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Drone Rules for Death Valley National Park
Skidoo, California (ca)
• United States
United States
Lat: 36.5054 • Lng: -117.079
Rules Edit History: Death Valley National Park
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May 29, 2026 2:03 AM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Death Valley National Park based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, Wilderness Act 3,158,038-acre designation, and China Lake NAWS R-2508 active military restricted airspace adjacency.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit for Death Valley National Park has been approved. The information is accurate and well-supported by official sources, and the outline appropriately matches the selected location. Thank you for your contribution.
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations. Wilderness Act 3.1+ million acre designation and China Lake NAWS R-2508 active military restricted airspace add multi-layer federal and military restrictions.
- https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/things-to-know.htm
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | Permission | NoFly |
| Summary | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. | 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 |
Before
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
After
## 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
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+ - 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 + - 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
May 27, 2026 10:57 PM
Approved
• Rollback user history: Included broken and wrong link... In every post. Mass edit spam of national parks adding nothing specific.
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Administrative rollback audit entry.
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | NoFly | Permission |
| Summary | Drones are prohibited in Death Valley National Park. Extreme heat and remote terrain make unauthorized flights dangerous. | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. |
Before
## Drone Rules - Death Valley National Park **Drones are not allowed** in Death Valley National Park. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone flights within the park boundary - Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from park administration - The park's extreme conditions make unauthorized drone recovery especially risky ### Source - Death Valley Things to Know: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/things-to-know.htm
After
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
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+ This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. - - ### Key Rules - - No recreational drone flights within the park boundary - - Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit from park administration - - The park's extreme conditions make unauthorized drone recovery especially risky - - ### Source - - Death Valley Things to Know: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/things-to-know.htm -
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Rule category | — | Ground |
| Flight status | — | Permission |
| Summary | — | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 8e649def-5577-43aa-90b6-1cab6f90ffdd |
Before
After
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
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+ ## + This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. + + https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm