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Drone Rules for Jemez Historic Site

Jemez Springs, New Mexico (NM) • Estados Unidos
18160 NM-4, Jemez Springs, NM 87025, EUA
Lat: 35.7778 • Lng: -106.688
Ground Not allowed Last updated: May 29, 2026
Summary
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Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Jemez Historic Site under New Mexico State Monuments regulations administered by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs (NMDCA) — Historic Preservation Division, and are subject to concurrent Pueblo de Jemez tribal authority over the surrounding cultural landscape. No

Authorization Status

  • Recreational: ❌ Prohibited without written NMDCA site manager authorization AND Pueblo de Jemez tribal coordination
  • Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Requires NMDCA State Monument permit + Pueblo de Jemez tribal authorization + FAA Part 107 certification
  • Tribal Layer: ⚠️ Pueblo de Jemez — direct cultural affiliation and ongoing tribal authority over Giusewa Pueblo landscape; tribal sovereignty applies to aerial access over ancestral homelands
  • Historic Layer: ⚠️ NHPA + ARPA — mission ruins and Pueblo period deposits listed on National Register of Historic Places

Geographic Boundaries

Jemez Historic Site is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, administered by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs — Monument Division.

  • Total area: ~7 acres (developed site); surrounded by Jemez Springs community and Pueblo de Jemez traditional use lands
  • Coordinates: 35.7758° N, 106.6908° W
  • Nearest city: Jemez Springs, NM (immediately adjacent)
  • Terrain: Jemez River canyon, volcanic tuff formations, ruins of Giusewa Pueblo (Towa-speaking Jemez people, ~1300–1630 CE) and San José de los Jémez Spanish Franciscan mission (1621–1630)
  • Pueblo de Jemez (Walatowa) — the only remaining Towa-speaking Pueblo; Giusewa was a primary ancestral village; active tribal cultural affiliation and ceremonial relationship with site
  • Listed on National Register of Historic Places
  • Adjacent to Jemez State Monument management zone and broader Jemez Mountains cultural landscape under Pueblo de Jemez tribal monitoring
  • Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G

Regulations

  • New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) 4.10.2 — State Monument rules prohibit drone operations without written site manager authorization
  • New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs UAS Policy — no drone launches, landings, or overflights of state monument properties without permit
  • Pueblo de Jemez tribal sovereignty — Giusewa Pueblo is an ancestral village of the Pueblo de Jemez; tribal government asserts cultural authority over aerial access to ancestral landscape
  • National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — National Register listing; Section 106 consultation required for any commercial operation affecting historic property integrity
  • Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) — subsurface Pueblo period and Spanish colonial archaeological deposits; drone vibration near mission wall fabric constitutes potential disturbance
  • American Indian Religious Freedom Act (42 U.S.C. § 1996) — Giusewa retains active ceremonial significance to Pueblo de Jemez; aerial intrusion during ceremonial periods violates AIRFA protections
  • Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. § 3001) — ancestral human remains and funerary objects present in site deposits
  • FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide

Penalties

  • NMDCA State Monument fines under NMAC 4.10.2: up to $1,000 per violation + removal from site
  • Pueblo de Jemez tribal court penalties for sovereignty and ancestral landscape violations
  • NHPA civil penalties for damage to National Register property fabric
  • ARPA violations: fines up to $20,000 + 2 years imprisonment
  • NAGPRA violations: federal criminal prosecution
  • FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day (commercial ops)
  • Criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 32 for willful violations

Special Permissions

  • Written authorization required from Jemez Historic Site manager
  • Pueblo de Jemez Governor's Office coordination required before any permit application is submitted — tribal consultation is mandatory, not optional, given direct ancestral affiliation
  • NHPA Section 106 review required for any commercial film or research operation affecting mission ruins or Pueblo structures
  • ARPA federal research permit required for any subsurface documentation
  • NAGPRA tribal consultation required before any operation near known burial areas
  • Operations during Pueblo de Jemez ceremonial calendar dates will not be permitted under any circumstances Submit requests to: Jemez Historic Site Manager, 18160 NM-4, Jemez Springs, NM 87025 Pueblo de Jemez Governor's Office: PO Box 100, Jemez Pueblo, NM 87024
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Rule sources
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-2/section-2.17 — New Mexico NMAC 4.10.2 state monument rules, Pueblo de Jemez tribal sovereignty over ancestral Giusewa Pueblo landscape, NHPA National Register protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA archaeological deposit protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), AIRFA ceremonial landscape protections (42 U.S.C. § 1996), and NAGPRA ancestral remains protections (25 U.S.C. § 3001) collectively govern all drone operations at Jemez Historic Site, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-107 — New Mexico NMAC 4.10.2 state monument rules, Pueblo de Jemez tribal sovereignty over ancestral Giusewa Pueblo landscape, NHPA National Register protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA archaeological deposit protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), AIRFA ceremonial landscape protections (42 U.S.C. § 1996), and NAGPRA ancestral remains protections (25 U.S.C. § 3001) collectively govern all drone operations at Jemez Historic Site, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1510/arpa.htm — New Mexico NMAC 4.10.2 state monument rules, Pueblo de Jemez tribal sovereignty over ancestral Giusewa Pueblo landscape, NHPA National Register protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA archaeological deposit protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), AIRFA ceremonial landscape protections (42 U.S.C. § 1996), and NAGPRA ancestral remains protections (25 U.S.C. § 3001) collectively govern all drone operations at Jemez Historic Site, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c2e4406710048e19806ebf6a06754ad — New Mexico NMAC 4.10.2 state monument rules, Pueblo de Jemez tribal sovereignty over ancestral Giusewa Pueblo landscape, NHPA National Register protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA archaeological deposit protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), AIRFA ceremonial landscape protections (42 U.S.C. § 1996), and NAGPRA ancestral remains protections (25 U.S.C. § 3001) collectively govern all drone operations at Jemez Historic Site, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.navajonationparks.org/permits/ — New Mexico NMAC 4.10.2 state monument rules, Pueblo de Jemez tribal sovereignty over ancestral Giusewa Pueblo landscape, NHPA National Register protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101), ARPA archaeological deposit protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), AIRFA ceremonial landscape protections (42 U.S.C. § 1996), and NAGPRA ancestral remains protections (25 U.S.C. § 3001) collectively govern all drone operations at Jemez Historic Site, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
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