Foreign Drone Purchasing and Texas Public Agency Restrictions
Published
Federal and state restrictions in effect. Law checked through October 18, 2026.
A frontier sheriff chose his horse with care, because the horse decided whether he came home. A Texas fire chief or county sheriff choosing a drone fleet today faces a narrower choice, set not by the market but by three separate sets of rules that rarely refer to one another.
The first is federal and reaches the market itself. On December 22, 2025, the FCC added foreign-produced unmanned aircraft systems and their critical components to its Covered List, with later updates through July 21, 2026, and exceptions for drones on the Blue UAS Cleared List and drones that meet Buy American standards. The listing bars new equipment authorizations; it does not by itself order anyone to ground a drone already owned.
The second follows federal money. The American Security Drone Act, enacted December 22, 2023, barred federal agencies from operating covered foreign drones, and federal funds from being used to buy or operate them, beginning December 22, 2025. Section 1830 confirms that the Act does not prevent a state, local, or territorial law enforcement or emergency service agency from buying or operating a covered drone with non-federal dollars. A Texas agency spending a federal grant is bound; one spending its own budget is not, under that statute.
The third is Texas. The Department of Information Resources maintains a prohibited technologies list, last updated February 4, 2026, of software and hardware barred from state-owned devices and networks. SZ DJI Technology and Autel Robotics appear on its hardware list. Separately, Government Code chapter 620 requires governmental entities, including local ones, to bar covered applications from their devices.
The result is a patchwork. A state agency, a city, and a volunteer fire department may face different answers to the same purchase.
Limits
Each regime has its own definitions of what is covered and its own exceptions; a drone barred under one may be permitted under another. The Act's procurement, operation, and funding restrictions sunset on December 22, 2028.
Sources
- FCC Covered List, UAS entry (Dec. 22, 2025)
- American Security Drone Act of 2023, Pub. L. 118-31, ยงยง 1821-1833
- OMB M-26-02
- Texas DIR, Prohibited Technologies (updated Feb. 4, 2026)
- Tex. Gov't Code ch. 620