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Drone Rules for Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
Arizona (AZ)
• Estados Unidos
Topock, AZ 86436, EUA
Lat: 34.6842 • Lng: -114.456
Rules Edit History: Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
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Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 28, 2026 11:39 PM
Approved
• Added a complete drone restriction profile for Havasu National Wildlife Refuge based on USFWS 50 CFR § 27.34, ESA Section 9 Yuma clapper rail critical habitat and southwestern willow flycatcher nesting corridor, FAA Needles Class D airspace mandatory authorization, MBTA Pacific Flyway 318+ species, Wild & Scenic Rivers Act Bill Williams River, Mohave/Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests, dual AZ-CA jurisdiction, and FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
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Sources
- https://www.fws.gov/media/unmanned-aircraft-systems-uas-policy — USFWS regulations under 50 CFR § 27.34, ESA Section 9 Yuma clapper rail Topock Marsh critical habitat and southwestern willow flycatcher riparian nesting protections (16 U.S.C. § 1531), FAA Class D airspace authorization requirement (EED), MBTA lower Colorado River Pacific Flyway corridor protections, Wild & Scenic Rivers Act Bill Williams River (16 U.S.C. § 1271), and Mohave/Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/data_exchange — USFWS regulations under 50 CFR § 27.34, ESA Section 9 Yuma clapper rail Topock Marsh critical habitat and southwestern willow flycatcher riparian nesting protections (16 U.S.C. § 1531), FAA Class D airspace authorization requirement (EED), MBTA lower Colorado River Pacific Flyway corridor protections, Wild & Scenic Rivers Act Bill Williams River (16 U.S.C. § 1271), and Mohave/Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-107 — USFWS regulations under 50 CFR § 27.34, ESA Section 9 Yuma clapper rail Topock Marsh critical habitat and southwestern willow flycatcher riparian nesting protections (16 U.S.C. § 1531), FAA Class D airspace authorization requirement (EED), MBTA lower Colorado River Pacific Flyway corridor protections, Wild & Scenic Rivers Act Bill Williams River (16 U.S.C. § 1271), and Mohave/Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c2e4406710048e19806ebf6a06754ad — USFWS regulations under 50 CFR § 27.34, ESA Section 9 Yuma clapper rail Topock Marsh critical habitat and southwestern willow flycatcher riparian nesting protections (16 U.S.C. § 1531), FAA Class D airspace authorization requirement (EED), MBTA lower Colorado River Pacific Flyway corridor protections, Wild & Scenic Rivers Act Bill Williams River (16 U.S.C. § 1271), and Mohave/Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.jsp — USFWS regulations under 50 CFR § 27.34, ESA Section 9 Yuma clapper rail Topock Marsh critical habitat and southwestern willow flycatcher riparian nesting protections (16 U.S.C. § 1531), FAA Class D airspace authorization requirement (EED), MBTA lower Colorado River Pacific Flyway corridor protections, Wild & Scenic Rivers Act Bill Williams River (16 U.S.C. § 1271), and Mohave/Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-27/section-27.34 — USFWS regulations under 50 CFR § 27.34, ESA Section 9 Yuma clapper rail Topock Marsh critical habitat and southwestern willow flycatcher riparian nesting protections (16 U.S.C. § 1531), FAA Class D airspace authorization requirement (EED), MBTA lower Colorado River Pacific Flyway corridor protections, Wild & Scenic Rivers Act Bill Williams River (16 U.S.C. § 1271), and Mohave/Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests ban all unauthorized drone operations, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | Unknown | NoFly |
| Summary | — | Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Havasu National Wildlife Refuge under U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service regulations, controlled by USFWS. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit from the refuge manager. Havasu NWR straddles the Arizona-California border along th |
| Mapped shapes | c47ed411-82d3-4930-88ca-3c57606a41c6 | 89d5cf63-0850-4aec-8665-6d60c7b1b5c7 |
Before
After
## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without USFWS Special Use Permit - Airspace Layer: ⚠️ Portions within Needles Airport (EED) Class D airspace — ATC authorization mandatory for those sections - Military Layer: ⚠️ Proximity to Yuma MCAS restricted airspace (southern refuge units) — R-2507 series - Wildlife Layer: ⚠️ MBTA + ESA — lower Colorado River migratory corridor; Yuma clapper rail critical habitat ## Geographic Boundaries Havasu National Wildlife Refuge straddles Mohave County, Arizona, and San Bernardino County, California, administered by USFWS. - Total area: ~37,515 acres - Coordinates: 34.6800° N, 114.4400° W - Nearest city: Needles, CA (~5 miles north); Lake Havasu City, AZ (~25 miles south) - Terrain: lower Colorado River backwaters, Topock Marsh (6,500 acres of cattail marsh — largest remaining freshwater marsh on lower Colorado), Bill Williams River confluence, desert uplands, mesquite bosque - Straddles AZ-CA state line — dual state jurisdiction - Needles Airport (EED) Class D airspace overlaps northern refuge - Topock Gorge — Colorado River narrows; sacred to Mohave and Chemehuevi tribal nations - Yuma clapper rail (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis) — federally endangered; Topock Marsh = critical habitat - Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) — federally endangered; riparian nesting along Colorado River - Lower Colorado River Valley designated Important Bird Area - Airspace: Class D (EED) for northern sections; Class E/G elsewhere; R-2507 proximity for southern sections ## Regulations - 50 CFR § 27.34 — Prohibits use of aircraft and drones within National Wildlife Refuges - USFWS UAS Policy — blanket prohibition on all unmanned aircraft - FAA 14 CFR Part 107.41 — Class D airspace (EED) ATC authorization mandatory for northern refuge sections - Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. § 