← Back to Zion National Park
Drone Rules for Zion National Park
Springdale, Utah (UT)
• United States
Utah, USA
Lat: 37.2982 • Lng: -113.026
Rules Edit History: Zion National Park
Showing changes between revisions.
Mapped shape change
Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 29, 2026 1:52 AM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Zion National Park based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, Wilderness Act, ESA Section 9 Mexican Spotted Owl and California condor cliff nesting, and MBTA Peregrine Falcon nesting protections.
Moderation feedback
Approved
Confidence: 0.99
Your proposed edit for Zion 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/zion/planyourvisit/things-to-know.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations. Wilderness Act, ESA Mexican Spotted Owl and California condor cliff nesting, and MBTA Peregrine Falcon add multi-layer federal restrictions with seasonal absolute bans February — August.
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 Zion National Park under NPS regulations. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit. Utah's most visited national park enforces a complete UAS ban across its towering sandstone canyon walls — critical habitat for the threatened |
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 - Wilderness: ❌ Zion Wilderness absolute motorized ban - ESA: ⚠️ Mexican Spotted Owl + California condor — cliff nesting ## Geographic Boundaries Zion National Park is located in Washington, Kane, and Iron Counties, Utah. - Total area: ~147,551 acres - Coordinates: 37.2982° N, 113.0263° W - Includes Angels Landing, The Narrows, Emerald Pools, Kolob Canyons, and Great White Throne (6,744 ft) - Zion Wilderness: ~120,000 acres - Nearest city: Springdale, UT (adjacent) ## 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 - Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — absolute motorized ban - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) threatened; California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) critically endangered; cliff nesting UAS = Section 9 - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Peregrine Falcon nesting cliffs - 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 - Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment - ESA condor/owl: up to $50,000 + 1 year per cliff nesting incident - MBTA: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per falcon disturbance - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - NPS Special Use Permit required - Raptor/condor nesting blackout: February–August cliff faces - ESA Section 10 ITP for owl and condor research Submit requests to: Zion NP Superintendent, Springdale, UT 84767
Show inline change markers
+ - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit + - Wilderness: ❌ Zion Wilderness absolute motorized ban + - ESA: ⚠️ Mexican Spotted Owl + California condor — cliff nesting + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Zion National Park is located in Washington, Kane, and + Iron Counties, Utah. + - Total area: ~147,551 acres + - Coordinates: 37.2982° N, 113.0263° W + - Includes Angels Landing, The Narrows, Emerald Pools, + Kolob Canyons, and Great White Throne (6,744 ft) + - Zion Wilderness: ~120,000 acres + - Nearest city: Springdale, UT (adjacent) + + ## 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 + - Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — absolute motorized ban + - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis + lucida) threatened; California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) + critically endangered; cliff nesting UAS = Section 9 + - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Peregrine Falcon nesting cliffs + - 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 + - Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment + - ESA condor/owl: up to $50,000 + 1 year per cliff nesting incident + - MBTA: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per falcon disturbance + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers + - NPS Special Use Permit required + - Raptor/condor nesting blackout: February–August cliff faces + - ESA Section 10 ITP for owl and condor research + Submit requests to: Zion NP Superintendent, + Springdale, UT 84767
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.
Moderation feedback
Administrative rollback audit entry.
Changed fields
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | NoFly | Permission |
| Summary | Drones are prohibited in Zion National Park per NPS policy. No exceptions for recreational pilots. | 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 - Zion National Park **Drones are not permitted** in Zion National Park. ### Key Rules - All drone flights are prohibited for recreational pilots - Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit - The narrow canyon topography and wildlife make drone use particularly disruptive ### Source - Zion NPS Things to Know: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/things-to-know.htm
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. - - ### Key Rules - - All drone flights are prohibited for recreational pilots - - Commercial use requires a Special Use Permit - - The narrow canyon topography and wildlife make drone use particularly disruptive - - ### Source - - Zion NPS Things to Know: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/things-to-know.htm -
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
| 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 | — | 87253f95-dafb-4080-8100-74125525c8af |
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