Can I fly a drone over protected land in Puerto Rico?

Authority

50 CFR 27.34 - Aircraft operation on a national wildlife refuge · FAA AIM 7-5-6 - Flights over charted U.S. wildlife refuges, parks and forest service areas · 36 CFR 1.5(a)(2) - Closures and public use limits · NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 - Unmanned aircraft in the national parks · Superintendent's Compendium, San Juan National Historic Site, issued under 36 CFR 1.5(a)(2) · 36 CFR 2.17(a)(1) and (a)(3) - Aircraft and air delivery · 36 CFR 1.4 - definition of Aircraft · Wilderness Act section 4(c) - 16 U.S.C. 1133(c) · Endangered Species Act - 16 U.S.C. 1532(19) and 16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2) · 50 CFR 17.3 - definition of Harass · Migratory Bird Treaty Act - 16 U.S.C. 703(a) · Marine Mammal Protection Act - 16 U.S.C. 1362(18)(A) · NOAA Fisheries - Marine Life Viewing Guidelines · USFWS Caribbean ESFO - Conservation Measures for sea turtles in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, revised July 2022 · DRNA - Nuestras Areas Naturales Protegidas · 14 CFR 107.51 - maximum altitude for a small unmanned aircraft

Sources

17 sources

50 CFR 27.34 - Aircraft (Cornell LII) · FAA AIM 7-5-6 - Flights over charted U.S. wildlife refuges, parks, and forest service areas (third-party reproduction of the AIM; text checked against this copy on 6 September 2026) · 36 CFR 1.5 - Closures and public use limits (GovInfo) · National Park Service - Uncrewed aircraft in the national parks · Superintendent's Compendium - San Juan National Historic Site · 36 CFR 2.17 - Aircraft and air delivery (Cornell LII) · 36 CFR 1.4 - Definitions (Cornell LII) · 16 U.S.C. 1133 - Wilderness Act, use of wilderness areas (Cornell LII) · 16 U.S.C. 1532 - Endangered Species Act definitions (Cornell LII) · 50 CFR 17.3 - Definitions, Harass (Cornell LII) · 16 U.S.C. 703 - Migratory Bird Treaty Act (Cornell LII) · 16 U.S.C. 1362 - Marine Mammal Protection Act definitions (Cornell LII) · NOAA Fisheries - Marine life viewing guidelines: photography and video · NOAA Fisheries - Guidelines and distances · USFWS Caribbean ESFO - Conservation measures for sea turtles in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (rev. July 2022) · 16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2) - Interagency cooperation (U.S. House, Office of the Law Revision Counsel) · DRNA - Nuestras Areas Naturales Protegidas

Verified

6 September 2026

Status

Current

Does it matter where I take off from?

Where you take off from decides three separate federal rules, and each of them is broken at launch or landing, before the aircraft has flown anywhere. Two of the three say nothing about altitude. They describe the ground under the operator.Our reading¶

50 CFR 27.34 prohibits the unauthorized landing or take-off on a national wildlife refuge as a thing on its own, written into the same sentence as its clause about altitude and standing without it, except in an emergency. FAA AIM 7-5-6(a) prohibits the landing of aircraft on lands or waters administered by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the U.S. Forest Service without authorization from that agency, and lists three exceptions under it: an emergency landing beyond the operator's control, a site officially designated for landing, and approved official business of the federal government. Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act reaches the landing of aircraft and the use of motorized equipment inside a designated wilderness area.Verbatim¶

That is why the common failure is not a flight path. An operator studies the parcel, parks in the nearest public lot, and launches. If the lot is federal land, the offense is complete the moment the aircraft leaves the ground, and it stays an offense even when the entire flight is over private ground.Our reading¶

The fix costs nothing. Pick the launch point and the landing point on a map first, and check those two points against the same layers you check for the flight itself.Our reading¶

The landing of aircraft is prohibited on lands or waters administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or U.S. Forest Service without authorization from the respective agency.

1. Mark the launch point and the landing point on a map before the day of the flight.
2. Open a current FAA aeronautical chart and confirm both points sit outside every charted refuge outline.
3. If either point falls on National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service or Forest Service land, get that agency's authorization in writing or move the point.
4. Write both points into the flight plan, and keep the plan with the flight record.

What does the wildlife refuge rule actually say?

