Alaska regulates self-driving cars through proposed legislation like Senate Bill 148 (SB 148) and House Bill 217 (HB 217), both introduced in the 34th Legislature (2025-2026), which require autonomous vehicles to meet federal motor vehicle standards while restricting commercial transport without a human safety operator present. These bills define autonomous vehicles using SAE-aligned terms like conditional, high, and full driving automation, excluding basic driver aids such as adaptive cruise control, and presume the human operator liable in accidents unless software or hardware failure is proven by clear evidence. As of late March 2025, SB 148 remains in Senate Transportation and then State Affairs committees without passage, indicating limited active regulation beyond federal compliance.​
Drone regulations in Alaska primarily follow federal FAA rules, including Part 107 for commercial operations (requiring a Remote Pilot Certificate) and TRUST for recreational flights, with drones over 0.55 lbs needing FAA registration. State law adds restrictions on law enforcement drone use, limiting video retention and requiring operator training under Article 13. Local governments may impose additional flight controls, but no broad state-level bans exist for recreational or commercial drone use.​
Key Regulatory Gaps
Self-Driving Cars: No enacted statewide permitting for driverless testing or deployment; bills emphasize human oversight for safety-critical operations.​
Drones: Heavily reliant on FAA oversight with minimal state innovation, focusing on enforcement rather than emerging tech like BVLOS (beyond visual line-of-sight).​
Overall: Alaska lags behind states like Arizona and California in AV permitting and insurance mandates, prioritizing federal alignment over pioneering rules.
SOURCES
[1](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/34?Hsid=HB0217A)
[2](https://roborace.com/autonomous-vehicle-state-laws-2025/)
[3](https://legiscan.com/AK/text/SB148/id/3193383/Alaska-2025-SB148-Introduced.pdf)
[4](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=SB148)
[5](https://drone-laws.com/drone-laws-in-alaska/)
