Unmanned Aircraft Flight Restriction (UAFR)
A new airspace designation proposed by the faa in a May 6, 2026 notice of proposed rulemaking (docket FAA-2026-4558), “Restrict the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to a Fixed Site Facility” (src-faa-drone-rule-critical-infrastructure-2026-05). A UAFR creates a legal “virtual no-trespassing sign” over a specific fixed-site facility — horizontal boundary at the property line, vertical ceiling generally 400 ft AGL, 5-year renewable term.
Variants
- Standard UAFR — for operators of the 16 critical-infrastructure sectors defined by NSM-22. Transit permitted for FAA Parts 91 / 107 / 108 / 135 / 137 operators carrying remote-id.
- Special UAFR — for federally sponsored sensitive sites under DHS, DoD, DoE, DoJ, or FAA sponsorship. Far stricter access controls.
Eligibility examples (Standard)
- Power plants ≥ 500 MW
- Oil refineries ≥ 100,000 bpd
- Prisons ≥ 500 inmates (state prisons newly eligible under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024)
- Commercial venues ≥ 2.5M annual attendance
- Data centers ≥ 1 Tbps
- Level I trauma centers with helipads
Food/agriculture and water/wastewater sectors lack draft eligibility criteria; FAA is soliciting comment.
Prerequisites (§74.56)
Four protective security measures, all required before a UAFR is approved:
- Restricted access
- Designated security personnel
- Security monitoring
- Remote ID receiving capability (14 CFR part 89-compatible; in-house or contracted)
Important limitations
- A UAFR is a legal designation only. It does NOT grant detection or mitigation authority — those still flow from 6 U.S.C. 124n, 10 U.S.C. 130i, and other federal C-UAS statutes.
- Application has four stages (eligibility, need, externalities, NEPA review); FAA targets 90-day final-determination after submission.
- FAA estimates 10,000 application cost; example Remote ID receiver: ~1,000/year.
Significance
Framed by airsight as “the clearest signal yet” that critical-infrastructure airspace protection is shifting from discretionary security investment to a regulated capability. Civilian/critical-infrastructure analogue to the military-base authority expansion in the COUNTER Act (2026 NDAA).
Comment period closes July 6, 2026.