Salem council votes to study delivery drone rules before they arrive
Salem city councilors voted unanimously Monday night to start studying how the city could regulate package-delivery drones before the technology becomes common in Oregon.
Councilor Paul Tigan brought the motion at the Oct. 12 meeting. He asked colleagues to look at the city's authority under state law and to work toward taking the issue to the Oregon Legislature, Salem Reporter reported.
Why Tigan wants rules now
Tigan said he is worried about what large delivery drones would mean for people who live near launch sites, including noise, privacy, and safety. He pictured aircraft heavy enough to move small household goods across town.
"I think this is going to be something that the public isn't going to enjoy," Tigan said, according to coverage that quoted his remarks. "If there is one truism that I know about drones … it is that the person who likes the drone is the person flying it. No one else likes it. And that is going to be true when 80-pound drones are delivering five-pound packages of toothpaste across our city. It is not my idea of what Salem should look like."
The Statesman Journal, in a separate report on the same council session, said Tigan's motion cited companies such as Amazon Prime Air and focused on noise and privacy impacts.
What the motion directs staff to do
The approved motion tells city staff to research how much power Salem already has under Oregon statutes to regulate aerial package delivery, and to draft a proposal the city could take to the Legislature. The idea, according to reporting on the vote, is legislation that would let cities set the time, place, and manner of drone deliveries.
Staff are expected to release a report on possible frameworks later this year, with chances for public comment. The Monday vote does not itself ban drones or adopt new city code. It starts a study and a push for clearer local tools.
Portland is moving too
Salem's step comes as Portland takes its own early action. On Oct. 14, Portland City Council voted 11-0 to begin the process of considering a moratorium on facilities that support commercial delivery drones, OPB reported. The vote does not impose a pause by itself. Under state land-use rules, it opens a window of at least 45 days before council can adopt a moratorium.
OPB said Amazon applied last month for a land-use permit to build a drone delivery base at its North Portland warehouse and had been scheduled to meet with city permitting staff the week of Oct. 20. Amazon canceled that meeting Tuesday and had not rescheduled as of OPB's reporting. Amazon's program delivers packages under 5 pounds within about 7.5 miles of a hub and operates in 11 U.S. cities, according to OPB.
Amazon did not immediately respond to OPB's request for comment on the Portland plan. Willamette News found no public statement from Amazon responding to Salem's Oct. 12 vote.
What happens next in Salem
City staff will study options and report back. Any local rules that need new state authority would have to go through the Legislature, most likely in a future session. Residents who want to weigh in can follow Salem City Council agendas and the public comment periods that follow the staff report.
Federal aviation rules still govern much of how drones fly in U.S. airspace. Cities often focus on land use, ground facilities, and quality-of-life impacts that federal rules leave to local governments. Salem's motion aims at that gap.
Sources
Salem Reporter: City councilors vote unanimously to explore delivery drone regulations (Oct. 15, 2026)
Statesman Journal: Coverage of the Oct. 12 council session noting Tigan's drone-delivery motion
OPB: Portland considers moratorium on delivery drones (Oct. 14, 2026)
Hyperlocal Loop: Summary of the Salem vote citing Salem Reporter
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