- | 2023 State Drone Commerce Rankings 2023 State Drone Commerce Rankings
- | Feature Feature
- |
Maine | 2023 State Drone Commerce Scorecard
Maine ranks 35th in its readiness for commercial drone services
Rank: 35 (tied)
Maine tied with Florida, Pennsylvania, and Utah for 35th place in the 2023 State Drone Commerce Scorecard rankings. The state scored 32 out of 100 possible points in how prepared it is for commercial drone services.
The Six Factors Contributing to the Overall Score
A Score in Gray Indicates a Score Below the Median of All States
10 / 30
Airspace Lease Law
Maine law allows local authorities to lease low-altitude airspace above local roads, which allows local officials to create drone highways above these roadways. However, the law is silent as to whether state officials can lease airspace above state roads.
0 / 25
Avigation Easement Law
Maine law does not create an avigation easement, which means drone operators may be subject to nuisance and trespass laws, even if their drones do not disturb people on the ground.
20 / 20
Task Force or Program Office
In March 2023, Maine’s director of aviation began to charter and form a drone task force that will develop statewide policy recommendations on the operation, use, and regulation of drones.
0 / 10
Sandbox
Maine does not have a drone sandbox. State officials should consider dedicating state facilities and airspace to commercial drone testing.
0 / 10
Law Vesting Landowners with Air Rights
Maine law does not expressly provide air rights to landowners, which raises litigation risk for drone operators.
2 / 5
Jobs Estimate
Maine is in the fourth quintile when it comes to the number of drone-related jobs per 100,000 people.
How Maine Scored Relative to Its Peers
Commercial drone-readiness scores vary across the nation. To give state leaders and residents insight into how their state compares, we have provided the scores of four state peers. In this case, these peers are selected because of their geographic and political similarities.
Maine scored 32 of out 100 possible points. The top ranked state in 2023 was Arkansas, which scored 90 points.