❯ Beijing revises its drone rules, making the whole city controlled airspace and banning possession

What the rules sayBeijing’s municipal people’s congress revised the city’s unmanned aircraft regulations on September 11 and published them on September 14; they take effect on November 15, 2026. The document makes the entire municipal area controlled airspace, banning flights, possession and storage of drones and core components, and their transport into the city.

Exceptions and penaltiesWhere purchase, transport or storage is genuinely needed, the municipal public security bureau and relevant departments must conduct a safety assessment and grant special clearance under a list-based regime, limited to counter-terrorism, major events, teaching and research, and agriculture and forestry. Illegal flight draws RMB 1,000 to 10,000; possession, storage, transport, sale or rental brings confiscation plus RMB 500 to 5,000 for individuals and RMB 5,000 to 50,000 for organizations.

The trade-offThe previous version took effect only on May 1 this year and barred storage sites only inside the sixth ring road; this revision removes every buffer. For drone makers and pilots, Beijing goes from restricted flight to banned storage, pushing sales and service networks out; for delivery and inspection operators, the only route is the special clearance channel, gated by safety assessment and approval. Existing devices must leave the city by November 15.

▪ SIGNALMoving regulation from flying to owning means low-altitude business cases must clear a security review first.