← Back to Bandelier National Monument Visitor Center
Drone Rules for Bandelier National Monument Visitor Center
Los Alamos, New Mexico (NM)
• United States
15 Entrance Rd, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
Lat: 35.7791 • Lng: -106.271
Rules Edit History: Bandelier National Monument Visitor Center
Showing changes between revisions.
Mapped shape change
Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 27, 2026 11:25 PM
Approved
• Added NPS drone ban for Bandelier NM with cliff dwelling context.
Moderation feedback
Approved
Confidence: 0.99
Your proposed edit has been approved. The updated rule now accurately reflects the prohibition of drone operations in Bandelier National Monument, emphasizing the protection of Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings.
Sources
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-2/section-2.17 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-107 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.nps.gov/band/planyourvisit/rules.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/uaspolicy.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/where_can_i_fly/b4ufly — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-1/section-1.5 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
Changed fields
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Bandelier National Monument under NPS regulations, controlled by the National Park Service. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit from the park superintendent. | Drones are prohibited in Bandelier National Monument per NPS policy. Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings are protected. |
Before
## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit ## Geographic Boundaries Bandelier National Monument is located in Los Alamos and Sandoval Counties, New Mexico. - Total area: ~33,677 acres - Coordinates: 35.7782° N, 106.2706° W - Nearest city: Los Alamos, NM (~12 miles north) - Includes Frijoles Canyon and surrounding mesa/canyon system ## 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 within park - National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — protects Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites within boundaries - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide - Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within monument ## Penalties - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation - Misdemeanor charges under 36 CFR § 1.3 - Additional penalties under NHPA for archaeological site disturbance - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - Archaeological/scientific research with NPS + SHPO approval - Official NPS resource management only - Emergency SAR (NPS-coordinated only) Submit requests to: Bandelier NM Superintendent, 15 Entrance Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
After
## Drone Rules - Bandelier National Monument **Drone flights are banned** in Bandelier National Monument. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone use within the monument - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - Ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings carved into volcanic tuff are fragile and culturally irreplaceable ### Source - Bandelier NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/band/planyourvisit/rules.htm
Show inline change markers
- - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit - Bandelier National Monument is located in Los Alamos and Sandoval - Counties, New Mexico. - - Total area: ~33,677 acres - - Coordinates: 35.7782° N, 106.2706° W - - Nearest city: Los Alamos, NM (~12 miles north) - - Includes Frijoles Canyon and surrounding mesa/canyon system - - National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — protects - Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites within boundaries - - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide - - Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within monument - - Misdemeanor charges under 36 CFR § 1.3 - - Additional penalties under NHPA for archaeological site disturbance - - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - - Equipment confiscation by park rangers - ## Special Permissions - - Archaeological/scientific research with NPS + SHPO approval - - Official NPS resource management only - - Emergency SAR (NPS-coordinated only) - Submit requests to: Bandelier NM Superintendent, - 15 Entrance Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
May 27, 2026 8:56 PM
Approved
• Added a complete drone restriction profile for Bandelier National Monument based on NPS 36 CFR § 1.5, § 2.17(a)(3), NHPA protections, and FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
Moderation feedback
Approved
Confidence: 0.99
Your proposed edit accurately reflects the prohibition of drone operations at Bandelier National Monument under National Park Service regulations, as supported by official sources. The outline provided is appropriately placed around the monument area. This edit is approved.
Sources
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-2/section-2.17 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-107 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/uaspolicy.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/where_can_i_fly/b4ufly — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-1/section-1.5 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Bandelier Superintendent's Compendium, and the National Historic Preservation Act ban all drone operations within monument boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | Unknown | NoFly |
| Summary | — | Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Bandelier National Monument under NPS regulations, controlled by the National Park Service. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit from the park superintendent. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 41ac5b27-e41e-4894-9e58-bfb2c0cc923e |
Before
After
## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit ## Geographic Boundaries Bandelier National Monument is located in Los Alamos and Sandoval Counties, New Mexico. - Total area: ~33,677 acres - Coordinates: 35.7782° N, 106.2706° W - Nearest city: Los Alamos, NM (~12 miles north) - Includes Frijoles Canyon and surrounding mesa/canyon system ## 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 within park - National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — protects Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites within boundaries - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide - Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within monument ## Penalties - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation - Misdemeanor charges under 36 CFR § 1.3 - Additional penalties under NHPA for archaeological site disturbance - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - Archaeological/scientific research with NPS + SHPO approval - Official NPS resource management only - Emergency SAR (NPS-coordinated only) Submit requests to: Bandelier NM Superintendent, 15 Entrance Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Show inline change markers
+ ## Authorization Status + - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned + - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Bandelier National Monument is located in Los Alamos and Sandoval + Counties, New Mexico. + - Total area: ~33,677 acres + - Coordinates: 35.7782° N, 106.2706° W + - Nearest city: Los Alamos, NM (~12 miles north) + - Includes Frijoles Canyon and surrounding mesa/canyon system + + ## 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 within park + - National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — protects + Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites within boundaries + - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide + - Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within monument + + ## Penalties + - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation + - Misdemeanor charges under 36 CFR § 1.3 + - Additional penalties under NHPA for archaeological site disturbance + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers + + ## Special Permissions + - Archaeological/scientific research with NPS + SHPO approval + - Official NPS resource management only + - Emergency SAR (NPS-coordinated only) + Submit requests to: Bandelier NM Superintendent, + 15 Entrance Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544