S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  6455

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 13, 2016
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen. MARTINS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation

AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to registration
  of drones

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  The  vehicle  and  traffic law is amended by adding a new
article 48-D to read as follows:
                              ARTICLE 48-D
                         REGISTRATION OF DRONES
SECTION 2420. REGISTRATION OF DRONES; FEES; RENEWALS.
        2421. PUNISHMENT FOR VIOLATION.
  S 2420. REGISTRATION OF DRONES; FEES;  RENEWALS.  1.  REGISTRATION  BY
OWNERS.  NO  DRONES  SHALL BE OPERATED WITHOUT FIRST BEING REGISTERED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ARTICLE.
  EVERY OWNER OF A DRONE SHALL CAUSE TO BE FILED, BY MAIL OR  OTHERWISE,
IN  THE  OFFICE OR A BRANCH OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER, OR WITH AN AGENT
OF THE COMMISSIONER, CONSTITUTED AS PROVIDED IN THIS CHAPTER, AN  APPLI-
CATION  FOR  REGISTRATION, ADDRESSED TO THE COMMISSIONER, AND ON A SPACE
THEREON TO BE PREPARED UNDER THE  DIRECTION  OF  AND  FURNISHED  BY  THE
COMMISSIONER  FOR  THAT  PURPOSE, CONTAINING: (A) A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF
THE DRONE TO BE REGISTERED, INCLUDING THE NAME OF THE  MANUFACTURER  AND
FACTORY  NUMBER OF SUCH DRONE; (B) THE NAME, RESIDENCE, INCLUDING COUNTY
AND BUSINESS ADDRESS OF THE OWNER OF SUCH DRONE.
  2. REGISTRATION RECORD. UPON THE RECEIPT OF A  SUFFICIENT  APPLICATION
FOR REGISTRATION, AS PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE, THE COMMISSIONER OR AGENT
RECEIVING  IT  SHALL  REGISTER  SUCH DRONE, AND MAINTAIN A RECORD OF THE
REGISTRATION OF SUCH DRONE UNDER THE DISTINCTIVE NUMBER ASSIGNED TO SUCH
DRONE, AS PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION, AND THE INFORMATION IN  SUCH  RECORD
MAY  BE  OBTAINED  UPON  PAYMENT  OF  THE  FEES SPECIFIED IN SECTION TWO
HUNDRED TWO OF THIS CHAPTER.
  3. CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION. UPON THE FILING  OF  SUCH  APPLICATION
AND  THE PAYMENT OF THE FEE HEREINAFTER PROVIDED, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL
ASSIGN TO SUCH DRONE A DISTINCTIVE NUMBER AND, WITHOUT  EXPENSE  TO  THE

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                           LBD13440-01-5

S. 6455                             2

APPLICANT,  ISSUE  AND  DELIVER  IN  SUCH MANNER AS THE COMMISSIONER MAY
SELECT TO THE OWNER A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION, IN SUCH FORM  AS  THE
COMMISSIONER  MAY  PRESCRIBE.    IN THE EVENT OF THE LOSS, MUTILATION OR
DESTRUCTION  OF  ANY  CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION, THE OWNER OF A REGIS-
TERED DRONE MAY FILE SUCH STATEMENT  AND  PROOF  OF  THE  FACTS  AS  THE
COMMISSIONER  SHALL  REQUIRE, WITH A FEE OF THREE DOLLARS, IN THE OFFICE
OF THE COMMISSIONER, OR, UNLESS AND UNTIL THE COMMISSIONER SHALL  OTHER-
WISE  DIRECT,  IN THE OFFICE OF THE AGENT WHO ISSUED THE CERTIFICATE AND
THE COMMISSIONER OR HIS AGENT, AS THE CASE MAY BE, SHALL ISSUE A  DUPLI-
CATE OR SUBSTITUTE.
  4. TIMES FOR REGISTRATION AND REREGISTRATION. REGISTRATION APPLIED FOR
AND  CERTIFICATES  ISSUED  UNDER  ANY APPLICATION SHALL EXPIRE ON A DATE
DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER. REGISTRATION SHALL  BE  RENEWED  PERIOD-
ICALLY  IN  THE  SAME  MANNER AND UPON PAYMENT OF THE SAME ANNUAL FEE AS
PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION FOR REGISTRATION, TO TAKE EFFECT AND TO  EXPIRE
ON  DATES  TO BE DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER. PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT
THE COMMISSIONER SHALL HAVE AUTHORITY TO FIX  THE  LENGTH  OF  TIME  FOR
WHICH  ANY  SUCH  DRONE  WHICH IS REGISTERED WITHOUT FEE SHALL BE REGIS-
TERED. PROVIDED FURTHER, HOWEVER, THAT RENEWAL OF A REGISTRATION MAY  BE
USED  PRECEDING  THE EXPIRATION DATE OF SUCH REGISTRATION INCLUDING SUCH
EXPIRATION DATE.
  5. REGISTRATION FEES. A. THE ANNUAL FEE FOR REGISTRATION  OR  REREGIS-
TRATION OF A DRONE SHALL BE FIVE DOLLARS.
  B.  WHERE A REGISTRATION IS MADE FOR A PERIOD OF MORE OR LESS THAN ONE
CALENDAR  YEAR,  THE  REGISTRATION  FEE  SHALL  NOT  BE  PRORATED.   THE
PROVISIONS HEREOF WITH RESPECT TO THE PAYMENT OF REGISTRATION FEES SHALL
NOT  APPLY  TO  DRONES OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY THE STATE, A CITY, COUNTY,
VILLAGE OR TOWN OR  ANY  OF  THE  DEPARTMENTS  THEREOF,  OR  ANY  SCHOOL
DISTRICT  OR COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICE ASSOCIATION, BUT IN OTHER RESPECTS
SHALL BE APPLICABLE.
  6. "DRONE" AS USED IN THIS SECTION SHALL  MEAN  AN  UNMANNED  AIRCRAFT
WHICH  IS  OPERATED  REMOTELY  WITHOUT  THE  POSSIBILITY OF DIRECT HUMAN
INTERVENTION FROM WITHIN OR ON THE AIRCRAFT.
  S 2421. PUNISHMENT  FOR  VIOLATION.  THE  VIOLATION  OF  ANY  OF   THE
PROVISIONS  OF  SECTION TWENTY-FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY OF THIS ARTICLE SHALL
BE PUNISHABLE BY A FINE OF NOT LESS THAN TWENTY-FIVE NOR MORE  THAN  ONE
HUNDRED  DOLLARS EXCEPT, IF THE VIOLATION CONSISTS OF FAILURE TO RENEW A
REGISTRATION WHICH WAS VALID WITHIN SIXTY DAYS, THE FINE  SHALL  BE  NOT
LESS THAN TEN DOLLARS.
  S  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
ing the date on which it shall have become a law.