In what was called a “shocking” use of government surveillance powers, a California municipality is being sued for secretly using drones to spy on residents’ private property, capturing images of hot tubs, outdoor baths, and even bedroom windows — all without warrants.

Sonoma County officials are under fire for allegedly transforming a drone program originally intended to target illegal cannabis growers into a far-reaching aerial surveillance system — one that residents claim has invaded their privacy in some of the most personal areas of their homes.

The lawsuit, filed June 5 by the American Civil Liberties Union, accuses the county of conducting hundreds of warrantless drone flights over residential properties and collecting thousands of highresolution images, often without the knowledge or consent of the people being watched.

And some of those photos, the ACLU says, show residents in vulnerable situations: relaxing in hot tubs, bathing outdoors, and even inside their homes.

“The county has hidden these unlawful searches from the people they have spied on, the community, and the media,” said Matt Cagle, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California.

The drone program was originally pitched as a way to crack down on illegal marijuana growers. But the lawsuit claims it spiraled out of control — morphing into a “runaway spying operation” that’s now used to hunt for unpermitted construction, backyard sheds, and code violations unrelated to cannabis.

Over the last six years, county drones have reportedly completed more than 700 surveillance flights, capturing at least 5,600 images of homes, backyards, and personal property. Those photos have led to millions of dollars in fines — all allegedly without a single warrant.

At the center of the lawsuit is Nichola Schmitz, a deaf resident who lives on a rural farm. She said a drone hovered near her home, unnoticed by her until someone else pointed it out — at which point she ran inside and saw the aircraft outside her bedroom window.

“This horrible experience has shattered my sense of privacy and security,” Schmitz said in the ACLU’s news release. “I’m afraid to open my blinds or go outside to use my hot tub because who knows when the county’s drone could be spying on me.”

Schmitz fears the drone may have caught her naked after a bath. She shared a photo — allegedly taken by the county—that shows the drone circling above, with her hot tub clearly marked.

She’s not alone. Suzanne Brock, another plaintiff, was cited by the county for violations on her Sonoma County horse property. But what shocked her most wasn’t the fine — it was how the county got the evidence. Only after filing a public records request did she learn drones had been secretly photographing her private property, including her outdoor shower and freestanding bathtub.

“[Brock’s] shocking realization that the County’s drone photographed her outdoor bathtub with a zoom lens, haunts her today whenever she walks her property or tends to her animals,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit also names five code enforcement officers and accuses them of regularly surveilling residents’ backyards and homes without court approval.

Tennis Wick, director of Permit Sonoma — the county’s land use agency — declined to comment, saying the county has not yet reviewed the lawsuit.

The ACLU is demanding that the drone program be immediately suspended unless warrants are obtained. They argue the county has been quietly violating people’s constitutional rights — especially their expectation of privacy in their own homes and yards.

For those with hot tubs or outdoor bathing areas in Sonoma County, the ACLU is sending a chilling message: You may be more exposed than you think.