so i just got my first drone like two weeks ago, its a mini 3 pro, and i want to take it out to the beach this weekend but i have no idea if thats even allowed. i live near santa monica and i keep reading different things online. some sites say you need permits some say its fine as long as youre under 400ft. also does the FAA rule about registration apply to me? the drone is under 250g i think or close to it. honestly im just confused because it seems like theres federal rules and then california has its own rules and then the city probably has its own thing too and i dont know which one actually matters

yeah this is one of those things that trips everyone up at first. basically the way it works is federal law (FAA) is the floor, but states and cities can layer their own restrictions on top of that. so even if the FAA says youre good, the state park or city beach authority can still tell you no. santa monica specifically is pretty strict, the pier area and a lot of the beach near there falls under city jurisdiction and last i checked they require a film permit for any drone flying, doesnt matter what size. id look up the specific beach you want to fly at on the city of santa monica website and also check if its near any class B or C airspace because LAX is close enough that some of that coast is restricted. the mini 3 pro is just over 249g btw so you do need to register it with the FAA, takes like 5 minutes on the dronezone site and its like $5

dont fly near santa monica without checking first, i got stopped by a ranger there last summer and he was not messing around about it. he didnt fine me but he made me pack it up and said if he saw it again he was calling it in. the beach areas out there are just not worth the hassle honestly. if you want ocean shots i've had way better luck finding random coastal spots outside the city limits where nobody is around