Last updated on April 12th, 2026 at 11:55 pm
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No—the FAA does not currently have the ability or authority to track your drone directly. If your drone is registered, the FAA has registration details about you and the aircraft, but that is not the same thing as watching your drone move around in real time.
A proposal made at the end of 2019 would have given the FAA more authority to do that, but it has not been implemented in the source material here. That is why people still have to separate actual tracking from registration, manufacturer features, radar detection, and privacy concerns.
Those pieces get mixed together a lot, so it helps to look at each one on its own. If you want the latest wording from the agency, check the FAA’s Remote ID page as well.
What the FAA can and cannot do right now
At the moment, the FAA can keep registration information, but that is not the same as tracking a drone’s live location. In plain terms, having your drone registered does not mean the FAA is following it on a map every time you fly.
If privacy is a big part of your decision to buy or fly, it is worth thinking through whether a drone is worth it for the way you plan to use it. Some pilots care mostly about the camera and flight time; others care more about how much information is tied to the aircraft.
The big change to watch for is whether rules like the 2019 proposal ever become active. Until then, registration and tracking are two very different things.
Can DJI drones be tracked?
Based on the source article, DJI does not currently have location tracking enabled in a way that saves or sends the drone’s position to a company or outside entity. That could always change later through software updates, but it is not described as an active feature here.
Some people want manufacturers to build in tracking so lost or stolen drones can be recovered more easily. The trade-off is obvious: the same kind of feature that helps you find a missing drone can also create privacy concerns if the system is hacked or the information falls into the wrong hands.
Some DJI drones do include a Find My Drone feature. In the source article, that feature gives a general last known location rather than an exact live position, which can still be helpful when the drone goes down in trees, water, or brush.
Can drones be detected by radar?
Normal radar used by airports, planes, and similar traffic systems generally cannot see drones very well. That is one reason drones are required to stay clear of certain places and airspace.
Specialty radar can detect smaller objects, including drones, but it can be hard to tell the difference between a drone and a bird. The source article points out that owls can have a wingspan of over 4 feet and weigh around 3 pounds, which puts them in the same general size range as some recreational drones.
That makes detection a little messy. As radar improves, spotting drones will likely get easier, but bird-versus-drone identification is still part of the problem.
What happens if you fly your drone over 400 feet?
In the USA, flying a drone over 400 feet is against FAA rules. Other countries use different height limits, but the general idea is similar: keep the drone within the legal ceiling for the area you are flying in.
If you want a broader look at airspace and flying locations, our guide to where you can fly an RC plane covers the kind of real-world flying restrictions hobby pilots run into.
As the source material notes, if nothing happens and nobody catches it, there may be no immediate consequence. But if the FAA catches a violation, fines and other penalties can follow, especially if the flight creates a risk for an aircraft.
- Brief accidental altitude spikes are different from repeatedly ignoring the limit.
- Flying extremely high near manned aircraft can lead to serious consequences.
- The biggest risk is not just the rule itself, but the safety problem it can create.
What to do if a drone is spying on you
If a drone is hovering near your home or filming in a way that makes you feel like you are being watched, the source article recommends calling local police. That is usually the safest first step.
If the drone is actually over your property line or very close to your windows, the situation may be different. For more on that side of things, see our guide to private-property flight rules.
The article also notes that people sometimes use a fishing net or similar method to bring a drone down, but that can leave you liable for damage. In general, it is better to document what is happening and let law enforcement handle it.
It is also worth remembering that modern cameras and drones can make privacy a challenge even when the aircraft is not right above you. A drone does not need to be inches away to make someone uncomfortable.
How to track a lost drone
A lost drone can be tracked if you planned ahead and added a tracker or downloaded software that helps you find it. Most drone manufacturers do not have access to your drone’s location for privacy reasons, so they usually cannot locate it for you.
That means the best recovery tools are the ones already on the drone before it goes missing. If the aircraft is already in the water, in a tree, or buried in brush, you need some kind of tracking aid that was set up ahead of time.
| Tracking method | What it can do | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party tracker | Helps locate the drone if it is lost | Only works if it was installed before the flight |
| Manufacturer software | May give recovery help or last known location | Often not exact |
| DJI Find My Drone | Shows a general last known location | Not a live exact track |
| Nothing installed | No special tracking support | You are left searching visually |
Some DJI drones have a Find My Drone feature that can point you to the last known location. That can save a lot of time, but it is not the same as watching the aircraft move in real time.
Practical takeaways for drone pilots
If you care about privacy, keep your drone registration, manufacturer settings, and recovery features in mind before you fly. A registered drone is not automatically a tracked drone, but more rules and more remote identification systems can change that picture over time.
If you lose a drone, the best case is having a tracker or a built-in recovery feature already set up. If you are worried about privacy, the best case is knowing exactly what your drone and app can share before you even take off.
For most hobbyists, the useful mindset is simple: know the current rules, use only the features you actually want, and do not assume every drone is invisible or untraceable.
FAQ
Can the FAA track my drone in real time?
No, not based on the source article. The FAA can have registration information, but that is different from live drone tracking.
Can DJI track a lost drone?
DJI does not currently have drone location tracking enabled in the way many people worry about, but some DJI drones do have a Find My Drone feature that gives a general last known location.
What happens if I fly over 400 feet?
Flying over 400 feet is against FAA rules in the USA. If you get caught, or if the flight creates a safety issue with an aircraft, fines and other penalties can happen.
What should I do if a drone keeps hovering near my property?
The source article recommends calling local police. If the drone is actually on your property or right up against your windows, you may have more recourse than if it is simply nearby.
Conclusion
Right now, the FAA does not track your drone directly, but that could change if future rules give it more authority. For now, the bigger issues are registration, privacy, manufacturer features, and whether you have a way to recover a lost drone.
If you fly regularly, it pays to know the rules before you take off. That keeps you safer, keeps your flights more predictable, and helps you avoid problems you do not need.