Houston City Council approved an application for federal counter-drone grant funding on 4 November 2026, passing Ordinance 2026-0982 on its consent agenda without debate, DroneXL reported. The funding request seeks support from the second round of the federal Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The city's filing requests funding for detection, tracking and mitigation equipment for special events across the Houston area, covering a performance period from December 2026 to December 2029. Eligible equipment under the federal programme includes radar, radio-frequency direction finders, acoustic sensors and Remote ID receivers, as well as jammers and takeover equipment.
Larry Satterwhite, head of the mayor's public safety office, told television station KPRC 2 that the equipment would help officers monitor large events and that much of the capability would go to the Houston Police Department. City officials are still drafting use policies for the systems before federal awards are issued on 10 December 2026.
