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Drone Rules for Olympic National Park Visitor Center

Port Angeles, Washington (wa) • United States
Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mt Angeles Rd, Port Angeles, WA 98362, USA
Lat: 48.0993 • Lng: -123.426
Air Not allowed Last updated: May 27, 2026
Summary
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Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Olympic National Park 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. The park's UNESCO World Heritage and Biosphere Reserve designations,

Authorization Status

  • Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
  • Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit
  • UNESCO WHC + Biosphere Reserve: ⚠️ Multi-layer heritage protection

Geographic Boundaries

Olympic National Park is located in Clallam, Jefferson, and Grays Harbor Counties, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula.

  • Total area: ~922,650 acres
  • Coordinates: 47.8021° N, 123.6044° W
  • Includes Mount Olympus (7,980 ft MSL), Hoh Rain Forest, Hurricane Ridge, and 73 miles of wilderness Pacific coastline
  • Olympic Wilderness (~876,000 acres) within park boundaries
  • Nearest city: Port Angeles, WA (~17 miles north)

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
  • Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — Olympic Wilderness designation
  • National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — UNESCO World Heritage Site protections
  • Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. § 703) — protects coastal seabird nesting colonies along wilderness coastline
  • FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
  • Airspace: Class E above 700 ft AGL; surface Class G within park

Penalties

  • NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
  • Wilderness Act penalties for motorized equipment in wilderness
  • MBTA fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per bird colony disturbance
  • NHPA penalties for UNESCO heritage site disturbance
  • FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
  • Equipment confiscation by park rangers

Special Permissions

  • Scientific/ecological research with NPS-approved research permit
  • Coastal wildlife research requires additional USFWS MBTA permit
  • Official NPS resource management only Submit requests to: Olympic NP Superintendent, 600 East Park Avenue, Port Angeles, WA 98362
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Rule sources
  • https://www.fws.gov/media/unmanned-aircraft-systems-uas-policy — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Olympic Superintendent's Compendium, Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, MBTA seabird protections, and NHPA UNESCO World Heritage status ban all drone operations within park boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
  • https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-2/section-2.17 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), the Olympic Superintendent's Compendium, Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, MBTA seabird protections, and NHPA UNESCO World Heritage status ban all drone operations within park 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 Olympic Superintendent's Compendium, Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, MBTA seabird protections, and NHPA UNESCO World Heritage status ban all drone operations within park 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 Olympic Superintendent's Compendium, Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, MBTA seabird protections, and NHPA UNESCO World Heritage status ban all drone operations within park boundaries, 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 Olympic Superintendent's Compendium, Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, MBTA seabird protections, and NHPA UNESCO World Heritage status ban all drone operations within park 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 Olympic Superintendent's Compendium, Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, MBTA seabird protections, and NHPA UNESCO World Heritage status ban all drone operations within park boundaries, supported by FAA 14 CFR Part 107.
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