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Drone Rules for Acadia National Park
Mount Desert, Maine (ME)
• United States
Maine, USA
Lat: 44.3386 • Lng: -68.2733
Rules Edit History: Acadia National Park
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May 29, 2026 1:35 AM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Acadia National Park based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, MBTA Peregrine Falcon nesting cliff protections, and Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act 16 U.S.C. § 668.
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Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations. MBTA Peregrine Falcon nesting cliff protections and Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act add seasonal federal restriction layers March — August.
- https://www.nps.gov/acad/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 Acadia National Park under NPS regulations. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit. The only national park in the northeastern U.S., Acadia protects 27 miles of Maine coastline and critical Peregrine Falcon nesting cliffs on |
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 - MBTA: ⚠️ Peregrine Falcon nesting cliffs — March–August ban ## Geographic Boundaries Acadia National Park is located in Hancock and Knox Counties, Maine, primarily on Mount Desert Island. - Total area: ~49,075 acres - Coordinates: 44.3386° N, 68.2733° W - Includes Cadillac Mountain (1,530 ft — highest point on U.S. Atlantic coast), Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond, Precipice Trail, and Isle au Haut - Nearest city: Bar Harbor, ME (adjacent) ## 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 - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) nesting on Precipice and Jordan Cliffs; disturbance prohibited - Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 668) — Bald Eagle nesting territories on park islands - 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 - MBTA: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per falcon disturbance - BGEPA: fines up to $10,000 + 2 years per eagle violation - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - NPS Special Use Permit required - Peregrine Falcon nesting blackout: March–August cliff areas - Wildlife research: USFWS MBTA + BGEPA permits required Submit requests to: Acadia NP Superintendent, 25 Visitor Center Road, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
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+ - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit + - MBTA: ⚠️ Peregrine Falcon nesting cliffs — March–August ban + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Acadia National Park is located in Hancock and Knox Counties, + Maine, primarily on Mount Desert Island. + - Total area: ~49,075 acres + - Coordinates: 44.3386° N, 68.2733° W + - Includes Cadillac Mountain (1,530 ft — highest point on + U.S. Atlantic coast), Thunder Hole, Jordan Pond, + Precipice Trail, and Isle au Haut + - Nearest city: Bar Harbor, ME (adjacent) + + ## 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 + - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) + nesting on Precipice and Jordan Cliffs; disturbance prohibited + - Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 668) — + Bald Eagle nesting territories on park islands + - 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 + - MBTA: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per falcon disturbance + - BGEPA: fines up to $10,000 + 2 years per eagle violation + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers + - NPS Special Use Permit required + - Peregrine Falcon nesting blackout: March–August cliff areas + - Wildlife research: USFWS MBTA + BGEPA permits required + Submit requests to: Acadia NP Superintendent, + 25 Visitor Center Road, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
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 Acadia National Park per NPS policy and park-specific closure orders. | 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 - Acadia National Park **Drones are prohibited** throughout Acadia National Park. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone use anywhere in the park - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit from park administration - Park closure order bans launching, landing, or operating drones ### Source - Acadia NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/acad/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 anywhere in the park - - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit from park administration - - Park closure order bans launching, landing, or operating drones - - ### Source - - Acadia NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/rules.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 | — | acfda9ba-2ea8-4fcc-9ebd-b6889a89484d |
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