A deaf woman in Sonoma County was fined up to $35,000 after officials used warrantless drones to surveil her property. A new lawsuit says she’s not the only one being secretly monitored.
Key Facts:
- Sonoma County used drones over 700 times, capturing 5,600+ images of private property without warrants.
- Nichola Schmitz, a deaf woman, was fined up to $35,000 based on drone footage of her home.
- Drones flew as low as 25 feet and used cameras with up to 200x zoom and thermal imaging.
- Drone use began as a cannabis crackdown but has shifted to finding other code violations.
- The ACLU of Northern California has filed a lawsuit, arguing the surveillance violates constitutional rights.
The Rest of The Story:
Sonoma County officials have used drones to fly over private properties without warrants, snapping images of people’s yards, hot tubs, and even interiors.
Nichola Schmitz discovered the practice only after a drone circled her home and led to thousands in fines.
“At first, she thought the drone might have been flown by a neighbor,” the article states, but later found it was the government itself looking for violations.
Though originally intended to bust illegal cannabis grows, the county’s drone program has expanded.
In 2022, nearly all flights were cannabis-related.
But by 2023, half were focused on other code violations, such as unpermitted structures or grading work.
The drones are equipped with powerful zoom lenses and thermal imaging, allowing operators to see through structures and into homes.
Despite the intrusive nature of these flights, the county doesn’t publish its drone policies online and never informed property owners that drone footage was used to issue fines.
In one instance, a drone operator admitted seeing people “in a state of undress,” adding only, “We turn around.”
Commentary:
If using a drone to peek into people’s yards, bedrooms, and hot tubs without a warrant isn’t an unreasonable search, what is?
Sonoma County’s use of drones to comb private property for petty violations crosses a line that should alarm every homeowner.
It’s not enforcement—it’s surveillance.
The county’s actions resemble a fishing expedition.
With cameras that zoom in 56x and thermal imaging capable of seeing through walls, these aren’t just tools—they’re invasive weapons being used against the very citizens who pay their salaries.
Instead of responding to specific complaints, officials are flying drones low over fenced-in areas, seemingly hoping to catch someone in the act of living on their own land.
Nichola Schmitz’s case is particularly egregious.
She’s deaf.
Her late father built the cabin in question over 40 years ago.
And yet, she’s being financially punished by a government that never knocked on her door or filed for a warrant.
What was once a system to maintain community standards now looks like a cash grab dressed up in regulatory clothing.
The fact that this program started with cannabis enforcement is telling.
Once the “crime” dried up, the county simply repurposed the drones to find other sources of revenue.
That kind of mission creep reveals what this is really about: squeezing more dollars from law-abiding citizens by treating everyone like a suspect.
Let’s not overlook the fact that many of these building and land-use codes are so dense that even honest property owners can unknowingly violate them.
Enforcement should be about maintaining safety and neighborly standards, not issuing surprise fines from above.
Even worse, these penalties aren’t capped.
Fines can accumulate daily, quickly becoming massive.
The lawsuit notes at least one homeowner fined over $150,000.
That’s not regulation—it’s financial warfare.
In a free society, citizens shouldn’t have to draw the curtains in fear of government cameras.
If Sonoma County suspects a real violation, they should do what every law enforcement agency is supposed to do: get a warrant.
Otherwise, this is nothing short of government spying.
The Bottom Line:
Sonoma County’s drone program has morphed into a tool for secret surveillance and aggressive code enforcement.
Homeowners like Nichola Schmitz are paying the price—literally—for violations discovered without warrants or due process.
This lawsuit could set a crucial precedent for how far local governments can go in their quest to regulate property.
For now, it’s a cautionary tale: the government is watching, even when you think you’re alone.
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