Part 107 in Illinois: Drones and Hunters
Illinois makes it a Class A misdemeanor to use a drone to interfere with someone's lawful hunting or fishing, and revokes licenses for one to five years.
Illinois has one drone rule that catches people by surprise, and it is about wildlife. Under 720 ILCS 5/48-3, using a drone in a way that interferes with another person's lawful taking of wildlife or aquatic life is a Class A misdemeanor. A conviction also means the court revokes any Illinois hunting, fishing or trapping license for one to five years. For Part 107 pilots shooting rural land, forests or lakes, that is the Illinois-specific line to know.
What does the hunter interference law say?
720 ILCS 5/48-3 lists ways to interfere with lawful hunting or fishing. Paragraph (b)(10) covers drones: using a drone in a way that interferes with another person's lawful taking of wildlife or aquatic life. For this paragraph, "drone" means any aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator.
| Detail | What the statute says |
|---|---|
| Who is protected | People lawfully taking wildlife or aquatic life |
| Prohibited | Using a drone in a way that interferes with that taking |
| Penalty | Class A misdemeanor |
| Extra consequence | Court revokes Illinois hunting, fishing or trapping privileges for 1 to 5 years |
In Illinois, a drone flight over a duck blind can cost a hunting license, the pilot's, if they have one.
Who is exempt?
The section does not apply to authorized Department of Natural Resources employees, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers, sheriffs and other peace officers performing official duties, and it carves out landowners, tenants and leaseholders exercising their legal rights to enjoy their land.
When does this matter for commercial work?
Mostly on rural jobs: farmland surveys, timber inspections, lake and river shoots during hunting and fishing seasons. Planning tips that follow from the statute:
- check local season dates for the area before scheduling;
- ask the landowner whether anyone hunts or fishes the property on your shoot day;
- keep the drone away from hunters, blinds and boats you can see.
What federal rules matter most in Illinois?
Chicago sits under Class B airspace, with O'Hare and Midway close together, so much Chicago-area work needs authorization under §107.41 through LAANC. Spotting hunters on a wide field is also a visual line of sight problem: a visual observer helps. Farm and field work is covered in the agriculture guide.
What this means for the exam
Illinois law is not on the FAA knowledge test. The airspace around Chicago is a good sectional chart exercise for it; the chart reading guide covers the symbols.
Other states are compared in the state drone laws guide, including Michigan next door.
State laws are not on the FAA test. The free diagnostic covers what is.
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