Drone no-fly zones explained: how UAS geographical zones work
Updated
A UAS geographical zone is an area of airspace where a country restricts, conditions or prohibits drone flights. In Europe each state defines its own zones under Article 15 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947 and publishes them in a common digital format, so the same four questions answer every zone: what it restricts, how high, when, and who to ask.
Who decides where drones cannot fly
Article 15 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 lets each EU member state — and each EASA state that applies the regulation, such as Switzerland — define geographical zones for drones for reasons of safety, security, privacy or the environment. A zone can prohibit some or all drone operations, require an authorization, set conditions such as a lower height, or admit only certain classes of drone.
The same article obliges states to publish their zones in a common unique digital format, and EASA’s acceptable means of compliance names EUROCAE ED-269 as that format. That is why a zone file from Finland and one from Portugal can be read by the same software — and why GeoPilot can show them side by side.
The United States works differently: the FAA publishes national security flight restrictions, defense airspace and stadium restrictions itself, and access to controlled airspace near airports goes through LAANC. See the United States page for what that map does and does not show.
The four kinds of zone
Every ED-269 zone carries one restriction value. GeoPilot colours each zone by it:
| ED-269 value | On the GeoPilot map | What it means for your flight |
|---|---|---|
PROHIBITED | Prohibited | The publisher states that flight is not permitted in the zone. |
REQ_AUTHORISATION | Authorization required | You may fly only with prior permission from the authority the zone names. |
CONDITIONAL | Coordination required | No authorization is needed, but the conditions the zone states apply — often notifying or coordinating with a named body first. |
NO_RESTRICTION | Information only | The publisher marks the area without restricting flight, as a hazard or activity to be aware of. |
Height limits: the vertical part of a zone
A zone is a volume, not a shape on the ground. Each one has a lower and an upper limit, measured either from the ground (AGL) or from mean sea level (AMSL). A zone from the surface to 120 m AGL covers your whole flight in the open category; a zone that starts at 150 m does not touch you if you stay below it.
Some publishers use a very large upper value as a “no ceiling” marker — Switzerland uses 99,999 on most of its zones. GeoPilot reads that as unlimited rather than as a real 100 km ceiling.
Time limits: permanent and temporary zones
A zone can be permanent or apply only during stated periods. Luxembourg and Latvia publish many time-limited zones, some lasting only a few hours; Romania’s drone-related NOTAMs appear the same way. GeoPilot shows a time-limited zone with a dashed outline, fades one that is not active at the time you are looking at, and lets you move the map’s clock to your planned flight time.
Not every national file carries short-notice restrictions. Portugal’s, for example, is updated about quarterly and contains no NOTAMs — so check current NOTAMs as well as the zone map before you fly.
A pre-flight checklist
- Open the map for your country and go to your flight area.
- Set the map’s time to when you will actually fly.
- Select every zone your area touches and read its effect, its height band and its schedule.
- For Authorization required, apply to the named authority in good time; for Coordination required, do what the zone’s conditions say.
- Check current NOTAMs and the official national source on the day.
Where to see the zones
GeoPilot syncs the published zones for Romania, Finland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Latvia, Norway, the United States and Australia. Each country page names its publisher, when we last synced it, and the official site to confirm with.
Frequently asked questions
- Are UAS geographical zones the same in every EU country?
- No. The format is common, but each state decides its own zones and their conditions, so the same kind of site can be prohibited in one country and conditional in another.
- Do geo-zones apply to drones under 250 g?
- Yes. Zones apply to every drone operation, whatever its weight or class; the 250 g threshold concerns registration and some open-category rules, not where you may fly.
- Is a GeoPilot map an authorization to fly?
- No. GeoPilot is independent of every authority and shows what the national publishers release, as a planning aid. The official source always takes precedence, and any authorization a zone requires must come from its authority.
Related guides
- Can I fly my drone here? How to check a spot on the mapCheck whether a drone zone covers the spot you want to fly from: click the map, read what the zone requires, its height limits and hours, and its source.
- How to check drone restrictions for a future date and timeSome drone zones apply only at set hours or for a few days. See the airspace as it will be at your flight time, up to 7 days ahead, NOTAM areas included.
- EASA PDRAs explained: S01, S02, G01, G02 and G03 comparedWhat an EASA Predefined Risk Assessment is, the limits of PDRA-S01, S02, G01, G02 and G03 side by side, and how to tell which one fits your operation.
Sources
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15
- EASA — Geographical zones: know where to fly your drone
- EUROCAE ED-269, Minimum Operational Performance Standard for UAS Geo-Fencing