Policy Watchtower/Consultation
FBI opens 30-day comment period on counter-drone forms for tribal police
Justice DepartmentConsultationNov 4, 2026
Check: Tribal law enforcement agencies that take on counter-drone (counter-UAS) authority under the SAFER SKIES Act face a new federal reporting and recordkeeping collection, and public comments are due December 4, 2026.
What it does
SAFER SKIES is the act that extends counter-UAS detection and mitigation authority to state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement and correctional agencies, implemented through an interim at 6 CFR and 28 CFR part 124. This FBI notice seeks approval for the 14 forms those agencies must file to coordinate, get authorized for, and report on that work, and the current emergency approval expires November 30, 2026. Tribal law enforcement agencies are named among the respondents, and the notice does not establish a program or for tribes.
Why it matters for tribal funding
Tribes eligible. Tribes or Native organizations are among those who can apply or are covered, alongside others.
Who it covers: Tribal governments.
Rules it touches: 6 CFR 124, 28 CFR 124
What to do next
- Submit any comments by 2026-12-04 by email to the FBI Counter-UAS Operations Unit, or at reginfo.gov under OMB Control Number 1110-0090.
- Have tribal law enforcement leads review the listed forms (C-UAS-ATT, C-UAS-OPLAN, C-UAS-AN, and others) before the FBI web portal goes live in the second or third quarter of fiscal year 2027.
Sources
Every signal is built from public records. The highlighted words appear in the source exactly as shown.
- Federal Register: tribal termsNoticeNov 4, 2026
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; SAFER SKIES State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Counter-UAS Information Collection
Quoted from the source: “Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 30 days until December 4, 2026.”
Quoted from the source: “extends counter-UAS detection and mitigation authority to State, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement and correctional agencies under 6 U.S.C. 124n(a)(2)”
Quoted from the source: “The current approval was granted on an emergency basis and expires November 30, 2026.”
Read in the Federal RegisterU.S. government record, public domain.
Terms with a dotted underline open a plain-language definition. This is guidance, not legal advice: the official text always controls. A free public service from GrantsPath, a Native-owned business.