Nevada Drone Laws 2026: The Complete Pilot's Guide

For about a week in February 2024, the entire Las Vegas valley was a no-fly zone for drones. The FAA wrapped a temporary flight restriction around Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium that, on game day, started two nautical miles out and then ballooned to a thirty-nautical-mile radius reaching up to eighteen thousand feet. The agency was blunt about the stakes: fly a drone into it and you could lose the aircraft, pay fines north of thirty thousand dollars, and face criminal charges. The Super Bowl was an extreme case, but it dramatized something every Nevada pilot eventually learns the hard way. The one place tourists most want to fly — the Strip — is essentially off-limits, and the rules that put it off-limits stack up fast: Harry Reid International's Class B airspace overhead, a state misdemeanor for flying within five miles of an airport, dense crowds below, and routine event restrictions over the stadiums.

Nevada is not a light-touch drone state. Back in 2015, the legislature passed Assembly Bill 239, a single law that gave the state a real set of drone statutes — a trespass rule, a weaponization felony, a hard distance rule around airports and critical facilities, and a warrant requirement for police. Add the state parks rule, the wildlife code, a thick layer of military restricted airspace that few other states carry, and a fast-moving set of Las Vegas and Clark County park ordinances, and a desert real-estate shoot in Henderson, a mine survey near Elko, a solar-array inspection outside Tonopah, and a sunset clip over Red Rock all sit inside the same three layers of law. This guide walks through each one with citations to the Nevada Revised Statutes, the state parks division, NDOW, and the FAA, so a Nevada flight stays legal from pre-takeoff to landing.

What governs drone flight in Nevada?

Three layers, in this order:

The rest of this article works through each layer in that order.

Federal baseline: what applies everywhere

Before any Nevada rule kicks in, you are bound by FAA rules. Here is the short version.

• Part 107Covers commercial operation. If you fly for anything that benefits a business — real-estate listings, roof inspections, event videography, mine surveys, paid social content — you need the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate.
• TRUSTThe Recreational UAS Safety Test covers non-commercial flight. Free, online, and you cannot fail it. Carry the completion certificate when you fly. No Nevada drone license exists on top of it.
• FAA registrationFive dollars, every drone heavier than 0.55 lb (250 g). The registration number has to be visible on the aircraft.
• Remote IDMandatory since March 16, 2024 — Standard Remote ID, a broadcast module, or operation inside a FRIA.
• Altitude cap400 ft AGL for most flights.
• Visual Line of SightDaylight or civil twilight unless waivered.
• Controlled airspaceClass B (LAS), Class C (RNO), Class D (VGT, HND), and surface E require LAANC authorization before launch.

There is one more federal layer in Nevada that most states do not have: vast blocks of military and restricted airspace. Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases, Naval Air Station Fallon, the Tonopah Test Range, the Nevada Test and Training Range, and the Nevada National Security Site cover enormous swaths of the state. Flying a drone into national defense airspace is a federal crime under 49 U.S.C. § 46307, carrying up to a year in federal prison and a criminal fine under Title 18 (up to $100,000 for an individual, more if a violation results in death). Check the B4UFLY app and the FAA's UAS Facility Maps before you launch anywhere outside the metros. Everything else that follows is what Nevada layers on top.

Nevada state-level drone laws

The AB 239 statutes: airports, critical facilities, and weapons

Nevada's drone-specific statutes all trace back to one 2015 law, Assembly Bill 239, which sits in NRS Chapter 493. The most important one for ordinary pilots is the distance rule.

Airports and critical facilities — NRS 493.109. It is a misdemeanor to operate a drone within five miles of an airport unless you have the consent of the airport operator or an FAA waiver, exemption, or authorization — and if you do have one, you have to carry the documentation while you fly. The same statute makes it a misdemeanor to operate within a horizontal distance of 500 feet, or a vertical distance of 250 feet, of a critical facility without the owner's written consent. A Nevada misdemeanor can mean up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000. That five-mile airport line is the single hardest rule in Nevada drone law, and it is broader than the FAA's controlled-airspace rings — a small rural airstrip can put a five-mile no-go circle on the map even where there is no Class B, C, or D overhead.

What counts as a critical facility — NRS 493.020. The definition is long and specific: petroleum refineries, chemical plants, pipelines, water and wastewater treatment facilities, mines, power generating stations and substations, certain electric-utility transmission lines, and any jail, detention facility, or prison. It expressly does not include utility infrastructure that sits underground. Mines matter here because Nevada is the country's leading gold producer, and an open-pit mine is a critical facility — a surveyor flying one needs the operator's written consent.

Weaponized drones — NRS 493.106. Attaching a weapon to a drone, or flying one that has been weaponized, is a category D felony. Discharge the weapon and it becomes a category C felony. This rarely touches a normal pilot, but it is worth knowing the right citation, because some guides mix it up with the law-enforcement statute.

Trespass by drone: NRS 493.103

Nevada has a civil trespass-by-drone statute, and it is narrower than it first sounds. A property owner can sue the operator of a drone flown lower than 250 feet over their property, but only if two things are both true: the operator flew that low over the property on at least one previous occasion, and the owner already told the operator the flight was not authorized. In other words, it is a notice-and-repeat rule, not a blanket ban on low flight. The statute also carves out drones in an airport flight path, drones taking off or landing, lawful police and public-agency flights, and — importantly for working pilots — drones operated by a Nevada-registered business or a licensed land surveyor who is FAA-approved, flying within the scope of that work, and not unreasonably interfering with the property's use. If a property owner does win a trespass suit, the damages are tripled, plus attorney's fees and an injunction.

