Representatives of a Walmart on Marron Road in Oceanside near the Carlsbad border have asked to install 12 take-off and landing pads in their parking lot for drones that would deliver lightweight purchases within a 6-mile radius.
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Walmart recently began drone deliveries in a few other states, but so far not in California. In May the company announced it had made 1 million drone deliveries from 66 stores in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.
Company officials have scheduled a meeting with Oceanside city planners next week to review the proposal.
“We are still in the preliminary discussions with Walmart for drone deliveries,” said Brian Thomas, Oceanside’s acting development services director, in an email Wednesday.
“We have had some discussion regarding logistics, FAA requirements, police concerns, as well as overall city concerns,” Thomas said.
The FAA allows the drones as long as they operate below an elevation of 400 feet, he said. The Oceanside police and fire departments have requirements that restrict the use of drones in situations such as fires and other emergencies.
Walmart will need a conditional use permit from the city to begin the service, which will require the approval of the Oceanside City Council. Deliveries could begin in 2027.
So far only Walmart has approached Oceanside about drone deliveries, Thomas said.
A Walmart spokesperson declined to comment on the company’s California plans Wednesday.
“What started as a pilot just a few years ago has officially taken off, giving customers a faster, easier way to get the everyday items they need, right when they need them,” states a news release from the company in May.
“We’ve seen customers evolve from trying it to experience the novelty of the service for items like bananas or snack food, to now turning to it frequently to get items delivered really fast, when they need them most,” it states.
Walmart has partnered with the company Wing since 2023 to provide delivery service. Wing drones typically cruise above 150 feet and so are unlikely to be heard by people below. When they lower for a delivery they make less noise than an idling truck, according to the company.
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“Wing drones are designed to blend into neighborhood sounds,” the Wing website states.
The lightweight, battery-powered aircraft reduce street traffic and air pollution by replacing two-ton delivery trucks, and provide a faster, safer way to transport essential products, the website states. A single drone delivery uses less energy than the electricity required to boil a pot of water for pasta, the company says.
The drone “nest” at Walmart would occupy 28 parking spaces on the southern side of the parking lot of the 12.47-acre property on Marron Road just west of College Boulevard, near state Route 78. It would be surrounded by an 8-foot-tall, coated aluminum fence and would have a storage container and a battery supply for the drones.
A 6-mile radius from the location covers most of Oceanside and Carlsbad, along with large parts of Vista and San Marcos.
The Wing drones have a combination of fixed wings and propellers, and can transition between flying like an airplane or helicopter. Each drone weighs 17.2 pounds and can reach cruising speeds up to 60 mph. They can carry a load weighing up to 5 pounds.
The drones are equipped with cameras for navigation and safety but do not transmit live images, according to Wing. Orders for food, over-the-counter medicine and household goods are delivered in an average time of 23 minutes. Delivery flights typically take 5 minute or less.
Purchases are lowered from the aircraft on a tether to a predesignated spot such as a front yard.
Deliveries, where available, are free for members of the Walmart+ service on a trial basis. Non-members pay $19.99 each.
Walmart’s largest competitor in drone delivery is Amazon. Amazon already offers the service in seven states — Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas — and this month announced plans to expand into larger cities in Georgia, Ohio, Illinois and Idaho.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos described his plan for drone deliveries 20 years ago on the CBS News program “60 Minutes.” The company briefly tested a drone system in the town of Lockeford, in California’s Central Valley, in 2024, but has not used it in the state since then.
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