1531) Section 9 — Yuma clapper rail; Topock Marsh critical habitat designation; drone operations over marsh = take via harassment - ESA Section 9 — Southwestern willow flycatcher; riparian nesting corridor along Colorado River; May–August nesting season = maximum ESA enforcement sensitivity - Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. § 703) — lower Colorado River Valley; 318+ species documented; major Pacific Flyway migratory bottleneck - Mohave and Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests — Topock Gorge and Colorado River corridor hold sacred significance - Wild & Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. § 1271) — Bill Williams River designated Wild & Scenic - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide ## Penalties - USFWS fines up to $5,000 per violation under 50 CFR § 27.34 - ESA Section 9 (Yuma clapper rail): civil penalties up to $25,000; criminal penalties up to $50,000 + 1 year imprisonment - ESA Section 9 (willow flycatcher): same penalty structure - FAA Class D violation: civil penalties up to $27,500/day + certificate action - MBTA criminal penalties: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months imprisonment - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by USFWS refuge officers ## Special Permissions - USFWS Special Use Permit required; ESA Section 7 biological assessment mandatory for Topock Marsh and riparian corridor - FAA LAANC or ATC authorization required before any permitted operation in Needles Class D airspace zone - Mohave Nation and Chemehuevi Tribe coordination recommended for Topock Gorge operations - Southwestern willow flycatcher nesting season (May–August) — riparian corridor operations prohibited during this window even with valid USFWS permit unless ESA Section 7 completed Submit requests to: Havasu NWR Refuge Manager, 317 Mesquite Ave Suite 109, Needles, CA 92363 FAA LAANC: https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/data_exchange
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+ ## Authorization Status + - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned + - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without USFWS Special Use Permit + - Airspace Layer: ⚠️ Portions within Needles Airport (EED) Class D + airspace — ATC authorization mandatory for those sections + - Military Layer: ⚠️ Proximity to Yuma MCAS restricted airspace + (southern refuge units) — R-2507 series + - Wildlife Layer: ⚠️ MBTA + ESA — lower Colorado River migratory + corridor; Yuma clapper rail critical habitat + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Havasu National Wildlife Refuge straddles Mohave County, Arizona, + and San Bernardino County, California, administered by USFWS. + - Total area: ~37,515 acres + - Coordinates: 34.6800° N, 114.4400° W + - Nearest city: Needles, CA (~5 miles north); Lake Havasu City, AZ + (~25 miles south) + - Terrain: lower Colorado River backwaters, Topock Marsh (6,500 acres + of cattail marsh — largest remaining freshwater marsh on lower + Colorado), Bill Williams River confluence, desert uplands, + mesquite bosque + - Straddles AZ-CA state line — dual state jurisdiction + - Needles Airport (EED) Class D airspace overlaps northern refuge + - Topock Gorge — Colorado River narrows; sacred to Mohave and + Chemehuevi tribal nations + - Yuma clapper rail (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis) — federally + endangered; Topock Marsh = critical habitat + - Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) — + federally endangered; riparian nesting along Colorado River + - Lower Colorado River Valley designated Important Bird Area + - Airspace: Class D (EED) for northern sections; Class E/G elsewhere; + R-2507 proximity for southern sections + + ## Regulations + - 50 CFR § 27.34 — Prohibits use of aircraft and drones within + National Wildlife Refuges + - USFWS UAS Policy — blanket prohibition on all unmanned aircraft + - FAA 14 CFR Part 107.41 — Class D airspace (EED) ATC authorization + mandatory for northern refuge sections + - Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. § 1531) Section 9 — Yuma clapper + rail; Topock Marsh critical habitat designation; drone operations + over marsh = take via harassment + - ESA Section 9 — Southwestern willow flycatcher; riparian nesting + corridor along Colorado River; May–August nesting season = maximum + ESA enforcement sensitivity + - Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. § 703) — lower Colorado River + Valley; 318+ species documented; major Pacific Flyway migratory + bottleneck + - Mohave and Chemehuevi tribal cultural interests — Topock Gorge + and Colorado River corridor hold sacred significance + - Wild & Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. § 1271) — Bill Williams River + designated Wild & Scenic + - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide + + ## Penalties + - USFWS fines up to $5,000 per violation under 50 CFR § 27.34 + - ESA Section 9 (Yuma clapper rail): civil penalties up to $25,000; + criminal penalties up to $50,000 + 1 year imprisonment + - ESA Section 9 (willow flycatcher): same penalty structure + - FAA Class D violation: civil penalties up to $27,500/day + + certificate action + - MBTA criminal penalties: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months imprisonment + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by USFWS refuge officers + + ## Special Permissions + - USFWS Special Use Permit required; ESA Section 7 biological + assessment mandatory for Topock Marsh and riparian corridor + - FAA LAANC or ATC authorization required before any permitted + operation in Needles Class D airspace zone + - Mohave Nation and Chemehuevi Tribe coordination recommended + for Topock Gorge operations + - Southwestern willow flycatcher nesting season (May–August) — + riparian corridor operations prohibited during this window + even with valid USFWS permit unless ESA Section 7 completed + Submit requests to: Havasu NWR Refuge Manager, + 317 Mesquite Ave Suite 109, Needles, CA 92363 + FAA LAANC: https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/data_exchange