Massachusetts Lawmakers Seek Drone Delivery Pause

Sixteen Massachusetts legislators have asked Governor Maura Healey to set up a task force on commercial drone delivery and to freeze state certificates for delivery operators until its work is done, as Amazon plans a drone hub in Westborough. It is a request, not policy, and the governor’s office has not endorsed it.

In a letter dated 19 October, addressed to the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general and copied to the state transport department, the lawmakers ask for “a moratorium on any state agency accepting or processing any application for a certificate from any commercial drone delivery operator until that review and regulatory update is complete”.

Amazon’s Westborough site set off the push

According to a release from State Senator Michael Moore, Amazon plans to fly Prime Air drones from a 200,000-square-foot site on Otis Street in Westborough. The drones would carry items under 5lbs, with up to 1,000 deliveries a day within 7.5 miles. The letter lists 15 towns and cities in that radius, from Hopkinton and Shrewsbury to Worcester, which it says “have suddenly found themselves opted into a new form of air commerce”.

“Our window to regulate drone delivery services is closing,” Moore said. Kane, one of the signatories, warned that “drone delivery once started will spread statewide”.

The letter also points to DoorDash, which it says holds FAA Part 135 approval, to argue that the issue goes beyond one company. It describes future drones carrying everyday orders such as “a coffee or hot meal”.

The letter leans on the FAA’s own words about state powers

Airspace is federal territory, so the lawmakers focus on the ground. The letter quotes the FAA saying “it is well established that States have a valid interest in choosing where aircraft may operate on the ground”, meaning where drones take off and land. DroneXL reported that, in its reading, existing state aeronautics rules could give MassDOT a role in certifying such landing sites, which is the lever the lawmakers want paused.

Locally, opposition has already moved. DroneXL reported that Westborough voters backed a ban on drone pads by 510 to 13, a measure that still needs sign-off from the attorney general and MassDOT Aeronautics, with the Planning Board due to meet on 10 November. Moore’s release says a zoning appeal is set for 2 November.

Healey’s office was non-committal. “We are evaluating our options to make sure that the community’s interests are protected,” spokesperson Jacqui Manning said, as quoted by DroneXL from State House News Service and The Boston Globe.

Siting, not airspace, is where states can slow drones

The significance is the method. States cannot ban drones from the sky, but if take-off and landing sites need state certificates, pausing those certificates halts operations in practice without challenging federal control of airspace. If Massachusetts adopts the idea, other states facing Prime Air expansion would have a ready template. Moore’s release notes Prime Air already runs in 13 cities across 10 states.

There are limits. A freeze on applications would not undo approvals already granted, and Amazon could challenge any state action. The letter is also only a request to the executive branch, with no bill attached.

The contrast with elsewhere is sharp. Wing and Walmart have rolled out delivery across Charlotte from seven stores, and in London Matternet and Apian have started NHS drone deliveries at Great Ormond Street. Governments elsewhere are also tightening control of the drone industry, as with China’s revised drone export controls.

The next dates to watch are the 2 November zoning appeal and the Westborough Planning Board meeting on 10 November.