Amazon delivery drones ‘sound like flying lawn mowers’ over Texas suburb — and frustrated residents warn it’s ‘about to happen all over the country’

Though the tech offers speed and convenience, some who live below drone flight paths say that Prime Air delivers more than just packages. In the Texas suburb of Richardson, for example, residents contend that daily drone noise disrupts their lives, with the New York Times describing it as “sometimes so loud that they sound like flying lawn mowers.”

“We hear them zoom, zoom, zoom, back and forth from morning until past dinnertime,” Nikki Anderson, one resident, told the outlet. “We’re thinking, ‘Ugh, is there anything we can do to stop this?’ We can’t live like this.”

The drone noise isn’t just a Richardson problem. Residents in Auburn Hills and Ferndale, Michigan are also speaking out about the alleged racket. And the issue could spread — Amazon plans to expand its drone delivery from areas in seven states today to around 500 locales nationwide, including in New York, Illinois, Georgia and Idaho, by the end of the year.

“What’s happening in Richardson is about to happen all over the country,” another resident, Scott Bratcher, told the Times, “and people are finally going to believe us that having all these drones flying around is actually a big, big problem.”

When convenience comes with a buzz

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) like Prime Air could total 1.5 million aircraft in U.S. skies by 2030.

That number, in theory, includes delivery drones from other companies as well, such as Alphabet’s Wing, which works with retailers like Walmart and DoorDash, along with any other commercial drones. But it’s Prime Air that’s currently causing noise complaints.

Prime Air drones look like little white rockets with six propellers and, according to the FAA, weigh 78 pounds and can carry a maximum of 5 pounds as they fly up to 73 mph, 400 feet above the ground.

Amazon didn’t respond to Moneywise’s request for comment for this story, but its website notes the drones are 100% electricity-powered, can fly in rain and freezing temperatures, operate within a 7.5-mile radius from delivery centers and boast both obstacle detection and collision avoidance technology — though reports of Amazon drone crashes exist, including one device that hit a Richardson apartment building in February.

It adds that the drones feature a “perceived sound comparable to a residential HVAC unit.” And some residents in various news reports noted that they weren’t bothered by drone noise.

Further, Amazon spokeswoman Lindsay Hamilton told the Times that in 2026, “fewer than 1 percent” of the feedback the company has received was about noise.

But others beg to differ. Some Richardson locals characterized the sound as “like a loud swarm of bees” while, in Auburn Hills, a resident claimed that “there’s always at least 8 to 10 drones going over houses per day,” emitting “a constant buzzing sound.” Some local regulations, like in Richardson, allow for deliveries between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., with one Richardson resident telling the Times that she counted 52 drones passing overhead, describing that as “a slow day.”

And a Richardson homeowners association president said his community might seek reduced property taxes as a result of the noise — actions that may seem extreme until you consider that a 2025 study of U.S. homes near aviation corridors found that “a one-decibel increase in annual day-night average sound level reduces house prices by 0.6% to 1.0%.”

The FAA, meanwhile, told Moneywise that the agency “completed a nationwide environmental review for drone package delivery” in July, concluding that “it would not have a significant environmental impact.” It added that drone operators are responsible “for addressing issues identified through that review, which can include noise, wildlife and historic resources.”

They also said they encourage those operators to address “community concerns, even when the noise does not meet the threshold for a significant impact under federal environmental law.”

Representatives of the cities of Richardson and Auburn Hills didn’t return Moneywise’s request for comment.

The fight for a quieter sky

Residents pushing back against allegedly noisy delivery drones don’t have much recourse on the municipal level. A Richardson city website notes that “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controls national airspace. This means cities cannot restrict drones from flying above a certain altitude or create airspace limitations that would conflict with federal rules.”

It suggests that residents direct complaints to Amazon or federal elected officials, “who can request updates on the FAA’s review of constituent concerns.”

And while reports suggest that Amazon did alter its drone operations, or offer to address concerns, in Richardson and Auburn Hills, many residents still aren’t happy.