50 CFR 27.34 prohibits two different things on a national wildlife refuge: operating an aircraft at an altitude that results in harassment of wildlife, and taking off or landing there without authorization. The second one stands alone and needs no harassment to be complete.Verbatim¶

The rule carries no altitude figure at all. It is written against the outcome, so what decides it is how the animal reacted rather than what the telemetry recorded.Our reading¶

That has a practical consequence for a job file. There is no altitude to cite as proof of compliance, so the thing that holds up is the dated record: where the launch point was, what the plan was, when the aircraft was up, and what wildlife activity was observed while it was up.Our reading¶

The rule also tells you where to look. It states that refuge outlines are designated on up-to-date FAA aeronautical charts, which makes the chart the first document to open on a job near protected land. The national wildlife refuges of Puerto Rico are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and they appear on that chart the same way any other does.Verbatim¶

The unauthorized operation of aircraft, including sail planes, and hang gliders, at altitudes resulting in harassment of wildlife, or the unauthorized landing or take-off on a national wildlife refuge, except in an emergency, is prohibited. National wildlife refuge boundaries are designated on up-date FAA aeronautical charts.

Isn't there a 2,000-foot rule I can just follow?

FAA AIM 7-5-6(b) asks pilots to keep 2,000 feet above parks, refuges and wilderness areas, and it is written as a request rather than a requirement.Verbatim¶

Read the verb. Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the surface. Requested, not required. The list that follows is long and specific: National Parks, Monuments, Seashores, Lakeshores, Recreation Areas and Scenic Riverways under the National Park Service; National Wildlife Refuges, Big Game Refuges, Game Ranges and Wildlife Ranges under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Wilderness and Primitive areas under the U.S. Forest Service.Verbatim¶

Part 107 holds a small unmanned aircraft at or below 400 feet above ground level, at 14 CFR 107.51, with one carve-out: within a 400-foot radius of a structure it may go up to 400 feet above that structure's uppermost limit. Either way 400 is below 2,000, so the two numbers never meet, and the answer is to move the operation.Our reading¶

The correct reading is that the request marks the land as sensitive, and the only way a small unmanned aircraft honors it is by operating somewhere else. The operator who knows the 2,000-foot figure is the one most likely to apply it backwards, treating it as permission to fly high instead of a signal to stay off.Our reading¶

Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the surface of the following: National Parks, Monuments, Seashores, Lakeshores, Recreation Areas and Scenic Riverways administered by the National Park Service, National Wildlife Refuges, Big Game Refuges, Game Ranges and Wildlife Ranges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wilderness and Primitive areas administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

Can I fly in a national park?

There is no single national statute banning drones from national parks; each park closes itself under 36 CFR 1.5(a)(2), so the document that governs a specific park is that park's own Superintendent's Compendium.Our reading¶

The authority is short, and it is conditional. The stem of 36 CFR 1.5(a) lets the superintendent act consistent with applicable legislation and Federal administrative policies, and based upon a determination that the action is necessary - for public health and safety, for environmental or scenic values, for natural or cultural resources, for scientific research, for management responsibilities, for equitable allocation of facilities, or to avoid conflict among visitor use activities. On that footing, (a)(2) lets the superintendent designate areas for a specific use or activity, or impose conditions or restrictions on a use or activity. That is the power behind every park closure you will read.Verbatim¶

In June 2014 the National Park Service directed every superintendent to use that authority to prohibit the launching, landing, or operation of unmanned aircraft, subject to the conditions and exceptions set out in the memorandum itself. The Park Service says that direction is still in force, with a few exceptions, and it reaches everything the Park Service administers: parks, monuments, historic sites and seashores.Verbatim¶

The exceptions are read at the level of the unit, which is why the compendium is the document that answers for a given park.Our reading¶

Breaking a park closure is enforced as a federal offense. Confirm the current penalty figures with the park before you put a number in a document.Unverified¶

Puerto Rico has one National Park Service unit, and its closure is written and in force. The compendium for San Juan National Historic Site prohibits launching, landing or operating an uncrewed or remotely piloted aircraft from or on the lands and waters the Park Service administers inside the site, except as approved in writing by the superintendent.Verbatim¶

The site sits on the Old San Juan waterfront, so a launch point picked for the view can sit on Park Service ground.Our reading¶

