Safer Skies Act

CORRECTED (Jul 2026): Enacted as Division H, Title LXXXVI (secs. 8601-8607) of Public Law 119-60 — the FY2026 NDAA, signed December 18, 2025 — not the FY2025 NDAA as previously stated here. Codified at 6 U.S.C. 124n. Extends C-UAS authority to state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement and correctional agencies. Predecessor to the COUNTER Act and secure-our-skies-drone-safety-act.

Implementing rule (July 2026)

DHS and DOJ published an interim final rule (6 CFR / 28 CFR Part 124, effective July 1, 2026) implementing the Act (src-safer-skies-act-counter-uas-rule-2026-07). Key provisions:

• Two-tier certification: an automatic online Detection and Warning Certification, and an in-person Mitigation Certification delivered exclusively through the fbi’s National Counter-UAS Training Center (NCUTC).
• Mandatory advance coordination through a single FBI-operated federal C-UAS portal, routing to FAA airspace review and FCC spectrum authorization (RF-emitting systems require FCC authorization, not mere coordination).
• Real-time air traffic control notification, 48-hour mitigation reporting, and civil penalties up to $100,000 per violation.
• Authority terminates December 31, 2031.

Related Pages

• counter-uas
• fbi
• department-of-homeland-security
• department-of-justice
• national-counter-uas-training-center
• federal-communications-commission

Sources

• src-counter-act-secure-skies-bills-2026-04
• src-safer-skies-act-counter-uas-rule-2026-07 — Jul 6 2026: DHS/DOJ implementing rule; corrects NDAA year to FY2026