← Back to Death Valley National Park

Drone Rules for Death Valley National Park

Skidoo, California (ca) • United States
United States
Lat: 36.5054 • Lng: -117.079
Ground Not allowed Last updated: May 29, 2026
Summary
Edit rules/place details on map

Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Death Valley National Park under NPS regulations. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit. The largest national park in the contiguous U.S. and the hottest, driest place on Earth, Death Valley also lies adjacent to China Lake

Authorization Status

  • Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
  • Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit
  • Military: ⚠️ China Lake NAWS restricted areas R-2508 adjacent
  • Wilderness: ❌ Death Valley Wilderness absolute motorized ban

Geographic Boundaries

Death Valley National Park is located in Inyo County, California, and Nye County, Nevada.

  • Total area: ~3,422,024 acres (largest NPS unit in lower 48)
  • Coordinates: 36.5323° N, 116.9325° W
  • Includes Badwater Basin (-282 ft — lowest point in North America), Zabriskie Point, Mesquite Flat Dunes, Telescope Peak (11,043 ft), and Racetrack Playa
  • Death Valley Wilderness: ~3,158,038 acres
  • Adjacent to China Lake NAWS restricted area R-2508
  • Nearest city: Beatty, NV (~40 miles east)

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
  • Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — absolute motorized ban
  • Military airspace: R-2508 (China Lake NAWS) adjacent to park; active military test range operations
  • FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations
  • Airspace: Class G within park; R-2508 active adjacent

Penalties

  • NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
  • Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment
  • R-2508 military airspace violation: federal criminal prosecution
  • FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
  • Equipment confiscation by park rangers and/or Naval security

Special Permissions

  • NPS Special Use Permit required
  • China Lake NAWS coordination mandatory for eastern park operations
  • Geological/scientific research with NPS-approved permit Submit requests to: Death Valley NP Superintendent, Panamint Springs, CA 93562
Map is not loaded yet
Load the map only when you need to view the rule outline.
This shows the latest mapped outline for this rules page. Click a shape to view its note when available.
Rule sources
Parent Rule Pages