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Drone Rules for Yellowstone National Park
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• United States
United States
Lat: 44.5979 • Lng: -110.561
Rules Edit History: Yellowstone National Park
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Mapped shape change
Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 29, 2026 1:51 AM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Yellowstone National Park — America's first national park and first to ban drones — based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, NHPA UNESCO World Heritage Site, ESA gray wolf and grizzly bear zones, and MBTA Trumpeter Swan protections.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit for Yellowstone 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/yell/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations. Yellowstone was first NPS unit to ban drones in 2014. NHPA UNESCO status, ESA gray wolf and grizzly bear management zones, and MBTA Trumpeter Swan protections add multi-layer federal restrictions.
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 Yellowstone National Park under NPS regulations. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit. America's first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site protects the world's largest geothermal system — with over 10,000 geothe |
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 — first park to ban drones (2014) - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit - UNESCO WHC: ⚠️ World Heritage Site since 1978 - Geothermal: ⚠️ Active geothermal — TFR risk during major eruptions ## Geographic Boundaries Yellowstone National Park spans Park, Teton, and Gallatin Counties, Wyoming; Gallatin and Park Counties, Montana; and Fremont County, Idaho. - Total area: ~2,219,791 acres - Coordinates: 44.4280° N, 110.5885° W - Includes Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone Caldera (supervolcano), Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley, and Hayden Valley - Yellowstone Wilderness proposed: ~1.7 million acres - Nearest city: Cody, WY (~53 miles east) ## 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 - NHPA (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — UNESCO World Heritage Site - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — Gray wolf (Canis lupus) and Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) management zones - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Trumpeter Swan nesting habitat - FAA TFR (14 CFR § 91.137) — supervolcano activity TFR risk - 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 - NHPA UNESCO penalties for heritage disturbance - ESA wolf/grizzly: up to $50,000 + 1 year per incident - MBTA: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per swan disturbance - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - NPS Special Use Permit required - Grizzly/wolf research: ESA Section 10 ITP required - Geothermal research: additional NPS scientific review Submit requests to: Yellowstone NP Superintendent, 2 Officers Row, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
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+ - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit + - UNESCO WHC: ⚠️ World Heritage Site since 1978 + - Geothermal: ⚠️ Active geothermal — TFR risk during major eruptions + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Yellowstone National Park spans Park, Teton, and Gallatin + Counties, Wyoming; Gallatin and Park Counties, Montana; + and Fremont County, Idaho. + - Total area: ~2,219,791 acres + - Coordinates: 44.4280° N, 110.5885° W + - Includes Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone + Caldera (supervolcano), Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, + Lamar Valley, and Hayden Valley + - Yellowstone Wilderness proposed: ~1.7 million acres + - Nearest city: Cody, WY (~53 miles east) + + ## 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 + - NHPA (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — UNESCO World Heritage Site + - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — Gray wolf (Canis lupus) and + Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) management zones + - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Trumpeter Swan nesting habitat + - FAA TFR (14 CFR § 91.137) — supervolcano activity TFR risk + - 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 + - NHPA UNESCO penalties for heritage disturbance + - ESA wolf/grizzly: up to $50,000 + 1 year per incident + - MBTA: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per swan disturbance + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers + - NPS Special Use Permit required + - Grizzly/wolf research: ESA Section 10 ITP required + - Geothermal research: additional NPS scientific review + Submit requests to: Yellowstone NP Superintendent, + 2 Officers Row, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
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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 | — | 55810d5d-24c1-425f-b61c-e249cef65655 |
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
Show inline change markers
+ ## + 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