There is a second lock that does not depend on the compendium at all. 36 CFR 2.17(a)(3) prohibits delivering or retrieving a person or object by parachute, helicopter or other airborne means, except in emergencies involving public safety or serious property loss, or under a permit. It is written around the airborne means rather than around the word aircraft, so it catches any plan to drop or pick up something from the air.Verbatim¶

Its neighbor, 2.17(a)(1), prohibits operating or using aircraft outside locations designated by special regulation. Read it with 36 CFR 1.4, which defines Aircraft as a device that is used or intended to be used for human flight in the air: that definition is why the Park Service closed its units to uncrewed aircraft through 36 CFR 1.5 rather than through 2.17. Treat 2.17(a)(1) as background and the compendium as the document that answers.Our reading¶

Consistent with applicable legislation and Federal administrative policies, and based upon a determination that such action is necessary for the maintenance of public health and safety, protection of environmental or scenic values, protection of natural or cultural resources, aid to scientific research, implementation of management responsibilities, equitable allocation and use of facilities, or the avoidance of conflict among visitor use activities, the superintendent may:

Designate areas for a specific use or activity, or impose conditions or restrictions on a use or activity.

Policy Memorandum 14-05, released by the National Park Service (NPS) director in June 2014, directed each superintendent to use the authority under 36 CFR 1.5 to prohibit the launching, landing, or operation of unmanned aircraft, subject to the certain conditions and exceptions set forth in the memo.

Launching, landing, or operating an uncrewed or remotely piloted aircraft from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service within the boundaries of the San Juan National Historic Site is prohibited except as approved in writing by the superintendent.

Operating or using aircraft on lands or waters other than at locations designated pursuant to special regulations.

Delivering or retrieving a person or object by parachute, helicopter, or other airborne means, except in emergencies involving public safety or serious property loss, or pursuant to the terms and conditions of a permit.

Aircraft means a device that is used or intended to be used for human flight in the air, including powerless flight.

Can I fly over a national forest?

A national forest and a designated wilderness area inside it carry different answers: the forest is open to flight, and the wilderness area is closed to it.Our reading¶

Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act, at 16 U.S.C. 1133(c), states that inside such an area there shall be no use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment or motorboats, no landing of aircraft, and no other form of mechanical transport. The sentence opens with its own qualifiers: existing private rights are preserved, and the minimum requirements of administering the area, including emergency measures for the health and safety of persons inside it, are carved out.Verbatim¶

A small unmanned aircraft is motorized, and it is a form of mechanical transport, so it meets that sentence twice. Confirm the Forest Service's own reading with the forest before you plan around it. As with the refuge rule and the AIM, the prohibition bites at launching, at landing, and at operating from inside the area.Our reading¶

The distinction matters because both sit on the same property. One map layer drawn inside another changes the answer according to where you are standing, and the forest gate you drove through does not tell you which layer you are on.Our reading¶

Puerto Rico has a national forest, and a designated wilderness area is reported to lie inside it. That inner outline was not confirmed against the Forest Service's own map for this page, so confirm it with the forest before you plan around it.Unverified¶

Except as specifically provided for in this chapter, and subject to existing private rights, there shall be no commercial enterprise and no permanent road within any wilderness area designated by this chapter and, except as necessary to meet minimum requirements for the administration of the area for the purpose of this chapter (including measures required in emergencies involving the health and safety of persons within the area), there shall be no temporary road, no use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment or motorboats, no landing of aircraft, no other form of mechanical transport, and no structure or installation within any such area.

What counts as harassing wildlife?

Under 50 CFR 17.3, harassment includes an intentional or negligent act or omission that creates the likelihood of injury to wildlife by annoying it enough to significantly disrupt normal behavior such as breeding, feeding or sheltering. Intent is not an element of it.Verbatim¶

Three words in that definition do the work: negligent, act, omission. Negligence is enough on its own. An omission is enough on its own. Both 'I did not mean to' and 'I did not know the nest was there' sit inside the definition rather than outside it. That is the reason a nesting window gets planned in advance instead of discovered in the field.Our reading¶

The definition matters because of what it plugs into. The Endangered Species Act defines take to mean harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. Harass is on that list, and so is the attempt. The animal does not have to end up hurt.Verbatim¶

