined authorisation pathway rather than an open permission: the published conditions below set out what that pathway requires.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Canada?Whether an operation in Canada needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Canada?Remote pilot competency in Canada is triggered by the operation and by a published mass threshold of 0.25 kg. Which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the conditions below.

All drone laws in Canada