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Drone Rules for Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument - Quarai Unit and Visitor Center

Torreon, New Mexico (nm) • United States
122 Manzano Quarai Road, Mountainair, NM 87036, USA
Lat: 34.5954 • Lng: -106.297
Ground Not allowed Last updated: May 27, 2026
Summary
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Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Salinas Pueblo Missions 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 monument superintendent. The monument encompasses three separate missi

Authorization Status

  • Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned (all three units: Abó, Quarai, Gran Quivira)
  • Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit
  • Archaeological Layer: ⚠️ ARPA + NHPA active — 17th-century mission ruins and Ancestral Puebloan structures

Geographic Boundaries

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is located in Torrance County, New Mexico, administered by the National Park Service. The monument consists of three non-contiguous units:

  • Abó Unit: 35.1966° N, 106.3594° W (~1 mile west of Abó village)
  • Quarai Unit: 34.6411° N, 106.2100° W (~1 mile north of Punta de Agua)
  • Gran Quivira Unit: 34.2572° N, 106.0883° W (~26 miles south of Mountainair)
  • Total area: ~1,071 acres across all three units
  • Nearest city: Mountainair, NM (monument headquarters)
  • Contains ruins of three 17th-century Franciscan missions and underlying Tiwa and Tompiro Puebloan villages abandoned by ~1672
  • Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G at all three units

Regulations

  • NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units
  • 36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority (covers all three units)
  • 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval within monument
  • Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 470aa) — protects buried Puebloan and Spanish colonial archaeological deposits at all three sites
  • National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — all three units are listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Gran Quivira is a National Historic Landmark
  • FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
  • Each unit has a separate superintendent's compendium closure order

Penalties

  • NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation per unit
  • Misdemeanor charges under 36 CFR § 1.3
  • ARPA violations: fines up to $20,000 + 2 years imprisonment for archaeological disturbance
  • NHPA civil penalties for damage to listed historic properties
  • FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
  • Criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 32 for willful violations
  • Equipment confiscation by NPS rangers

Special Permissions

  • Single NPS Special Use Permit covers all three units if issued by monument superintendent
  • ARPA federal research permit required for any subsurface documentation
  • State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) coordination required for commercial film work involving mission structures Submit requests to: Salinas Pueblo Missions NM Superintendent, PO Box 517, Mountainair, NM 87036
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Rule 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 Salinas Pueblo Missions Superintendent's Compendium, ARPA archaeological protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), and NHPA historic property protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101) ban all unauthorized drone operations at all three monument units, 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 Salinas Pueblo Missions Superintendent's Compendium, ARPA archaeological protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), and NHPA historic property protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101) ban all unauthorized drone operations at all three monument units, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1510/arpa.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Salinas Pueblo Missions Superintendent's Compendium, ARPA archaeological protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), and NHPA historic property protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101) ban all unauthorized drone operations at all three monument units, 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 Salinas Pueblo Missions Superintendent's Compendium, ARPA archaeological protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), and NHPA historic property protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101) ban all unauthorized drone operations at all three monument units, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c2e4406710048e19806ebf6a06754ad — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Salinas Pueblo Missions Superintendent's Compendium, ARPA archaeological protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), and NHPA historic property protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101) ban all unauthorized drone operations at all three monument units, 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 Salinas Pueblo Missions Superintendent's Compendium, ARPA archaeological protections (16 U.S.C. § 470aa), and NHPA historic property protections (54 U.S.C. § 300101) ban all unauthorized drone operations at all three monument units, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
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