48-Hour Incident Reporting
Under the SAFER SKIES Act and the DOJ–DHS Interim Final Rule (§124.13), every mitigation action must be reported to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security within 48 hours. The IFR adds consolidated, recurring-venue, and persistent-protection report formats.
THE REQUIREMENT
What the Law Requires
Any SLTT agency that exercises its counter-drone authority under the SAFER SKIES Act must submit an incident report to both DOJ and DHS within 48 hours of each incident. The clock starts the moment the incident occurs — not when your report is drafted, reviewed, or approved internally.
This is a mandatory statutory obligation. There is no waiver process, and no extension mechanism exists in the current statute. The interim final rule (§124.13) specifies three report formats: standard (single incident), consolidated (multiple incidents within a single operational window), and recurring-venue (standing deployments at fixed sites).
STATUTORY REPORT FIELDS
What Must Be Included in Every Report
The statute specifies exactly four fields that must be included in every incident report. No more, no less.
Date, Time, and Location of the Incident
The precise date, time, and geographic location where the counter-drone incident occurred. Accuracy matters for federal record-keeping and cross-referencing with other agency reports.
Description of the Threat
A factual account of the threat posed by the unauthorized UAS, including the nature of the threat and any relevant contextual information about the circumstances.
Capabilities and Technologies Used for Mitigation
The specific equipment, technologies, and capabilities your agency deployed to detect, track, or mitigate the unauthorized drone. All equipment must appear on the Authorized Technologies List.
Operational Outcomes Including Whether the Drone Was Seized or Destroyed
The result of the counter-drone operation, specifically including whether the unmanned aircraft was seized, destroyed, or otherwise neutralized, along with any other relevant outcomes.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Under §124.16, federal audits may review agency compliance. Civil penalties of up to $100,000 per violation apply to non-compliant counter-UAS action. The penalty structure is graduated: a first procedural reporting or notification violation draws no penalty where the agency demonstrates good faith and self-reports.
Beyond financial penalties, non-compliance puts your agency's counter-drone authority at risk, including potential suspension of the program and disqualification from future federal grant funding.
ATC Notification Requirement
Under the interim final rule, agencies must provide real-time Air Traffic Control (ATC) notification within 5 minutes of activating any mitigation system. This is separate from the 48-hour incident report and must occur at the time of the operation itself.
All mitigation operations must be conducted under an approved Operations Plan (§124.8). The Operations Plan defines the operational window, authorized systems, and certified personnel for each deployment.
HOW VECTAERO HELPS
Never Miss a Reporting Deadline
Countdown Timer
A live 48-hour countdown starts the moment an incident is logged, with escalating alerts at 24 hours, 12 hours, 6 hours, and 1 hour remaining.
Guided Form
A structured form walks officers through each of the four statutory fields, ensuring nothing is missed and every report meets federal requirements.
Export for Federal Portal
VectAero formats your report for submission to the Federal C-UAS Coordination Portal. Your agency submits directly — we prepare, you approve and submit.
Do not let the clock run out
VectAero's incident reporting module ensures your agency never misses a 48-hour federal deadline.
Request Early AccessVectAero reflects the requirements of the DOJ–DHS Interim Final Rule implementing the SAFER SKIES Act (Docket FBI-2026-0001, effective July 1, 2026). The interim final rule is subject to change; the public comment period closes September 4, 2026. VectAero is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or approved by any federal agency.