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Drone Rules for Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky (KY)
• United States
Kentucky, USA
Lat: 37.199 • Lng: -86.1156
Rules Edit History: Mammoth Cave National Park
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May 29, 2026 1:37 AM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Mammoth Cave National Park based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, Cave Resources Protection Act world's longest cave system, and ESA Section 9 Indiana bat endangered species critical habitat.
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Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations. CRPA world's longest cave system protections and ESA Indiana bat endangered species add multi-layer federal restrictions.
- https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/rules.htm
Changed fields
| 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 Mammoth Cave National Park under NPS regulations. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit. Home to the world's longest known cave system (400+ miles), the park enforces Cave Resources Protection Act restrictions across the en |
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 - CRPA: ⚠️ World's longest cave system — surface overflight restrictions - UNESCO WHC: ⚠️ World Heritage Site since 1981 ## Geographic Boundaries Mammoth Cave National Park is located in Edmonson, Hart, and Barren Counties, Kentucky. - Total area: ~54,012 acres - Coordinates: 37.1862° N, 86.1003° W - Includes Mammoth Cave (400+ miles mapped), Green River, Nolin River, and Flint Ridge cave system - UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve - Nearest city: Bowling Green, KY (~35 miles south) ## 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 - Cave Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 4301) — protects cave ecosystem, formations, and endemic cave fauna - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) endangered; UAS disturbance of roosting habitat prohibited - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — bat species MBTA protections - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations - Airspace: Class G; no controlled airspace over park ## Penalties - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation - CRPA: fines up to $10,000 + imprisonment for cave disturbance - ESA Section 9 Indiana bat: up to $50,000 + 1 year imprisonment - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - NPS Special Use Permit required - Cave research: CRPA federal authorization required - Indiana bat research: ESA Section 10 ITP + USFWS coordination Submit requests to: Mammoth Cave NP Superintendent, 1 Mammoth Cave Pkwy, Mammoth Cave, KY 42259
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+ - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit + - CRPA: ⚠️ World's longest cave system — surface overflight restrictions + - UNESCO WHC: ⚠️ World Heritage Site since 1981 + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Mammoth Cave National Park is located in Edmonson, Hart, + and Barren Counties, Kentucky. + - Total area: ~54,012 acres + - Coordinates: 37.1862° N, 86.1003° W + - Includes Mammoth Cave (400+ miles mapped), + Green River, Nolin River, and Flint Ridge cave system + - UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve + - Nearest city: Bowling Green, KY (~35 miles south) + + ## 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 + - Cave Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 4301) — protects + cave ecosystem, formations, and endemic cave fauna + - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) + endangered; UAS disturbance of roosting habitat prohibited + - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — bat species MBTA protections + - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations + - Airspace: Class G; no controlled airspace over park + + ## Penalties + - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation + - CRPA: fines up to $10,000 + imprisonment for cave disturbance + - ESA Section 9 Indiana bat: up to $50,000 + 1 year imprisonment + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers + - NPS Special Use Permit required + - Cave research: CRPA federal authorization required + - Indiana bat research: ESA Section 10 ITP + USFWS coordination + Submit requests to: Mammoth Cave NP Superintendent, + 1 Mammoth Cave Pkwy, Mammoth Cave, KY 42259
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.
Changed fields
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | NoFly | Permission |
| Summary | Drones are prohibited in Mammoth Cave National Park per NPS policy. No recreational use is permitted. | 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 - Mammoth Cave National Park **Drone flights are banned** in Mammoth Cave National Park. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone use within the park - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - The world's longest known cave system and surface forests are both protected ### Source - Mammoth Cave NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/rules.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 use within the park - - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - - The world's longest known cave system and surface forests are both protected - - ### Source - - Mammoth Cave NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/rules.htm -
May 27, 2026 10:17 AM
Approved
• Rollback user history: Bad outlines
Moderation feedback
Administrative rollback audit entry.
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | NoFly | Permission |
| Summary | Drones are prohibited in Mammoth Cave National Park per NPS policy. No recreational use is permitted. | 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 | c5a39b3f-6b90-4848-bf11-2a06fe6a5980 | 115cbc91-ec9e-4656-a18a-a58dcecd4d61 |
Before
## Drone Rules - Mammoth Cave National Park **Drone flights are banned** in Mammoth Cave National Park. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone use within the park - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - The world's longest known cave system and surface forests are both protected ### Source - Mammoth Cave NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/rules.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
Show inline change markers
+ 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 use within the park - - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - - The world's longest known cave system and surface forests are both protected - - ### Source - - Mammoth Cave NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/rules.htm -
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
| 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 | — | 115cbc91-ec9e-4656-a18a-a58dcecd4d61 |
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
Show inline change markers
+ ## + 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