Legislation passed by the N.C. General Assembly would allow drones to take pictures of an open-invitation gathering, even if it’s on private property, without a warrant. North Carolina is figuring out the boundary between expectations of privacy and the use of surveillance drones by law enforcement agencies.

Legislation passed in August tests that boundary, according to civil rights advocates.

It allows drones to spy on certain gatherings on private property without a warrant.

Imagine: You’re having an open-invitation barbecue in your own backyard. Friends can bring friends. Anyone can come.

Thanks to newly enacted legislation, local and state law enforcement agencies are allowed to show up, too, without a warrant, to spy on you with drones.

So bring chips. But don’t bring expectations of privacy just because you’re on private property.

Local and state law enforcement agencies don’t have drones yet. But they will soon.

When that time comes, legislation passed in August by the N.C. General Assembly will allow city police, county sheriffs, and state law enforcement agencies to use drones to take photographs of open-invitations gatherings without obtaining a warrant, even if the gathering is on private property, according to a legislative staff attorney.

At issue is legislation on the use of unmanned aircraft systems —drones — that lists several restrictions aimed at safeguarding privacy but also lists several exceptions for local and state law enforcement agencies.