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is written differently, and it is worth knowing which statute someone would reach for. 16 U.S.C. 703(a) makes it unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture, or kill, or possess migratory birds, and the same sentence continues on to cover the part, the nest and the egg, then a long tail of trade and transport verbs. The word harass does not appear anywhere in it. For an aircraft that only disturbs a bird, the Endangered Species Act is the sharper instrument; the MBTA bites hardest on pursuit and on damage to a nest.Verbatim¶

Nesting windows for the island's listed birds live with the federal wildlife office. Get them in writing before you build a flight schedule around them, and treat any date from a general reference site as a lead rather than a source.Unverified¶

Harass in the definition of “take” in the Act means an intentional or negligent act or omission which creates the likelihood of injury to wildlife by annoying it to such an extent as to significantly disrupt normal behavioral patterns which include, but are not limited to, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.

The term 'take' means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.

Unless and except as permitted by regulations made as hereinafter provided in this subchapter, it shall be unlawful at any time, by any means or in any manner, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture, or kill, possess,

How close can I get to whales and sea turtles?

NOAA Fisheries publishes horizontal viewing distances for marine wildlife: at least 100 yards from whales, and at least 50 yards from turtles in the water or nesting on beaches. Those two distances are what a coastal flight plan is written around.Verbatim¶

The 1,000-foot figure that circulates in the trade is real, and it is written for crewed aircraft: helicopters and airplanes. NOAA's own guidance aimed at drones says to avoid flying near animals, because the noise and close proximity can harass them and cause stress, and it is written as behavior rather than as a number. With no published drone altitude to point at, the standard that governs is the statute.Our reading¶

That statute is the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 16 U.S.C. 1362(18)(A) defines harassment as any act of pursuit, torment or annoyance with the potential to injure, or with the potential to disturb by causing disruption of behavioral patterns including migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding or sheltering.Verbatim¶

Potential to disturb is the lowest bar on this page. It asks for no proven harm and no injured animal. In practice that means the plan is written around behavior rather than around a number: hold the published horizontal distances, watch for a change in what the animal is doing, and write down the separation you held and the time you held it.Our reading¶

Remain at least 100 yards away—about the length of a football field unless other rules apply.

For turtles in the water, or nesting on beaches, remain at least 50 yards away—about 1/2 a football field.

Avoid flying drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), near animals. The noise and close proximity of drones can harass the animals and cause stress.

Maintain a 1,000-foot minimum altitude when viewing marine mammals from the air in manned aircraft (e.g., helicopters, airplanes).

The term 'harassment' means any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which—(i) has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild; or (ii) has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.

What does sea turtle nesting season require on a coastal job?

In Puerto Rico sea turtle nesting season runs from March 1 to November 30. Inside that window a qualified sea turtle monitor must walk each beach work area during the early morning hours for possible nests, and any nest found must be marked or flagged in place.Verbatim¶

That is nine months of the year, not a few weeks in the summer. The morning walk itself is unconditional inside the season. The sequencing rule that follows it is not: the measure opens that sentence with the words 'If required', and it names debris removal and construction activities on beaches, which start that morning only after the monitor has finished walking and nests are clearly marked. Outside peak nesting season the same measure sets a floor of at least twice a week. A coastal job carries the obligation for most of its calendar, which changes how the schedule is built rather than adding a step at the end of it.Our reading¶

If a sea turtle is observed, adult or hatchling, at least 50 feet must be maintained between the turtle and project personnel, the PRDNER must be contacted, an authorized sea turtle group must be asked for assistance, and the turtle must be left an unobstructed path to the water. Fifty feet is about 15 meters. An aircraft holding position to take a frame is comfortably inside that distance without moving an inch.Verbatim¶

If the project will result in take of sea turtles - and the measure spells take out as kill, harm, harassment, wound, trap, capture or collect - a formal Section 7 consultation must be initiated. Harassment is named inside that list, which is the link back to the definition in 50 CFR 17.3. Inside a project that already carries a federal permit, a badly planned flight can be what puts take on the table.Verbatim¶

The duty to consult runs to the federal agency, not to the private applicant. Each federal agency must insure that any action it authorizes, funds or carries out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of a listed species, or destroy or adversely modify habitat the Secretary has determined to be critical, unless that agency has been granted an exemption for the action by the Committee under subsection (h). That is why the consultation enters the picture with the federal permit.Verbatim¶

