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Drone Rules for Chiricahua National Monument

Willcox, Arizona (AZ) • United States
12856 East Rhyolite Creek Road, Willcox, AZ 85643, USA
Lat: 32.0121 • Lng: -109.342
Ground Not allowed Last updated: May 28, 2026
Summary
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Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Chiricahua National Monument under NPS regulations, controlled by the National Park Service. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit from the monument superintendent. Chiricahua occupies a critical ecological position as the

Authorization Status

  • Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
  • Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit
  • ESA Layer: ⚠️ Jaguar movement corridor — federally endangered; ESA Section 9 take prohibition active throughout monument
  • Cultural Layer: ⚠️ Cochise Stronghold — Apache historical landscape; Chiricahua Apache ancestral territory
  • Wilderness Layer: ⚠️ ~10,290 acres designated wilderness

Geographic Boundaries

Chiricahua National Monument is located in Cochise County, Arizona, administered by the National Park Service.

  • Total area: ~11,984 acres
  • Coordinates: 32.0122° N, 109.3417° W
  • Nearest city: Willcox, AZ (~36 miles northwest); Douglas, AZ (~60 miles south)
  • Terrain: Rhyolite Canyon; pinnacle rock formations (balanced rocks, sea of stone); Turkey Creek; Sugarloaf Mountain (7,310 ft MSL); mixed conifer and pine-oak forest; Sky Island biodiversity corridor
  • Northernmost Sky Island in Madrean Archipelago biodiversity corridor
  • Jaguar (Panthera onca) — federally endangered; documented movement through Chiricahua Mountains; El Jefe and other named jaguars have been camera-trapped in this corridor
  • Chiricahua Apache ancestral homeland — Cochise and Geronimo historically occupied this landscape; Fort Bowie NHS nearby
  • Faraway Ranch Historic District — National Historic Landmark within monument boundaries
  • ~10,290 acres designated wilderness (P.L. 94-578)
  • US-Mexico border ~60 miles south — CBP operational awareness
  • 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 within monument
  • Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. § 1531) Section 9 — jaguar federally endangered; Chiricahua Mountains are documented jaguar movement corridor; drone operations in canyon bottoms and forest zones = potential take via harassment
  • ESA Section 9 — Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) federally threatened; old-growth pine-oak canyon nesting documented
  • ESA Section 9 — Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) federally threatened; Turkey Creek and riparian zones = critical habitat
  • Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — ~10,290 acres designated wilderness; motorized prohibition
  • Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) — Chiricahua Apache and prehistoric Mogollon cultural sites
  • National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — Faraway Ranch Historic District National Historic Landmark
  • Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. § 703) — premier birding destination; 170+ species including elegant trogon, sulphur-bellied flycatcher, and zone-tailed hawk
  • 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
  • ESA Section 9 (jaguar): civil penalties up to $25,000; criminal penalties up to $50,000 + 1 year imprisonment; USFWS Jaguar Recovery Program actively monitors southern AZ corridor
  • ESA Section 9 (spotted owl + leopard frog): same penalty structure
  • Wilderness Act violations: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months
  • ARPA violations: fines up to $20,000 + 2 years imprisonment
  • MBTA violations: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months imprisonment
  • FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
  • Equipment confiscation by NPS rangers

Special Permissions

  • NPS Special Use Permit required; ESA Section 7 biological assessment mandatory for jaguar, spotted owl, and leopard frog habitat zones
  • USFWS Tucson Ecological Services coordination required for jaguar corridor operations
  • ARPA federal research permit + Chiricahua Apache tribal consultation required for cultural landscape documentation
  • Wilderness compliance plan required for ~10,290-acre wilderness zone Submit requests to: Chiricahua National Monument Superintendent, 12856 E Rhyolite Creek Road, Willcox, AZ 85643 USFWS jaguar coordination: Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, 2321 W Royal Palm Road Suite 103, Phoenix, AZ 85021
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Rule sources
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-2/section-2.17 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Chiricahua Superintendent's Compendium, and Wilderness Act protections ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Chiricahua Superintendent's Compendium, and Wilderness Act protections ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-107 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Chiricahua Superintendent's Compendium, and Wilderness Act protections ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/uaspolicy.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Chiricahua Superintendent's Compendium, and Wilderness Act protections ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/where_can_i_fly/b4ufly — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Chiricahua Superintendent's Compendium, and Wilderness Act protections ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-1/section-1.5 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Chiricahua Superintendent's Compendium, and Wilderness Act protections ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.nps.gov/chir/planyourvisit/rules.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Chiricahua Superintendent's Compendium, and Wilderness Act protections ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.fws.gov/media/unmanned-aircraft-systems-uas-policy — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), ESA Section 9 jaguar movement corridor take prohibition (16 U.S.C. § 1531), ESA Mexican spotted owl and Chiricahua leopard frog critical habitat, Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131), ARPA Chiricahua Apache and Mogollon site protections, NHPA Faraway Ranch NHL, and MBTA premier Sky Island avifauna protections ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1510/arpa.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), ESA Section 9 jaguar movement corridor take prohibition (16 U.S.C. § 1531), ESA Mexican spotted owl and Chiricahua leopard frog critical habitat, Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131), ARPA Chiricahua Apache and Mogollon site protections, NHPA Faraway Ranch NHL, and MBTA premier Sky Island avifauna protections ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c2e4406710048e19806ebf6a06754ad — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), ESA Section 9 jaguar movement corridor take prohibition (16 U.S.C. § 1531), ESA Mexican spotted owl and Chiricahua leopard frog critical habitat, Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131), ARPA Chiricahua Apache and Mogollon site protections, NHPA Faraway Ranch NHL, and MBTA premier Sky Island avifauna protections ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
Parent Rule Pages