State bans drones at Washington Capitol

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Drones will soon no longer be allowed to fly at the Washington state Capitol.

The state Department of Enterprise Services announced Wednesday that it has adopted rules that prohibit ``launching, landing or operating'' of unmanned aircraft or drones on the 486-acre campus. The ban takes effect Feb. 11.

The agency cited potential safety risks for people, risk of interfering with emergency response activities on the Capitol Campus and potential disruption of state business by unmanned aircraft or drone activity.

Remote-control model aircraft and drones used for business or recreational purposes are among those prohibited under the rules. However, the prohibition does not apply to law enforcement or other emergency response.