Amazon wants to launch delivery drones from its Westborough distribution center by the end of 2026, sending packages within a 7.5-mile radius that would touch 13 Central Massachusetts communities. But before a single drone gets off the ground, three state lawmakers are asking the company to pump the brakes.
State Sen. Michael Moore, state Rep. Kate Donaghue and state Rep. Hannah Kane sent Amazon a letter asking the company to pause its proposed Prime Air drone-delivery service until concerns about noise, privacy and safety are resolved, according to MassLive. The proposed delivery zone would stretch into Shrewsbury, Northborough, Westborough, Worcester, Grafton, Millbury, Upton, Hopkinton, Southborough, Marlborough, Berlin, Boylston and West Boylston, per the same outlet.
NBC Boston, which first reported on the legislators' letter, noted that the delegation wants Amazon to keep its delivery-drone fleet grounded until questions about operating hours, flight paths, service range and the number of daily flights are answered, according to NBC Boston. The lawmakers argue that a federal permit alone does not reflect the community's trust and support, the station reported.
What Amazon Is Actually Proposing
Amazon is eyeing its Otis Street warehouse in Westborough as the site of its first Massachusetts drone-delivery center, according to a Boston Globe opinion piece on the plan. The initial operation would use six 83-pound MK30 drones, each capable of carrying packages up to 5 pounds, and deliveries would go to single-family homes only, arriving in an hour or less, the Globe piece notes.
Amazon told residents at a community meeting that orders would be delivered within a 30 to 60 minute window, as reported by Spectrum News 1. The company hopes to have the service operational by the end of 2026 if it clears both local and federal review, per the same report. Amazon already operates an existing fulfillment center and robotics facility in Westborough, and an Amazon official has said the company has participated in a handful of public meetings or hearings about the proposal, NBC Boston reported.
Two Hurdles Still Standing
The Westborough Planning Board is scheduled to take up the proposal on October 6, according to Spectrum News 1's report. Beyond that local review, Amazon still needs sign-off from the Federal Aviation Administration before it can fly a single package, the Globe piece notes — and the FAA can require additional project-specific environmental review for individual drone operations when more detailed analysis is warranted, according to the FAA.
Residents' worries mirror the concerns lawmakers cited in their letter: frequency of flights, flight paths, operating hours, privacy, safety, drone cybersecurity and environmental impacts, per MassLive's reporting. Westborough residents in particular have scrutinized the proposal over fears that drones could disturb their neighborhoods with noise, the outlet reported.
How Amazon Answers the Noise Question
Amazon's own pitch is that the noise is fleeting — the company says a passing drone is audible for about 10 seconds and sounds like an electric toothbrush held at arm's length, according to the Globe. The company also says its drones rely only on onboard cameras and sensors for navigation, obstacle detection and dropping off packages, not for tracking individuals, per Ars Technica.
That reassurance runs up against real-world complaints elsewhere. In Sarpy County, Nebraska, a reporter observed roughly 25 drones arriving and 25 departing an Amazon facility in a single hour, and one resident told 3 News Now, “I can hear them all day.” Amazon has already made deliveries in nearby Papillion, Nebraska, as of July 30, per NBC Boston's reporting.
Safety Incidents Elsewhere Raise Stakes
The Westborough debate is unfolding against a backdrop of documented mishaps in other Prime Air markets. Two Amazon delivery drones collided with a stationary construction crane in Tolleson, Arizona, in October 2025, and federal investigations remain ongoing, according to Ars Technica. Separately, a delivery drone struck an overhead internet cable in Waco, Texas, that same November, and another collided with an apartment building before falling to the ground in Richardson, Texas, in February 2026 — both also still under federal investigation, per the same report.
Some communities have responded by writing tighter rules into their approvals. Richardson, Texas, ultimately approved Amazon's drones but limited operating hours to 7 a.m. through 8 p.m., the Globe reported. Cleveland, which is expected to become the nearest active Amazon drone-delivery city to Massachusetts within a couple of months, will likewise cap its rollout to daylight hours and packages up to 5 pounds within a 7.5-mile radius, flying out of Amazon's CLE2 fulfillment center in North Randall, according to Axios. Amazon estimates Cleveland's drones could handle 200 to 300 deliveries a day once launched, the outlet reported.
A Sixfold Expansion Underway Nationally
Westborough's fight is playing out as Amazon pushes a much larger national rollout. The company is aiming to grow Prime Air sixfold to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026, according to Ars Technica's reporting. Prime Air currently operates out of Amazon warehouses in 10 cities across seven states, the outlet noted, and per NBC Boston, Amazon lists 12 cities where drone delivery is already available and four more where it is coming soon.
Whether Westborough joins that list depends on two separate approvals still pending: the local Planning Board vote next month and the federal permit from the FAA that Amazon is actively seeking. For now, the three lawmakers who sent the letter say the questions residents have raised about flight paths, hours and daily volume remain unanswered.
