You must not fly your drone higher than 120 m above ground level.
Australia’s recreational drone rules are designed to keep you and others safe, on the ground and in the air.
The drone safety rules simplify the regulations from Part 101 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations.
Here are the rules you need to know now, before you take-off.
Rules for recreational drone operators
You must keep your drone at least 30 m away from other people and never fly over another person.
You must only fly one drone at a time.
Only fly during daylight hours.
You must not fly in a populous area. This includes beaches, parks, events, or sport ovals during games.
You must not fly your drone in a way that creates a hazard to another aircraft, person or property. Respect others' privacy.
Keep your drone within visual line-of-sight. This means you must always be able to see it with your own eyes (not through a device, screen or goggles). Don’t fly through cloud, fog or smoke.
You must not fly your drone over or near areas affecting public safety or where emergency operations are underway. This includes ambulance, police, search and rescue, or firefighting efforts.
If your drone weighs more than 250 g, you must not fly within 5.5 km of a controlled airport (airports with control towers). If it’s 250 g or less, you can fly up to 45 m high within 5.5 km but stay out of the airport boundary and don’t create hazards for other aircraft. Regardless of weight, stay clear of the runway approach and departure paths.
Use a drone safety app to find out where you can and can’t fly.
Near smaller airports without control towers, you can fly your drone within 5.5 km. If you become aware of crewed aircraft nearby, move away and land your drone quickly and safely.
Use a drone safety app to find out where you can and can’t fly.
If you’re within 1.4 km of a helicopter landing site and become aware of a helicopter nearby, taking off or landing, you must move your drone away and land it safely.
Use a drone safety app to find out where you can and can’t fly.
If you fly your drone for work (commercially), extra rules apply. You must register your drone and get a licence or accreditation.
If you only fly for fun, no registration or accreditation is needed.
Drone safety rules
Resources in other languages
Where can I fly?
Download a CASA-verified drone safety app to find out where you can and can’t fly your drone.
Report unsafe flying
If you believe you've seen someone breaking the rules, you can report it to CASA. Fines of up to $1,650 can be issued per offence. If the matter is taken to court, fines of up to $16,500 can be imposed.
