## Drone Rules - Canyon de Chelly National Monument





























**Drone use is prohibited** in Canyon de Chelly National Monument.





















### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the canyon or on the rim
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit and Navajo Nation approval
- The canyon floor is Navajo Nation land where people still live and farm; photography and drones require specific permission







### Source
- Canyon de Chelly NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/cach/planyourvisit/rules.htm

## Authorization Status
- Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
- Commercial (Part 107): ❌ NPS Special Use Permit AND Navajo
  Nation Parks authorization — both required
- Tribal Sovereignty: ⚠️ ABSOLUTE — monument is entirely on
  Navajo Nation; inhabited by active Navajo families
- Sacred Site Layer: ⚠️ Spider Rock — home of Spider Woman
  in Navajo cosmology; absolute no-fly zone
- Inhabited Landscape: ⚠️ Active Navajo farmsteads on canyon
  floor; drone overflight of homes = trespass + AIRFA violation

## Geographic Boundaries
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is in Apache County, Arizona,
entirely within Navajo Nation, administered by NPS.
- Total area: ~83,840 acres
- Coordinates: 36.1562° N, 109.4685° W
- Nearest city: Chinle, AZ (monument headquarters)
- Terrain: Canyon de Chelly; Canyon del Muerto; Monument Canyon;
  Spider Rock (800-ft twin sandstone spires — most sacred Navajo
  site in canyon); White House Ruin (~1060–1275 CE cliff dwelling);
  Mummy Cave Ruin; Antelope House; active Navajo farms and
  orchards on canyon floor
- Unique status: only NPS unit where private citizens (Navajo
  families) hold primary residency rights within monument
- Spider Rock: home of Spider Woman (Na'ashjé'ii Asdzáá) in
  Navajo cosmology; absolute sacred site; no permit pathway
- All canyon access requires authorized Navajo guide except
  White House Trail
- Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G

## 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
- Navajo Nation Tribal Code Title 17 — sovereign authority;
  inhabited canyon floor = active Navajo homeland airspace
- American Indian Religious Freedom Act (42 U.S.C. § 1996) —
  Spider Rock and canyon sacred landscape; active Navajo
  ceremonial use throughout canyon system
- Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
  (25 U.S.C. § 3001) — ancestral Puebloan and Navajo
  burial sites throughout canyon
- Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) —
  700+ archaeological sites; White House Ruin; Mummy Cave;
  Antelope House; Standing Cow Ruin
- National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) —
  monument listed on National Register of Historic Places
- Privacy — drone overflight of inhabited Navajo family
  homesteads on canyon floor constitutes privacy violation
  under Navajo tribal law
- FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide

## Penalties
- NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
- Navajo Nation tribal court: equipment confiscation; fines;
  criminal charges; permanent ban from Navajo Nation
- AIRFA violations including Spider Rock overflight:
  federal civil penalties; DOJ referral possible
- ARPA violations: fines up to $20,000 + 2 years imprisonment
- NAGPRA violations: federal criminal prosecution
- FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
- Equipment confiscation by NPS rangers and Navajo Police

## Special Permissions
- NPS Special Use Permit + Navajo Nation Parks authorization
  both required simultaneously
- Spider Rock: NO permit pathway; absolute prohibition
- Canyon floor homestead overflights: prohibited under any
  circumstances regardless of permit
- All commercial operations must be accompanied by authorized
  Navajo guide
Submit requests to: Canyon de Chelly NM Superintendent,
PO Box 588, Chinle, AZ 86503
Navajo Nation Parks: https://www.navajonationparks.org/permits/

## Authorization Status
- Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
- Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS + Navajo Nation permits

## Geographic Boundaries
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located in Apache County,
Arizona, entirely within the Navajo Nation.
- Total area: ~83,840 acres
- Coordinates: 36.1562° N, 109.4685° W
- Includes Canyon de Chelly, Canyon del Muerto, and Monument Canyon
- Nearest city: Chinle, AZ (monument headquarters)

## 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 within park
- Navajo Nation Tribal Code Title 17 — tribal sovereignty over airspace
  within reservation boundaries
- National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — protects
  Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and archaeological sites
- FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
- Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within monument

## Penalties
- NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
- Navajo Nation tribal court penalties for sovereignty violations
- NHPA penalties for archaeological disturbance
- FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
- Equipment confiscation by NPS rangers and/or Navajo Police

## Special Permissions
- Dual permit required: NPS Special Use Permit + Navajo Nation permit
- Archaeological/documentary research with both agencies' approval
- All ground access and overflights must be guided by authorized Navajo guides
Submit NPS requests to: Canyon de Chelly NM Superintendent,
PO Box 588, Chinle, AZ 86503
Navajo Nation permits: https://www.navajonationparks.org

## Drone Rules - Canyon de Chelly National Monument



**Drone use is prohibited** in Canyon de Chelly National Monument.







### Key Rules
- No recreational drone flights within the canyon or on the rim
- Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit and Navajo Nation approval
- The canyon floor is Navajo Nation land where people still live and farm; photography and drones require specific permission







### Source
- Canyon de Chelly NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/cach/planyourvisit/rules.htm

## Authorization Status
- Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
- Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS + Navajo Nation permits

## Geographic Boundaries
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located in Apache County,
Arizona, entirely within the Navajo Nation.
- Total area: ~83,840 acres
- Coordinates: 36.1562° N, 109.4685° W
- Includes Canyon de Chelly, Canyon del Muerto, and Monument Canyon
- Nearest city: Chinle, AZ (monument headquarters)

## 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 within park
- Navajo Nation Tribal Code Title 17 — tribal sovereignty over airspace
  within reservation boundaries
- National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — protects
  Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and archaeological sites
- FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
- Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within monument

## Penalties
- NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
- Navajo Nation tribal court penalties for sovereignty violations
- NHPA penalties for archaeological disturbance
- FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
- Equipment confiscation by NPS rangers and/or Navajo Police

## Special Permissions
- Dual permit required: NPS Special Use Permit + Navajo Nation permit
- Archaeological/documentary research with both agencies' approval
- All ground access and overflights must be guided by authorized Navajo guides
Submit NPS requests to: Canyon de Chelly NM Superintendent,
PO Box 588, Chinle, AZ 86503
Navajo Nation permits: https://www.navajonationparks.org