Ohio HB 251 (Police Drone Surveillance)
Ohio, United StatesHigh threat- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Became Law
Stage 4 of 4: Became Law
Codifies warrantless police-drone surveillance across broad exceptions, including a 50-mile border zone and disaster patrols.
Latest update
Signed by Governor Mike DeWine
What it does
HB 251 generally requires a warrant when police use a drone to observe somewhere they would need a warrant to enter physically. It then authorizes warrantless surveillance within 50 miles of an international border, during exigent circumstances, at vehicle accidents, and before, during, and after environmental or weather disasters. Agencies must document flight data, and lethal weapons on police drones are prohibited.
What’s at stake
The law places a warrant rule and its exceptions into the same statute. A 50-mile border zone and open-ended disaster patrol periods can expose large areas and ordinary activity to aerial monitoring without individualized suspicion, while courts remain divided over how the Fourth Amendment applies to drones.
Our take
Calling this a warrant law hides how much warrantless surveillance it affirmatively authorizes. Ohio has turned unsettled constitutional questions into a standing permission slip for police drones across broad places and circumstances.
Timeline
Most provisions take effectUpcoming
Signed by Governor Mike DeWineLatest
Senate passed 31 to 2; House concurred 89 to 5
Introduced in the Ohio House
Sponsor
Rep. Bernard Willis
Votes
- House — Concurred in Senate amendments (89 to 5) · June 10, 2026
- Senate — Final passage (31 to 2) · June 10, 2026
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