Snooping on your neighbor with a drone could soon be illegal according to new bill

A new bill will soon make it illegal to snoop on your neighbor with a drone.

Called the Drone Integration and Zoning Act, the proposal deems airspace up to 200 feet over someone’s home as their private property meaning punishments for trespassing could be enforced.

The motion aims to distribute some of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) authority over the nation’s airspace to localities and private citizens by redefining ‘navigable airspace’.

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Sen. Mike Lee said from Utah, proposed the bill to congress on Wednesday stating, ‘The FAA cannot feasibly or efficiently oversee millions of drones in every locality throughout the country.’

‘The reason that the states have sovereign police powers to protect the property of their citizens is because issues of land use, privacy, trespass, and law enforcement make sense at the state and local level.’

‘The best way to ensure public safety and allow this innovative industry to thrive is to empower the people closest to the ground to make local decisions in real time and that is exactly what the Drone Integration and Zoning Act does.’

The bill would prohibit any commercial or recreational drone operators from flying the devices 200 feet above a property without official consent from the landowner.

It also hands local authorities more power over where these unmanned vehicles can take off and land, reason.com reported.

Lee’s bill is an attempt to give greater clarity to what is a somewhat murky legal situation. For now, the FAA recommends operating drones ‘at or below 400 feet.’

The new proposal comes years after a dispute over a drone made headlines and hopes to out clear laws in place so there is no confusion for if and when something like this happens again.

A man dubbed the Drone Slayer for shooting a miniature aircraft out of the sky has had a criminal case against him thrown out in 2015.

William Meredith drew his shotgun and took out a Phantom 3 drone after spotting it above his home in Hillview, Kentucky – landing him in jail and prompting legal proceedings.

Meredith was charged with criminal mischief and wanton endangerment for destroying the $900 drone in July.