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Drone Rules for Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Boulder City, Nevada (NV) • United States
10 Lakeshore Rd, Boulder City, NV 89005, USA
Lat: 36.1551 • Lng: -114.456
Ground Not allowed Last updated: May 29, 2026
Summary
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Drones banned at Lake Mead NRA under NPS rules. No flights without Special Use Permit and FAA Class B (LAS) authorization. Hoover Dam creates permanent federal security no-fly zone. Moapa Band of Paiute and Fort Mojave tribal affiliations active.

Authorization Status

  • Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
  • Commercial (Part 107): ❌ NPS Special Use Permit required + FAA Class B (LAS) ATC authorization mandatory
  • Security Layer: ⚠️ CRITICAL — Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone under 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3); drone within dam security perimeter = federal criminal matter
  • Airspace: ⚠️ Las Vegas Class B (LAS) — mandatory ATC auth
  • Tribal Layer: ⚠️ Moapa Band of Paiute + Fort Mojave Indian Tribe

Geographic Boundaries

Lake Mead National Recreation Area straddles Clark and Mohave Counties, Nevada, and Mohave County, Arizona, administered by NPS.

  • Total area: ~1,495,664 acres (entire NRA; AZ portion ~40%)
  • Coordinates: 36.0156° N, 114.7377° W (Hoover Dam)
  • Nearest city: Las Vegas, NV (~30 miles northwest); Kingman, AZ (~75 miles south)
  • Nearest airport: Las Vegas McCarran/Harry Reid (LAS) ~30 miles NW
  • Terrain: Lake Mead (Colorado River impoundment — largest U.S. reservoir by volume); Lake Mohave; Hoover Dam (726 ft — National Historic Landmark); Black Canyon; Eldorado Canyon; Mojave Desert uplands; Colorado River corridor
  • Hoover Dam — permanent federal security no-fly zone; unauthorized UAS within dam security perimeter triggers immediate federal law enforcement response
  • Las Vegas Class B airspace (LAS) overlaps NRA
  • Moapa Band of Paiute Reservation on northern NRA boundary
  • Fort Mojave Indian Tribe lands on southern Arizona portion
  • Airspace: Las Vegas Class B (LAS); Class E/G elsewhere in NRA

Regulations

  • NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units
  • 36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority
  • 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval
  • 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3) — Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone; any UAS within security perimeter = federal criminal violation; Bureau of Reclamation and federal law enforcement actively monitor and enforce
  • FAA 14 CFR Part 107.41 — Las Vegas Class B (LAS); ATC authorization mandatory for NRA operations
  • National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — Hoover Dam National Historic Landmark
  • Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) — submerged and shoreline Ancestral Puebloan and Mojave cultural sites throughout NRA
  • American Indian Religious Freedom Act (42 U.S.C. § 1996) — Moapa Paiute and Fort Mojave cultural landscape interests
  • Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Colorado River migratory corridor; peregrine falcon nesting on canyon walls
  • FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide

Penalties

  • NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
  • Misdemeanor charges under 36 CFR § 1.3
  • Hoover Dam security violation: federal criminal prosecution; immediate law enforcement detention; no exemptions
  • FAA Class B violation: civil penalties up to $27,500/day + certificate suspension or revocation
  • ARPA violations: fines up to $20,000 + 2 years imprisonment
  • MBTA violations: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months
  • FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
  • Equipment confiscation by NPS rangers or federal security

Special Permissions

  • NPS Special Use Permit required; FAA Class B ATC authorization mandatory simultaneously
  • Hoover Dam security perimeter: NO permit pathway under any circumstances; federal security prohibition is absolute
  • Moapa Paiute and Fort Mojave tribal consultation required for operations near reservation boundaries
  • ARPA federal research permit required for shoreline archaeological site documentation Submit requests to: Lake Mead NRA Superintendent, 601 Nevada Way, Boulder City, NV 89005 FAA LAANC: https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/data_exchange
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Rule sources
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-2/section-2.17 — NPS 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), FAA Las Vegas Class B mandatory ATC authorization 14 CFR Part 107.41, NHPA Hoover Dam NHL (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA submerged cultural site protections, AIRFA Moapa Paiute/Fort Mojave interests, and MBTA Colorado River corridor ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/data_exchange — NPS 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), FAA Las Vegas Class B mandatory ATC authorization 14 CFR Part 107.41, NHPA Hoover Dam NHL (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA submerged cultural site protections, AIRFA Moapa Paiute/Fort Mojave interests, and MBTA Colorado River corridor ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-107 — NPS 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), FAA Las Vegas Class B mandatory ATC authorization 14 CFR Part 107.41, NHPA Hoover Dam NHL (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA submerged cultural site protections, AIRFA Moapa Paiute/Fort Mojave interests, and MBTA Colorado River corridor ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1510/arpa.htm — NPS 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), FAA Las Vegas Class B mandatory ATC authorization 14 CFR Part 107.41, NHPA Hoover Dam NHL (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA submerged cultural site protections, AIRFA Moapa Paiute/Fort Mojave interests, and MBTA Colorado River corridor ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/uaspolicy.htm — NPS 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), FAA Las Vegas Class B mandatory ATC authorization 14 CFR Part 107.41, NHPA Hoover Dam NHL (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA submerged cultural site protections, AIRFA Moapa Paiute/Fort Mojave interests, and MBTA Colorado River corridor ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c2e4406710048e19806ebf6a06754ad — NPS 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), FAA Las Vegas Class B mandatory ATC authorization 14 CFR Part 107.41, NHPA Hoover Dam NHL (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA submerged cultural site protections, AIRFA Moapa Paiute/Fort Mojave interests, and MBTA Colorado River corridor ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.jsp — NPS 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), FAA Las Vegas Class B mandatory ATC authorization 14 CFR Part 107.41, NHPA Hoover Dam NHL (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA submerged cultural site protections, AIRFA Moapa Paiute/Fort Mojave interests, and MBTA Colorado River corridor ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-1/section-1.5 — NPS 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Hoover Dam permanent federal security no-fly zone 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), FAA Las Vegas Class B mandatory ATC authorization 14 CFR Part 107.41, NHPA Hoover Dam NHL (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA submerged cultural site protections, AIRFA Moapa Paiute/Fort Mojave interests, and MBTA Colorado River corridor ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.