Procedures for approved drone flights over people on farms

The exemption removes duplicate approval work, not the core flight rules

CASA has updated an exemption for approved operators flying over areas where many people are present. The change may remove the need for a separate populous-area approval in some cases.

It is not a general permit to fly over people. An operator must already hold a current approval that falls within the exemption. The flight must also meet the exemption’s scope and conditions.

The exemption covers very small, small and medium remotely piloted aircraft. All other Part 101 rules still apply. Operators must follow their operations manual and every condition attached to their approvals.

That distinction matters on farms. A mapping, spraying or stock task may run near workers, contractors or visitors. It may also cross land that CASA treats as a populous area. The new exemption can simplify the approval path, but it does not remove the need to classify the flight correctly.

Operators should therefore treat the change as an approval check, not as a broad easing of flight controls. CASA’s official notice on the updated exemption is the starting point. The full exemption contains the definitions and conditions that decide whether a planned flight qualifies.

For the wider operating framework, see our guide to Agricultural drone rules in Australia (CASA). The updated exemption sits within that framework rather than replacing it.

Existing approvals can open the simpler path

The key question is whether the operator already holds a current approval listed by CASA. If not, the updated exemption does not create a new approval by itself.

CASA lists several approval pathways. They cover flights close to uninvolved people, flights within another person’s safety zone, and certain populous-area operations.

Current approval held	CASA reference	Why it matters
Approval to fly within 30 metres of people not directly involved in the flight	Regulation 101.029 of CASR	It can trigger use of the updated exemption
Approval to fly in, or over, another person’s safety zone	CASA 20/25	It can also trigger the exemption
Approval to fly a very small, small or medium RPA over a populous area outside an approved area	Paragraph 101.250(1)(b) of CASR	CASA lists this as an exemption pathway
Approval to fly over a populous area	Subregulation 101.280(2) of CASR	CASA also lists this pathway

An operator should match the wording of the current approval against the planned task. A general belief that the crew is “approved to fly near people” is not enough. The approval and its conditions must cover the actual operation.

This is especially important when a farm task changes after planning. A crop survey may start as a flight over open land, then extend towards an occupied work area. A livestock mission may also move towards people who are not part of the flight.

Those changes may alter which approval or condition matters. Operators working around stock can review the task design in Drones for livestock monitoring, but the CASA approval check remains separate.

Aircraft category still sets the boundary

The updated exemption applies only to very small, small and medium RPA. An operator must confirm the aircraft category before relying on it.

CASA’s notice does not say that every flight by an aircraft in those categories is exempt from separate approval. Category is only part of the test. The operator must also hold a current approval that matches a listed pathway.

Check	What the operator needs to establish
Aircraft scope	The RPA is very small, small or medium
Approval status	The relevant approval is current
Approval type	It matches a pathway listed by CASA
Planned operation	The flight fits the approval and its conditions
Operating documents	The operations manual covers the planned work
Remaining rules	All other applicable Part 101 rules are met

Farm businesses should make this check for the aircraft assigned to the job, not merely for the wider fleet. A suitable approval does not bring an aircraft outside the stated categories into the exemption.

Payload choice can also change how a farm plans a mission, even though the exemption question remains legal rather than technical. Mapping crews can use Agricultural drone sensors explained to define the sensor task before checking the proposed route against their approvals.

The practical order is simple: define the aircraft, task and route, then test that plan against the approval. Starting with the exemption and trying to shape the job around it risks missing a condition in the operations manual.

The operations manual remains binding

The updated exemption does not displace an operator’s operations manual. CASA states that operators must follow the manual and all approved conditions.

That means crews should not remove existing controls simply because a separate populous-area approval may no longer be needed. If the manual sets out how the operator plans, briefs or conducts the relevant type of flight, those steps still govern the job.

The same applies to conditions attached to an approval. The exemption may reduce duplicated approval work, but it does not erase limits already imposed on the operator. A flight that falls outside those conditions needs a fresh legal assessment.

Before work starts, compare the planned operation with the documents that control it. The review should cover:

• the current approval and its exact scope;
• the aircraft category;
• the route and work area;
• the presence of people not directly involved in the flight;
• any other person’s safety zone;
• the operations manual; and
• every approved condition relevant to the task.

Keep the planned farm outcome separate from the legal basis for the flight. A useful agronomic job is not automatically an approved aviation operation. For example, Precision agriculture mapping with drones explains the mapping workflow, while the exemption decides whether a particular approval path is available.

If the documents do not clearly align, do not assume the exemption fills the gap. Check the full legislative instrument and the conditions that apply to the operator.

A short procedure can prevent the wrong exemption call

Operators should add a clear exemption check to mission planning. The aim is to record why the flight qualifies, rather than relying on a crew member’s memory.

Before accepting the task

Define the intended route, the work area and where people may be present. Decide whether the job may involve a populous area, uninvolved people or another person’s safety zone.

Then identify the current approval that could trigger the exemption. Record its CASR or CASA basis and check that it remains current.

Before assigning the aircraft

Confirm that the RPA falls within the very small, small or medium category. If it does not, do not rely on this exemption.

Check the aircraft against the task as planned. A fleet-level note is less useful than a check tied to the aircraft and operation.

Before the flight

Read the relevant part of the operations manual and the approved conditions. Confirm that the planned scenario is covered.

Brief the crew on the basis for the flight. If the route, people on site or work area changes, reassess the plan before continuing under the same exemption basis.

After a material planning change

Return to the approval check. Do not treat an earlier decision as valid for a different route or operating setting.

This procedure does not add a new CASA rule. It gives the operator a clean way to show how the current approval, aircraft category and planned flight fit together.

The wider policy change is not the same as the exemption

CASA has also consulted on a broader framework for drone operations over or near people. That policy work is separate from the updated exemption.

The proposal sought a more proportionate, risk-based approach. Its stated aims included reducing the burden for lower-risk operations, focusing effort on higher-risk work and keeping strong safety outcomes for people on the ground.

CASA asked when drones weighing 250 grams or less could operate over or near people without approval. It also considered operations where a suitable barrier or structure physically separates people from the drone. CASA gave buildings and stationary vehicles as examples.

The consultation also addressed clearer approval pathways and stronger expectations around concepts of operations and emergency response planning. It considered laceration risk, impact energy, moving vehicles, and flights near major gatherings or organised events.

The consultation opened on 22 Apr 2026 and closed on 31 May 2026. CASA published updated results on 13 Aug 2026. It received 185 responses from commercial operators, remote pilots, recreational flyers, organisations and members of the public.

Respondents broadly supported a more proportionate, risk-based approach. They also asked for practical guidance and clearer approval processes. CASA says the feedback will inform further policy work and any future changes.

Operators should not treat those proposals as if they already replaced current rules. The updated exemption is the live, specific change discussed here; the wider framework remains policy work informed by the consultation.

The safe reading is narrow and document-led

For farm operators, the benefit is less duplicated approval work where a current approval already matches CASA’s exemption pathways. That can make some populous-area missions simpler to plan.

The limit is just as clear. The exemption only covers very small, small and medium RPA, and all other Part 101 rules still apply. The operations manual and approved conditions remain binding.

The right test is therefore not, “Can this aircraft fly over people now?” It is, “Does this planned flight fit the updated exemption, the current approval and every other rule that applies?”

Make that check from the documents before the aircraft leaves the ground. If the task changes, run it again.