Where can I fly my drone? Restricted zones in Germany

October 21, 2026

Even with a registration and a licence you are not allowed to fly everywhere. In Germany, the Air Traffic Regulations (Luftverkehrs-Ordnung, LuftVO) define geographical zones where flying is prohibited or only allowed with consent (§ 21h LuftVO). Here are the most important ones.

Check first, then fly

All zones are shown on the dipul map (Germany’s federal digital platform for unmanned aviation). Check it before every flight, especially at a new location.

The zones at a glance

Zone	Distance	Only allowed …
Airports	1 km laterally, plus 5 km from each end of the runway along its extended centre line	not in the open category
Other airfields	1.5 km	with consent of the aviation supervisory authority, the airfield’s flight operations office (Flugleitung) or the airfield operator
Airport control zones	see dipul map	with clearance from air traffic control (more below)
Residential properties	no overflight	with express consent of the owner or authorised user; exceptions see below
Motorways and federal roads, federal waterways, railway facilities	100 m	with express consent, or if your lateral distance is always more than 10 m and greater than your flight height; waterways may also be crossed at a height of at least 100 m by the shortest route without flying over ships
Nature reserves, national parks, Natura 2000 areas	no overflight	for leisure flights practically only with consent of the nature conservation authority
Hospitals	100 m	with express consent of the operator
Industrial plants, power plants and energy supply facilities, prisons, military facilities	100 m	with express consent of the operator or the competent body
Constitutional bodies, supreme and higher federal and state authorities, embassies and consulates, international organisations, police and other security authorities	100 m	with express consent of the body concerned
Accident sites and emergency operations	100 m	with consent of the incident commander
Outdoor pools, bathing beaches	no overflight during bathing and opening hours	outside these hours

Residential properties: watch out with mini drones

You may only fly over other people’s residential properties if one of these conditions is met:

The owner or authorised user has expressly consented.
The drone weighs no more than 250 g and can neither record nor transmit images or sound, nor third-party radio signals.
A narrowly limited exception from a height of 100 m: only if the overflight is necessary for a legitimate purpose, there is no route over public land and consent cannot reasonably be obtained, with further conditions. It practically never fits leisure flights.

Common misconception: A mini drone under 250 g with a camera may not simply fly over your neighbour’s garden. The exception only applies to drones without a camera, without a microphone and without the ability to record third-party radio signals. If in doubt, just ask your neighbours.

Assemblies of people

No drone may fly over assemblies of people in the open category, not even a small one. This means groups so dense that people cannot move away, for example at concerts, festivals or demonstrations. This is governed by EU law (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 4).

New since August 2026: control zones

Since 6 August 2026, new rules apply to the control zones of Germany’s major airports, for example Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg. The control zone is divided into four areas. In the innermost area right by the airport you always need an individual clearance; in addition, only the specific category is permitted there, so it is off-limits for normal leisure flights. In the outer areas, low flights are covered by a general clearance, depending on the zone up to 25 m or 45 m above aerodrome elevation or above ground (whichever is lower), in the outermost zone up to 100 m above aerodrome elevation or 50 m above ground (whichever is higher); if the take-off point is lower than the aerodrome, a maximum of 100 m above ground applies there. There are additional conditions, such as ground visibility of at least 800 m. The areas are shown on the dipul map; the notice of the German air navigation service provider DFS (NfL 2026-1-3960) is authoritative; at aerodromes where DFS Aviation Services provides aerodrome control, a separate notice applies (NfL 2026-1-3981).

Applying for exceptions

In justified cases, the aviation authority of your federal state can grant exceptions, possibly subject to conditions (§ 21i LuftVO). Consent from owners or operators must be given expressly; mere tolerance is not enough. The law does not name a particular form, but it helps to be able to prove the consent.

Sources (as of 28 October 2026)

As of October 2026. This overview is not legal advice; § 21h LuftVO, the EU regulations and the information provided by the authorities are authoritative.

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