The NPPA is urging California Gov. Jerry Brown to veto legislation that would restrict the use of drones over private property without the owner's consent.

The legislation would make flying a drone less than 350 feet above private property without consent a trespass violation. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), author of the bill, has said the measure would prevent camera-equipped drones from peeping into windows or other invasions of privacy. 

In a letter to the governor, the National Press Photographers Assn. said the restrictions would be “impossible to comply with, impossible to enforce.”

If signed into law, news photographers using drones could be sued if the drone strayed onto someone’s property while “gathering newsworthy information at a different nearby location.”

The organization also said it’s difficult for a property owner, standing on the ground, to determine a drone’s exact altitude or location, and that may lead to erroneous legal claims.

The bill, SB 142, was approved by both the Assembly and Senate and awaits consideration by the governor.

H/T LA Times