The same document directs that all sea turtle monitoring activities and the measures taken should be clearly documented and included in the final project report. It names the three most common nesting species: the leatherback or tinglar, the hawksbill or carey, and the green or peje blanco. It also records olive ridley nests in Puerto Rico and loggerhead nests in St. Croix.Verbatim¶

The document treats sand broadly. A beach carries nesting potential without being famous, wide, or listed anywhere as a nesting site, and the season and the morning walk reach it just the same.Our reading¶

During nesting season (March 1 to November 30), a qualified sea turtle monitor shall survey each beach work area during the early morning hours for possible sea turtle nests. Any nests found within the area must be marked or flagged in place. Outside of peak nesting season, beaches where work will occur shall be surveyed during the early morning hours at least twice a week. If required, debris removal and construction activities on beaches shall initiate only after the sea turtle monitor has completed surveys that morning and nests are clearly marked.

If a sea turtle (either adult or hatchling) is observed, maintain at least 50 feet between the turtle and project personnel and contact the PRDNER or VIDPNR and seek the assistance of an authorized sea turtle groups (see Appendix). Allow the sea turtles to crawl unobstructed to the water.

If the project will result in take of sea turtles (kill, harm, harassment, wound, trap, capture or collect) a formal Section 7 consultation must be initiated.

Each Federal agency shall, in consultation with and with the assistance of the Secretary, insure that any action authorized, funded, or carried out by such agency (hereinafter in this section referred to as an “agency action”) is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of habitat of such species which is determined by the Secretary, after consultation as appropriate with affected States, to be critical, unless such agency has been granted an exemption for such action by the Committee pursuant to subsection (h) of this section.

All sea turtle monitoring activities and measures taken to implement the conservation measures should be clearly documented and included in the final project report.

In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), the three most common species of sea turtles nesting are: leatherback sea turtle "tinglar" (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill sea turtle "carey" (Eretmochelys imbricata), and green sea turtle "peje blanco" (Chelonia mydas).

1. Check the date. March 1 to November 30 is nesting season, and where the measure applies, debris removal and construction activities on a beach start that morning only after the monitor has finished walking and nests are marked.
2. Confirm a qualified sea turtle monitor is walking each beach work area in the early morning hours, and that any nest found is marked or flagged in place.
3. Hold at least 50 feet from any turtle, adult or hatchling, contact the PRDNER, leave the turtle an unobstructed path to the water, and log the sighting with time and place.
4. Carry the monitoring activity and the measures taken into the final project report; the measure states they should be clearly documented and included there.

What does the Puerto Rico map add to the federal one?

The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources administers protected natural areas of its own - 21 state forests, 45 nature reserves, terrestrial and marine, and 6 wildlife refuges - so a site that is clear of every federal unit can still sit inside a protected area under Puerto Rico law.Verbatim¶

Those are the official category names, and they are the words to use when you write to the agency or describe the site in a document. Seventy-two polygons is a layer you check on its own; the federal map does not contain it and it does not contain the federal map.Our reading¶

Run the layers in a fixed order and write down that you ran them. The chart gives you the charted refuge outlines. The compendium gives you any National Park Service unit. The forest map gives you a designated wilderness area inside a national forest. The DRNA list gives you the Puerto Rico layer. Four documents, one date, one line in the file.Our reading¶

Every quotation on this page was checked against its source on 6 September 2026.Our reading¶

21 Bosques Estatales, 45 Reservas Naturales (terrestres y marinas) y 6 Refugios de Vida Silvestre

21 state forests, 45 nature reserves (terrestrial and marine) and 6 wildlife refuges.

1. FAA aeronautical chart, for the charted refuge outlines.
2. Superintendent's Compendium, for any National Park Service unit.
3. Forest map, for a designated wilderness area inside a national forest.
4. DRNA protected natural areas, for the Puerto Rico layer: 21 state forests, 45 nature reserves, 6 wildlife refuges.
5. Write down which layers you checked and on what date, and keep it with the flight record.

What most people have wrong

Each of these is a thing said confidently in public that the rule does not support. The section number settles it.

