How to Name the City of New York as Additional Insured for a Drone Permit (2026)

Of all the insurance details on an NYPD drone permit, the Additional Insured requirement causes the most confusion and the most rejections. This guide explains what it means, why the City requires it, and the exact steps to get it right.

What "Additional Insured" Means

An Additional Insured is a party added to your insurance policy so that it receives direct coverage under your insurance for liability arising from your operations. When the NYPD requires the City of New York as Additional Insured, the City is asking that, if your drone operation causes a covered loss, the City has direct protection under your policy rather than depending solely on your promise to pay. This is standard practice when a government grants permission to operate on or over its jurisdiction.

Why the NYPD Requires It

Under 38 RCNY § 24-06, the permit insurance condition is not satisfied unless the policy names the City of New York as Additional Insured. The City is, in effect, authorizing aviation activity within its limits and protecting itself against the liability exposure that creates. A policy that meets the $2M/$4M limits but omits the City as Additional Insured will not satisfy the requirement.

How to Add the City: Step by Step

1. Contact your broker/carrier and state that you need the City of New York added as Additional Insured for an NYPD drone permit.
2. Request an additional-insured endorsement. An endorsement is a written modification to your standard policy — this is the mechanism that formally adds the City.
3. Use the exact name: "City of New York." Avoid abbreviations or variations such as "NYC" or "City of NY, NYPD" unless your broker confirms the City accepts that wording.
4. Confirm it on the Certificate of Insurance. The COI you submit must show the City of New York in the additional-insured section.
5. Match the policy period to your planned flight dates so the endorsement is in force when you fly.

Common Pitfalls

• Assuming a standard policy already includes the City — it almost never does without an endorsement.
• Listing the City as a "certificate holder" instead of an "additional insured" — these are different roles, and only Additional Insured satisfies the rule.
• Adding the City to a general-liability policy that excludes aviation — the underlying coverage must be aviation/UAS liability.
• Uploading a COI that shows the right limits but blank additional-insured language.

Certificate Holder vs. Additional Insured

This distinction trips up many first-time applicants, so it is worth stating plainly. A certificate holder is simply a party that receives a copy of the Certificate of Insurance for its records — it confirms coverage exists but gives that party no rights under the policy. An additional insured is actually extended coverage under the policy itself. The NYPD requires the City of New York to be an additional insured, not merely a certificate holder. If your broker lists the City only as a certificate holder, the requirement is not met, even though the certificate may look complete at a glance. When you request the endorsement, say specifically that the City must be added as additional insured.

Keep the Endorsement on File

Once the City of New York is added by endorsement, keep both the endorsement document and the Certificate of Insurance with your operation records. If you fly multiple operations under one annual policy, the same endorsement can typically carry across multiple NYPD applications as long as the policy period covers each set of flight dates. Confirm with your broker that the endorsement remains active at each renewal — a lapsed or non-renewed endorsement would leave the City uninsured for later flights even if your underlying liability limits are intact.

MmowW does not provide, certify, or endorse insurance. Always confirm the endorsement and wording with your own licensed aviation insurance broker.

Why Both Layers, Every Time

It is tempting to treat the NYPD permit and FAA authorization as alternatives, but they answer different questions. The FAA controls the national airspace — whether the air over a location is safe and authorized for a drone at a given altitude. The City of New York controls take-off and landing on the ground within its limits under § 10-126. Satisfying one does not satisfy the other: a perfectly valid LAANC authorization still leaves you without a lawful place to launch or land in NYC, and a valid NYPD permit does not grant you the airspace. Build your plan around both from the start, because the slowest layer — often a manual DroneZone authorization where the LAANC ceiling is 0 ft — sets your real timeline.

Operating without the required authorization is what carries consequences. Unauthorized take-off or landing can result in civil penalties under 38 RCNY § 24-07 and criminal exposure under § 10-126(c), and reckless operation can lead to arrest. At the federal level, the FAA can impose civil penalties up to $75,000 per violation under 49 U.S.C. § 46301. None of this makes flying in New York City unlawful in itself — it remains legal — but it makes doing it without authorization a poor decision. The whole point of the permit pathway the NYPD opened on July 21, 2023 is to give operators a lawful route, and using that route is far cheaper than the alternative.