US state and local police gained federal counter-UAS authority on 1 July. The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security published the joint interim final rule in the Federal Register on 6 July 2026. The 51-page document codifies the SAFER SKIES Act. Congress passed the Act in December 2025 as part of the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act.
The framework authorises qualified state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement and correctional agencies to detect, track and mitigate drones threatening covered facilities and events. Personnel must complete federally approved training through the FBI's National Counter-UAS Training Center. Only technologies approved by DOJ and DHS may be used. Each mitigation event requires a formal report to both departments within 48 hours.
Airspace approval and spectrum coordination with the FCC and FAA are conditions on deployment. Mitigation tools that disrupt drone control links can bleed into adjacent frequencies used by medical evacuation, emergency responder and civil aviation systems. Coordination protocols with local air traffic control are written into the rule.
Funding sits alongside the framework. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Counter-UAS Grant Program carries $250 million for fiscal year 2026, part of a $500 million DHS commitment. All mitigation systems procured through the grant programme this year are earmarked for FIFA World Cup 2026 and America 250 events.
The framework is now in force. Grant-funded deployments concentrate on America 250 and FIFA World Cup 2026 events across the second half of the year. State opt-in and agency certification proceed under the interim rule.
Source: Federal Register document 2026-13609, 6 July 2026; HSToday.