Residents near Amazon’s drone delivery hub in Richardson, Texas, say repeated flights are disrupting their neighborhoods.
A drone crash and a package dropped into a swimming pool have raised questions about safety and delivery accuracy.
Amazon has changed some flight paths and raised outbound flight altitudes, but residents continue to raise concerns about noise and privacy.
Amazon promises to deliver small orders by drone in as little as 30 minutes. In parts of Texas, the service is also bringing a steady stream of aircraft over homes whose occupants never placed an order.
The sharpest complaints have come from Richardson, a Dallas suburb where Amazon began drone deliveries in December. Residents have described frequent flights over yards and pools, with one resident’s tracker logging 52 overflights on a single day, according to The New York Times. The City of Richardson has acknowledged complaints about flight paths and noise.
Amazon responded to feedback by routing some outbound flights over a commercial area, reducing flights over one greenway and raising the average altitude of outbound flights to 225 feet, the city said in March. Those changes have not settled the question for residents who hear multiple drones pass their homes each day.
Safety has also drawn attention. In February, an Amazon delivery drone struck a Richardson apartment building, causing minor damage. Amazon said it was investigating the crash. In a separate incident near Houston, a customer said a drone dropped a package containing cat food and shoe insoles into her swimming pool. She told Business Insider the contents were undamaged, but the delivery and the drone’s noise left her reluctant to use the service again.
Some Richardson residents worry about cameras passing over private property. Amazon says its drones use onboard cameras and sensors to navigate and check delivery areas for obstacles. The company says they do not track individuals or record their movements, and that no person monitors a live camera feed.
The company's position
Amazon disputes the idea that complaints represent the typical experience. It told The New York Times that fewer than 1% of inquiries about the program this year concerned noise. The company says a drone at flight altitude sounds comparable to a window fan on low and that the sound during delivery lasts about 30 seconds.
The dispute matters beyond Richardson. Amazon says its service now operates from 11 U.S. locations, including four in Texas, and plans to reach nearly 500 cities and towns by the end of 2026. Its experience in Texas is testing whether the convenience of a fast delivery for one household can coexist with the expectations of neighbors beneath the flight path.