In effect
Moderate protection
Illinois Freedom From Drone Surveillance Act
Illinois · 725 ILCS 167
Illinois requires police to obtain a search warrant before using a drone to gather information, subject to narrow exceptions (terrorism, search-and-rescue, crime-scene reconstruction). The 2023 Drones as First Responders amendments (HB 3902) added regulated exceptions for crowd surveillance and emergency response.
Technical detail
725 ILCS 167 et seq. (Freedom From Drone Surveillance Act), originally P.A. 98-0569; amended by P.A. 103-0398 (HB 3902, 2023).
Who is protected: Illinois residents subject to police drone surveillance
Who must comply: Illinois state and local law enforcement
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Illinois |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Status | In effect |
| Protection strength | Moderate protection |
| Effective date | 2014-01-01 |
| Enacted | 2013-08-16 |
| Citation | 725 ILCS 167 |
| Enforced by | Illinois courts (suppression); Attorney General |
| Private right of action | Yes — individuals can sue |
| Penalties | Inadmissibility of evidence; civil liability for unauthorized use |
| Topics | consumer data privacy · police and surveillance AI |
| Last verified | 2026-06-17 |
| Official source | Illinois Compiled Statutes — Freedom From Drone Surveillance Act (725 ILCS 167) ↗ |
More AI rules in Illinois
- AI Safety Measures Act (frontier model audits) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Algorithmic rent price-fixing ban · Proposed / pending
- Illinois Children's Social Media Safety Act — algorithmic recommendations ban for minors · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Illinois SB 3114 — Transparency in Downcoding Act · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- IL AV local-preemption (2017) · In effect
- BIPA · In effect
Related consumer data privacy rules elsewhere
- Vermont Data Broker Law (H.211) · Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Chatrie v. United States (Fourth Amendment protection for lo · Blocked / in litigation
- House Bill 2512 — Banning surveillance pricing by rideshare · Proposed / pending
- Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) (H.R. 7757) · Proposed / pending
- Maine LD 61 (employer surveillance disclosure & prohibition) · In effect
- Washington SHB 1672 (employee monitoring notice, ADS restrictions, emotion AI ban) · In effect
See something wrong or out of date? Submit a correction — every entry must carry a verifiable official source.