# Can you stop a drone from flying over your house?

**You can document it, report it to local police and the FAA, and pursue state privacy remedies. You cannot legally shoot, net, jam, or hack it.** You cannot simply order a drone out of the sky above your house, because you do not control the airspace. What you can do is document the drone, report unsafe or harassing operation to local law enforcement and to the FAA, use Remote ID to help identify the operator, and pursue state privacy, nuisance, or harassment remedies where your state provides them. What you cannot do is take matters into your own hands. Shooting, netting, or destroying a drone is a federal crime under 18 U.S. Code Section 32, which the FAA applies to drones as aircraft and which carries up to 20 years in prison. Jamming or hacking its signal is also prohibited by federal law, and counter-drone authority is reserved to specific federal agencies. The lawful path is to report and to use the state-law remedies that apply to how the drone is used near you. This is not legal advice.

Last verified Jan 1, 2026. 4 sources.

## Short answer

You cannot simply stop a drone from flying over your house on your own authority, because the FAA controls the navigable airspace and you do not. But you are not without options, and the options split cleanly into what you legally can do and what you legally cannot.

What you can do: document the drone, noting the time, direction, behavior, and any operator you can see. Report unsafe, reckless, or unauthorized operation to the FAA and report privacy or harassment concerns to your local police, who are the front line for state and local law. Use Remote ID, the broadcast signal most drones must transmit, to help law enforcement identify the drone and its operator. And where a drone records into your home or harasses you, pursue the privacy, voyeurism, nuisance, or harassment remedies your state provides, with a lawyer's help.

What you cannot do: shoot it, net it, or physically destroy it. Destroying an aircraft is a federal crime under 18 U.S. Code Section 32, and the FAA treats drones as aircraft, so firing at one can bring federal charges of up to 20 years in prison plus state reckless-discharge and property-damage liability. You also cannot jam, spoof, or hack the drone. Jamming radio signals is illegal under federal law, and counter-drone authority belongs to specific federal agencies, not to a private homeowner.

The honest bottom line: report and pursue state remedies; never attack the drone. This page is a plain reading of the public record, not legal advice.

## What you legally can do

| Option | Posture | Date | Source | Who |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| You can document the drone and report it to local law enforcement. | You can do this | Jan 1, 2026 | [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement) | Local law enforcement (state and local law) |
| You can pursue state privacy, nuisance, or harassment remedies. | You can do this | Jan 1, 2026 | [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement) | State and local law (varies by state) |
| You can report unsafe drone operation to the FAA. | You can do this | Jan 1, 2024 | [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/public_records/uas_sightings_report) | Federal Aviation Administration |
| You can use Remote ID to help identify the drone and its operator. | You can do this | Sep 16, 2023 | [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/remote_id) | FAA Remote ID rule |

## What you legally cannot do

| Option | Posture | Date | Source | Who |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| You cannot jam, spoof, or hack the drone's signal. | You cannot do this | Jan 1, 2026 | [Cornell Law (18 U.S.C.)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32) | Federal law (aircraft and communications statutes) |
| You cannot shoot, net, or physically destroy the drone. | You cannot do this | Oct 12, 1984 | [Cornell Law (18 U.S.C.)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32) | 18 U.S. Code Section 32 (federal law) |

