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Drone Rules for Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona (AZ)
• United States
Arizona, USA
Lat: 36.2679 • Lng: -112.354
Rules Edit History: Grand Canyon National Park
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May 29, 2026 1:47 AM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Grand Canyon National Park based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, FAA Grand Canyon SFRA 14 CFR Part 93 Subpart U, Wilderness Act, and ESA Section 9 California condor critical habitat restrictions.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit for Grand Canyon National Park has been approved. The information is accurate and well-supported by official sources, and the outline appropriately matches the selected location. Thank you for your contribution.
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/rules.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations. Grand Canyon SFRA under 14 CFR Part 93 Subpart U, Wilderness Act, and ESA California condor critical habitat create the most complex airspace restriction framework of any NPS unit in the Southwest.
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| 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 Grand Canyon National Park under NPS regulations. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon enforces a complex FAA Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) above the cany |
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 - FAA SFRA: ⚠️ Grand Canyon SFRA — 14 CFR Part 93 Subpart U - Condor: ⚠️ California condor critical habitat — ESA restrictions ## Geographic Boundaries Grand Canyon National Park is located in Coconino and Mohave Counties, Arizona. - Total area: ~1,217,403 acres - Coordinates: 36.1069° N, 112.1129° W - Includes South Rim, North Rim, Phantom Ranch, Colorado River, and Havasu Creek corridor - Grand Canyon Wilderness: ~994,337 acres - Nearest city: Williams, AZ (~60 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 - FAA Special Flight Rules Area — 14 CFR Part 93 Subpart U; Grand Canyon SFRA designates flight-free zones and minimum altitude requirements; applies to ALL aircraft - Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — absolute motorized ban - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) critically endangered; UAS = Section 9 harassment - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations - Airspace: Grand Canyon SFRA active 24/7 ## Penalties - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation - GCSFRA violation: FAA civil penalties up to $27,500/day + certificate action for all aircraft types - ESA condor: up to $50,000 + 1 year imprisonment - Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - NPS Special Use Permit required - GCSFRA waiver required for any canyon airspace operations - ESA Section 10 ITP for condor zone research - Commercial tour operators require separate FAA GCSFRA authorization Submit requests to: Grand Canyon NP Superintendent, 20 South Entrance Road, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023
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+ - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit + - FAA SFRA: ⚠️ Grand Canyon SFRA — 14 CFR Part 93 Subpart U + - Condor: ⚠️ California condor critical habitat — ESA restrictions + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Grand Canyon National Park is located in Coconino and + Mohave Counties, Arizona. + - Total area: ~1,217,403 acres + - Coordinates: 36.1069° N, 112.1129° W + - Includes South Rim, North Rim, Phantom Ranch, + Colorado River, and Havasu Creek corridor + - Grand Canyon Wilderness: ~994,337 acres + - Nearest city: Williams, AZ (~60 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 + - FAA Special Flight Rules Area — 14 CFR Part 93 Subpart U; + Grand Canyon SFRA designates flight-free zones and + minimum altitude requirements; applies to ALL aircraft + - Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — absolute motorized ban + - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — California condor (Gymnogyps + californianus) critically endangered; UAS = Section 9 harassment + - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations + - Airspace: Grand Canyon SFRA active 24/7 + + ## Penalties + - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation + - GCSFRA violation: FAA civil penalties up to $27,500/day + + certificate action for all aircraft types + - ESA condor: up to $50,000 + 1 year imprisonment + - Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers + - NPS Special Use Permit required + - GCSFRA waiver required for any canyon airspace operations + - ESA Section 10 ITP for condor zone research + - Commercial tour operators require separate FAA GCSFRA authorization + Submit requests to: Grand Canyon NP Superintendent, + 20 South Entrance Road, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023
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 Grand Canyon National Park. No recreational drone use is permitted anywhere in the park. | 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 - Grand Canyon National Park The **NPS prohibits drones** in Grand Canyon National Park. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone flights anywhere in the park - Commercial media requires a **Special Use Permit** from park admin - Ban covers all park lands including rim trails and the canyon interior ### Sources - Grand Canyon Rules: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/rules.htm - NPS Management Policies 2006 section 8.2.2
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 flights anywhere in the park - - Commercial media requires a **Special Use Permit** from park admin - - Ban covers all park lands including rim trails and the canyon interior - - ### Sources - - Grand Canyon Rules: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/rules.htm - - NPS Management Policies 2006 section 8.2.2 -
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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 | — | 72ec12c3-6748-45be-87b2-f23fd23df3f6 |
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