Police drones and warrants: NRS 493.112

Unlike most states, Nevada actually has an enacted statute restricting police drone surveillance. Under NRS 493.112, a law enforcement agency generally has to get a warrant before using a drone to gather evidence within the curtilage of a home or anywhere a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. The warrant is capped at ten days and is renewable. There are exceptions — exigent circumstances with probable cause, written consent, search and rescue, an imminent threat (with a sworn statement filed within two business days), or a governor-declared emergency. If police gather information in violation of the statute, it is inadmissible and cannot be used to establish reasonable suspicion or probable cause. A companion statute, NRS 493.115, governs non-police public agencies and bars them from running drones to assist law enforcement.

Privacy and voyeurism

Nevada does not have a single drone-voyeurism statute, but a drone camera can still land you in criminal court. NRS 200.603 covers peering or peeping into a dwelling, and NRS 200.604 makes it a gross misdemeanor to capture an image of the private area of another person without consent where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Hover a camera at a bedroom window or over a privacy-walled backyard and you are squarely inside those statutes, on top of the civil trespass exposure under 493.103. If your drone records audio, the eavesdropping statute (NRS 200.650) can come into play too. The simple habit: do not loiter or film over a home or a fenced yard.

Wildlife and hunting

Nevada's wildlife code reaches drones directly. Under NRS 503.010 and the Department of Wildlife's regulations, it is unlawful to use a manned or unmanned aircraft to spot or locate game and then relay that information for hunting or trapping within 24 hours of the aircraft landing, and it is unlawful to harass game with a drone — harassment being defined broadly as molesting, chasing, herding, or driving. This is not theoretical. In 2024, three men were convicted in Nevada of using a drone to locate and illegally harvest mule deer. NDOW penalties are serious: criminal fines up to $5,000, civil penalties up to $30,000, equipment forfeiture, and loss of hunting privileges. Keep the drone away from wildlife.

Commercial versus recreational operation

Nevada does not require a state-level drone license, registration, or business permit beyond what the FAA already requires. Commercial operators need FAA registration and Part 107. Recreational operators need FAA registration and TRUST. One Nevada wrinkle worth knowing: a 2023 amendment to the AB 239 statutes, effective January 1, 2025, directs the Department of Public Safety to maintain a list of prohibited drone manufacturers and vendors — keyed to the federal covered-UAS lists — that public and law enforcement agencies cannot buy from. That has effectively pushed government agencies off certain foreign-made hardware. It does not restrict private or commercial Part 107 operators, who can still fly whatever the FAA allows.

Penalties at a glance

Local ordinances to watch in Nevada

Nevada has no statute that flatly preempts local drone rules, but the framework is settled: cities and counties cannot regulate the airspace — that stays federal — and homeowners' associations cannot ban drone flight in their CC&Rs. What local governments can do is regulate takeoff, landing, and operation on the public property they own, and the Las Vegas area has the most developed set of those rules in the state.

Where to fly legally in Nevada

Looking for places to fly that do not require chasing a permit?

• Private property with the owner's permission, outside controlled-airspace rings unless you have LAANC, and outside the five-mile airport circles.
• The Clark County parks designated for drone use — the best public-land option in the Las Vegas area.
• AMA-recognized club fields listed at modelaircraft.org. Membership includes insurance and a vetted list of fields. Bennett Airfield in the Las Vegas area is a longstanding RC field.
• FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs), updated at faa.gov.
• BLM land, which covers roughly two-thirds of Nevada and is generally the most permissive land class — though wilderness areas, active fire or closure orders, and the surrounding military restricted airspace still apply, and commercial filming needs a permit.
• The B4UFLY app before every flight. It surfaces controlled airspace, active TFRs, and security exclusions in real time.

Two reminders that trip people up in Nevada. The state parks — Valley of Fire, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, and the rest — prohibit drones unless a supervisor designates an area or issues a special use permit. And the National Park Service units, led by Great Basin, Death Valley, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Tule Springs Fossil Beds, are off the list entirely.

Who enforces drone laws in Nevada?

Federal rules are enforced by the FAA, with civil-penalty ceilings that can reach five figures for serious safety or TFR violations, and the military restricted-airspace rules carry federal criminal exposure. State charges under NRS 493.106, 493.109, and the privacy statutes are filed by local prosecutors after investigation by city police, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, or county sheriffs. NDOW game wardens enforce the wildlife rules. State park rangers enforce the park drone rule. National Park Service rangers enforce the federal ban at Great Basin, Lake Mead, and the other units, with citations filed in federal court. The civil trespass remedy under NRS 493.103 runs in parallel with any criminal exposure, in the hands of the property owner.

How to fly legally in Nevada — quick checklist

Commercial drone work in Nevada

Nevada's commercial drone demand looks different from most states because the economy does. Gaming, hospitality, events, and film drive a steady appetite for aerial work in and around Las Vegas, including the booming drone-light-show business that runs over the resort corridor under tightly coordinated FAA approvals. Mining is a major driver statewide — Nevada leads the country in gold production, and open-pit operations use drones for stockpile volumetrics, pit mapping, and safety inspection. Add large solar installations and NV Energy's transmission and distribution inspection, fast-growing construction in both the Las Vegas and Reno-Sparks metros, the logistics hub around Reno-Sparks, and public-safety UAS programs at agencies across the state, and the through-line is clear: the entry credential for nearly all of it is the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.

How USI helps you fly legally

Knowing the rules is half the work. The other half is the credential — and the path looks different depending on who you are. Three audiences, three doors.

Nevada drone law FAQ