With the commercialization of drones and with companies putting out affordable drones for the masses, new laws and regulations had to be put into place to determine how these devices are used. For examples there are several no-fly areas in which drones are not allowed, and doing so could result in a fine and/or jail time.
This typically includes airports and government facilities, but soon it seems that flying over an oil facility could be considered just as illegal, or at least that’s what the House and Senate are proposing where they want such facilities to be added to the “critical infrastructure” list. This means that anyone caught flying a drone lower than 400 feet above such structures would be considered a Class B misdemeanor which could land the drone owner up to 180 days in jail.
Other critical infrastructures part of the list include power plants, dams, and other refineries. The bill has since been passed at the Senate, although it has been pointed out that the House version, which was passed last month, is slightly different. What this means is that both bills will need to be tweaked and will need to be agreed upon by both parts of the legislature before it becomes legal.