FLIGHT REFERENCE · UPDATED CONTINUOUSLY
Know the rule before you fly.
DroneCompass tracks what's actually allowed at parks, stadiums, and jurisdictions across the country — pulled from agencies, park staff, and public filings, not guesswork or outdated forum threads.
Free to browse. No account needed once live.
The rules are real. Finding them isn't.
A park's website says drones are banned. Call the office, and a ranger says it's fine as long as you follow FAA guidelines. A stadium has a standing no-fly radius during games that most pilots don't know exists until they're getting a felony charge. A county can't legally regulate drones at all, but its parks department posted a rule anyway.
None of this is written down in one place — it's scattered across agency PDFs, phone calls, and outdated forum threads. DroneCompass is that one place: a running, sourced record of what's actually enforced, jurisdiction by jurisdiction.
CURRENTLY MAPPING
Maryland is live first. More states are next.
Sandy Point State Park
Flying allowed before Memorial Day and after Labor Day, 7am–dusk. No flying near the adjacent Chesapeake Bay Bridge without separate clearance.
410-974-2149 · sandypoint.statepark@maryland.gov · DNR policy page, verified 9/29/2026
Patapsco State Park
Flights allowed at Hollofield and McKeldin if FAA rules are followed and the duty ranger is notified beforehand.
Duty ranger (Hollofield/McKeldin): 443-534-1762 · verified by phone, 9/28/2026
Baltimore City Parks
Model aircraft and drones prohibited except in areas the city specifically designates for it.
Dept. of Rec & Parks: 410-396-7900 · BCRP.Info@baltimorecity.gov · Rule 42, verified 9/29/2026
Frederick County Parks
Limited to five named parks (Catoctin Creek, Kemptown, Middletown, Old National Pike, Utica District), only after a Special Request Form is submitted in advance.
Frederick County Parks & Rec, official FAQ - direct line not yet confirmed
Stadium airspace, statewide
Temporary no-fly zones cover major stadiums for roughly an hour before and after games — a federal rule, not a local one.
Source: FAA temporary flight restrictions
Local drone bans, statewide
Only the state of Maryland may regulate drone operation — counties and cities legally cannot pass their own flight bans.
Economic Development Article §14-301
Swallow Falls State Park
Advance permission from park staff required before flying, per statewide DNR policy. No cell service on site — call before you arrive.
301-387-6938 (Feb–Mar: 301-334-9180) · dnr.maryland.gov, verified 9/29/2026
Rocks State Park
Advance permission from park staff required before flying. Covers the main park plus the Falling Branch (Kilgore Falls) and Hidden Valley areas.
410-557-7994 · rocks.statepark@maryland.gov · verified 9/29/2026
Ocean City (beach & Boardwalk)
No flying over the beach, Boardwalk, or crowds May 1–Sept 30 without written town approval. Nearby Assateague Island (NPS) bans drones entirely.
Emergency Mgmt: 410-723-6616 · oceancitymd.gov, verified 9/29/2026
Drone trespass law, statewide
Flying onto someone's property within 50ft of a dwelling to harass or photograph them without consent is a misdemeanor — up to 1 year and/or a $5,000 fine.
HB 1349 (2025), Crim. Law §3-908 · mgaleg.maryland.gov, verified 9/29/2026
Relative positions for orientation only, not a survey-accurate map. Statewide rules (stadium TFRs, HB 1349, state preemption) aren't tied to one point.
How it stays accurate
We watch where pilots actually run into trouble
Real questions, complaints, and enforcement stories from public forums and local news — the situations rulebooks don't cover.
We check it against the actual source
Agency policy pages, county codes, and direct calls to park staff — not secondhand summaries.
We publish the rule and where it came from
Every entry shows its source and when it was last confirmed, so you can judge how current it is.