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West Virginia | 2023 State Drone Scorecard
West Virginia ranks 30th in its readiness for commercial drone services
Rank: 30 (tied)
West Virginia tied with Oregon for 30th place in the 2023 State Drone Commerce Scorecard rankings. The state scored 35 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
West Virginia law allows state authorities to lease low-altitude airspace above state roads, which allows state officials to create drone highways above these roadways. However, the law is silent as to whether local officials can lease airspace above local roads.
0 / 25
Avigation Easement Law
West Virginia 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
The state legislature created a drone and advanced aviation mobility task force in 2022, overseen by the Department of Economic Development.
0 / 10
Sandbox
West Virginia 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
West Virginia law does not expressly provide air rights to landowners, which raises litigation risk for drone operators.
5 / 5
Jobs Estimate
West Virginia is in the top quintile when it comes to the number of drone-related jobs per 100,000 people.
How West Virginia 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.
West Virginia scored 35 of out 100 possible points. The top ranked state in 2023 was Arkansas, which scored 90 points.