Lake County presents draft drone policy for cannabis code enforcement; supervisors ask for clearer privacy limits and reporting

County Community Development staff presented a draft drone-usage policy to the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 12, describing a three-part approach intended to support code enforcement and evidence collection for suspected illegal cannabis cultivation.

Maria Turner, community development director, said the policy work was funded in part by Proposition 64 cohort 3 money and follows up on earlier satellite imagery and training. “We have developed a 3 part policy. The first policy is a policy on inspection warrants that outlines the process for assessing, privacy expectations, scope, and legal requirements ahead of our drone use. And then policy 2 is a drone operations policy ... And the 3rd policy is a records retention policy,” Turner said.

Marcus, a community development staff member, described the intended operational limits: launches from public vantage points, flights focused on remote parcels and reliance on the open-field…