## The options at a glance

- **Jan 1, 2026: You can document the drone and report it to local law enforcement.** You can record the time, direction, and behavior of the drone and any operator you can see, and report unsafe, harassing, or invasive operation to your local police. Local law enforcement is the front line for privacy, harassment, and nuisance complaints, which are governed by state and local law that varies by state. (Local law enforcement (state and local law))
- **Jan 1, 2026: You can pursue state privacy, nuisance, or harassment remedies.** If a drone records into your home or repeatedly harasses you, state and local privacy, voyeurism, nuisance, and harassment laws may give you a remedy, and a lawyer in your state can advise. These laws vary substantially from state to state, so what is available depends on where you live. DEPLOY tracks no single national rule here because there is not one. (State and local law (varies by state))
- **Jan 1, 2024: You can report unsafe drone operation to the FAA.** The FAA accepts reports of unsafe or unauthorized drone operation, such as a drone flown recklessly, over people, or in restricted airspace. The FAA handles the airspace-safety side of a complaint, while local police handle the privacy and harassment side. Reporting to both is the sanctioned path. (Federal Aviation Administration)
- **Sep 16, 2023: You can use Remote ID to help identify the drone and its operator.** Most drones must broadcast Remote ID, a signal that provides the drone's identity and location and the location of its control station, which can be received by the public and by law enforcement. Remote ID is the FAA's tool for accountability. You cannot enforce it yourself, but it is how police and the FAA can identify who is flying. (FAA Remote ID rule)
- **Jan 1, 2026: You cannot jam, spoof, or hack the drone's signal.** Using a signal jammer or a takeover device against a drone is prohibited by federal law. Jamming radio communications is illegal, and interfering with an aircraft can also implicate the aircraft-sabotage statute. Counter-drone authority is reserved to specific federal agencies; a private homeowner has none. Do not attempt to capture or disable a drone electronically. (Federal law (aircraft and communications statutes))
- **Oct 12, 1984: You cannot shoot, net, or physically destroy the drone.** Shooting down or destroying a drone is a federal crime. Under 18 U.S. Code Section 32 it is unlawful to damage, destroy, or disable an aircraft, and the FAA treats drones as aircraft, so firing at one exposes you to federal charges carrying up to 20 years in prison, on top of state reckless-discharge and property-damage liability. (18 U.S. Code Section 32 (federal law))

## How we know this

- [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement) (2024-01-01)
- [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/public_records/uas_sightings_report) (2024-01-01)
- [FAA](https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/remote_id) (2024-01-01)
- [Cornell Law (18 U.S.C.)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32) (1984-10-12)

## Common questions

### Can I legally shoot down a drone over my property?

No. Shooting down a drone is a federal crime under 18 U.S. Code Section 32, which makes it unlawful to damage or destroy an aircraft; the FAA treats drones as aircraft. A conviction can carry up to 20 years in prison, and you also face state reckless-discharge and property-damage liability. Owning the land below does not give you the right to fire at aircraft above it.

### What should I do if a drone keeps flying over my house?

Document it: record the time, the drone's behavior, and any operator you can see. Report unsafe or unauthorized flying to the FAA and report privacy or harassment concerns to your local police. Remote ID can help law enforcement identify the operator. If the drone records into your home or harasses you, a lawyer in your state can advise on privacy or nuisance remedies, which vary by state.

### Can I jam or hack a drone flying over my house?

No. Using a signal jammer is illegal under federal law, and interfering with an aircraft can also implicate the aircraft-sabotage statute. Counter-drone authority, the legal power to disable a drone, is reserved to specific federal agencies. A private homeowner has none. Do not attempt to jam, spoof, take over, or otherwise electronically disable a drone.

### Can I call the police about a drone over my house?

Yes. Local law enforcement is the right first call for a drone that is harassing you, recording you, or being flown recklessly near your home, because privacy and harassment are governed by state and local law. Give them the time, the drone's behavior, and any operator you can see. For airspace-safety issues, such as reckless flying or flying in restricted airspace, you can also report to the FAA.

### Can I sue the drone operator?

Possibly, depending on your state and the facts. State privacy, voyeurism, nuisance, harassment, and trespass laws can give a homeowner a civil claim when a drone records into a home or repeatedly disturbs it. These laws vary substantially by state, so whether you have a claim and what it is worth depends on where you live. A lawyer in your state can advise. This is not legal advice.

### Can I catch or knock down a drone with something other than a gun?

No. The method does not change the law. Netting, throwing objects, spraying water, or otherwise physically bringing down a drone can still violate 18 U.S. Code Section 32 as damaging or disabling an aircraft, plus state property-damage and safety laws. Report the drone and pursue state remedies instead of trying to bring it down yourself.

## Keep reading

- [Which eVTOL company is closest to FAA certification?](/evtol-faa-certification-tracker.md): Drones & eVTOL
- [Is drone delivery legal?](/is-drone-delivery-legal.md): Drones & eVTOL
- [What's the best drone to buy right now?](/whats-the-best-drone-to-buy.md): Drones & eVTOL
- [What's the best drone for beginners?](/best-drone-for-beginners.md): Drones & eVTOL
- [All verified answers](/answers.md): Every standing question DEPLOY tracks.
- [Is it illegal to shoot down a drone?](/is-it-illegal-to-shoot-down-a-drone.md): The federal crime, in detail, and why lasers count too.

_Canonical URL: /can-you-stop-a-drone-from-flying-over-your-house. HTML version: [link](/can-you-stop-a-drone-from-flying-over-your-house)._