1. The risk lives in the flight path, so a clean route means a clean job.Three separate rules bite on the ground. 50 CFR 27.34 prohibits unauthorized takeoff and landing on a refuge, AIM 7-5-6(a) prohibits landing on National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service or Forest Service land without that agency's authorization outside its three listed exceptions, and 16 U.S.C. 1133(c) bars motorized equipment, mechanical transport and the landing of aircraft inside a wilderness area, which a small unmanned aircraft meets twice over. Standing in the wrong lot is the offense even when the whole flight is over private ground.50 CFR 27.34; FAA AIM 7-5-6(a); 16 U.S.C. 1133(c)
2. The FAA asks for 2,000 feet over parks and refuges, so an aircraft that climbs is compliant.Part 107 holds a small unmanned aircraft at or below 400 feet above ground level. 400 is below 2,000, so climbing never closes the gap. The answer those two numbers give together is to move the operation.FAA AIM 7-5-6(b); 14 CFR 107.51
3. There is a safe altitude over a national wildlife refuge if you can find the number.50 CFR 27.34 carries no altitude at all. It prohibits operation at altitudes resulting in harassment of wildlife, so the offense is defined by how the animal reacted, and a telemetry log by itself proves nothing about it.50 CFR 27.34
4. NOAA's 1,000-foot minimum is the drone altitude for marine mammals.That figure is written for crewed aircraft: helicopters and airplanes. NOAA's guidance aimed at drones is written as behavior rather than as a number, so the text that governs is the Marine Mammal Protection Act standard, potential to disturb.NOAA Marine Life Viewing Guidelines; 16 U.S.C. 1362(18)(A)
5. Harassing a listed species requires meaning to do it.50 CFR 17.3 defines harass as an intentional or negligent act or omission. Negligence is enough, and an omission is enough. 'I did not know the nest was there' describes the inside of the definition, not the outside.50 CFR 17.3
6. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is the statute to worry about when an aircraft disturbs a bird.16 U.S.C. 703(a) runs to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt, possess, and a long tail of trade and transport verbs. Harass is not among them. For disturbance alone the Endangered Species Act is the sharper instrument; the MBTA reaches pursuit, and it names the part, the nest and the egg alongside the bird.16 U.S.C. 703(a); 16 U.S.C. 1532(19)
7. There is a national law banning drones from national parks.There is a closure signed park by park under 36 CFR 1.5(a)(2), following a 2014 policy memorandum that directed every superintendent to make one. The document to cite for a given park is that park's own Superintendent's Compendium.36 CFR 1.5(a)(2); NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05
8. A national forest and the wilderness area inside it follow the same rules.16 U.S.C. 1133(c) bars motorized equipment, mechanical transport and the landing of aircraft inside a designated wilderness area. The forest around it is open. Same property, two answers, decided by where you are standing.16 U.S.C. 1133(c)
9. Sea turtle nesting season is a few weeks in the summer.In Puerto Rico it runs March 1 to November 30, nine months. Inside it a qualified sea turtle monitor walks each beach work area during the early morning hours, and the measure adds that, if required, debris removal and construction activities on beaches start that morning only after the monitor has finished and nests are marked. Outside peak nesting season the same measure sets a floor of at least twice a week; Measure 8 calls April through November the highest nesting season.USFWS Caribbean ESFO, Conservation Measures 6 and 8
10. Fifty feet of separation from a sea turtle is easy to hold from the air.Fifty feet is about 15 meters. An aircraft holding position to take a frame is comfortably inside that distance without moving, so the rule breaks while nothing appears to be happening.USFWS Caribbean ESFO, Conservation Measure 11

Where this goes next

• Do I need FAA permission to fly over my Puerto Rico job site?Protected land and controlled airspace are two separate checks. A launch point clear of every federal unit can still sit under an airspace authorization requirement, and clearing one says nothing about the other.
• How do I plan a drone flight that holds up as a record?The launch point, the landing point and the wildlife observations from this page are what the written flight plan and the preflight check are supposed to carry.
• Which federal reviews run before ground breaks in Puerto Rico?Take of a listed species requires a formal Section 7 consultation, and the duty runs to the federal agency. The permits that trigger that process are covered there.

Written by a FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot in western Puerto Rico, and verified on 6 September 2026. Something out of date or wrong on this page? Write and say so — corrections are read and dated.