California Public Safety Grants

AB 481 Changes the Grant Sequence

California Government Code Section 7070 defines covered military equipment to include unmanned, remotely piloted, powered aerial or ground vehicles. The law-enforcement agencies defined there include police, sheriffs, district attorneys and county probation, with other listed police departments. Section 7071 requires governing-body approval by ordinance adopting a military-equipment use policy before seeking funds, including applying for a grant or accepting local, state, federal or private funds, as well as before acquiring or newly using the equipment.

Publish the proposed policy on the agency website at least 30 days before the public hearing. Document model, quantity, authorized uses, lifetime and recurring costs, training, oversight and civil-liberties safeguards. The governing body must review authorization annually. State law-enforcement divisions have a related policy duty under Section 7073; confirm the correct process for the specific agency.

AB 1160 and AB 740 Were Proposals

AB 1160 (2025–26) would have imposed conditions for law-enforcement purchases of uncrewed aerial or ground vehicles and proposed use of an American data-storage company for collected data. The official bill status says inactive, died on January 31, 2026. Do not describe its January 2026 or 2027 provisions as current mandates.

AB 740 (2023–24) proposed a state drone-cybersecurity regulatory framework but also died. Agencies should still set data-location, retention, access, remote-support and firmware controls through actual law, local policy and applicable award conditions. These proposals are useful context, not compliance authority.

Federal Funds Apply a Separate UAS Test

FAR 40.202 governs federal executive-agency procurement and operation of FASC-prohibited UAS. For California recipients and subrecipients, OMB M-26-02, Appendix D separately implements the American Security Drone Act restriction: since December 22, 2025, federal award funds generally cannot be used to procure or in connection with operating a FASC-prohibited UAS, subject to specified exemptions and federal waivers.

Read the current solicitation, pass-through terms and approved budget before proposing UAS costs. OMB's security guidance also requires federal agencies to incorporate appropriate information-security requirements in grants that fund UAS processing, storing or transmitting federal information. A local-funds purchase does not itself approve federal award spending for the same aircraft's operation.

FCC, Section 889, TAA and Blue UAS

The FCC's foreign-produced UAS Covered List actions principally affect new equipment authorizations; existing equipment authorizations are not automatically revoked. Confirm a model's current authorization and any applicable exception before ordering. FCC status does not establish grant eligibility.

For connected surveillance systems, 2 CFR 200.216 restricts federal award spending on certain covered telecommunications and video-surveillance equipment or services. Section 889 and its contract clauses, TAA country-of-origin rules in covered federal acquisitions, and Blue UAS vetting each address different questions. Verify which terms attach to this grant, contract and system configuration.

California Privacy and Annual Reporting

Under Section 7072, agencies with an approved military-equipment use policy provide annual reports by equipment type, including use, complaints, audits, cost, funding source and quantity; they also hold a community meeting after release. This requires maintaining accurate fleet and funding records throughout the drone's life.

California's separate ALPR law applies to end-users of license-plate information, including surveillance programs using plate readers. Section 1798.90.53 requires reasonable operational, administrative, technical and physical safeguards, plus a public policy addressing access, sharing, audits, accuracy and retention. Apply it when a proposed camera system collects ALPR data; do not assume it is a general rule for every drone image.

Practical California UAS Procurement Checklist

1. 1Identify the agency and mission. Determine whether the buyer is a covered law-enforcement agency under Section 7070 and whether the aircraft falls within the military-equipment definition.
2. 2Get AB 481 approval before seeking funds. Confirm the adopted ordinance and policy cover the proposed model, quantity, use, training, costs and funding request.
3. 3Trace each dollar. Separate local, state, federal direct and federal pass-through funds, and identify every award condition before writing a budget.
4. 4Screen federal UAS restrictions. For federal awards, check the FASC-prohibited UAS definition, OMB M-26-02 Appendix D and written grant terms, including operation costs.
5. 5Verify equipment and components. Record manufacturer, assembler, model, communications hardware, FCC authorization, cameras and network equipment; apply Section 889 or 2 CFR 200.216 where relevant.
6. 6Map the data path. Review telemetry, imagery, cloud region, vendor access, firmware updates, encryption, retention and deletion; apply ALPR rules if plates are collected.
7. 7Check deployment authority. Confirm FAA authorization, agency policy, privacy/evidence procedures and any local flight or launch rules.
8. 8Preserve and report. Keep grant approvals, vendor evidence, procurement review, fleet inventory and annual AB 481 reports together.