The short answer
Yes, you can fly a drone in Billings. Two things decide where: the airspace above the spot and the rules of whoever manages the ground. Much of the city sits inside the Class C airspace around Billings Logan International Airport, where a drone flight needs FAA authorization before takeoff. Outside that airspace, a flight below 400 feet needs no authorization in advance. Parks and public land add their own rules on top.
Why the airport matters here
Billings Logan sits on top of the Rims, about two miles northwest of downtown. The controlled airspace around it reaches all the way down to the ground, and that area takes in much of the city. Inside it, the FAA publishes a map of grid squares, each with the highest altitude it will approve for a drone without a closer look. The number shrinks as you get closer to the runways, and in some squares it is zero.
How FAA authorization works
The FAA's system is called LAANC, and Billings Logan is one of the airports it covers. What happens to a request depends on the altitude:
- At or below the mapped altitude. A request sent through an FAA-approved app is typically answered in near real time. Recreational flyers and commercial pilots can both use it.
- Above the mapped altitude, up to 400 feet. Commercial pilots can ask for further coordination. An air traffic manager reviews the request, and it has to be sent at least 72 hours before the flight.
- Where LAANC does not cover the spot. The request goes through the FAA's DroneZone site and is processed by hand. The FAA says that has historically taken up to eight weeks.
Requests can be sent up to 90 days ahead. That is why we ask for the address early: some approvals come back quickly and some take a few days, and a spot close to the runways can take longer. The FAA explains the process on its airspace authorizations page.
Rules that apply everywhere
- Stay at or below 400 feet above the ground. How the 400 foot rule works.
- Keep the drone in sight the whole time.
- Give way to every other aircraft, and stay clear of airport traffic patterns even where no authorization is needed.
- At night, the aircraft needs anti-collision lights.
- Stay away from wildfires. A drone near a fire can force firefighting aircraft to stop flying.
The FAA has one set of rules for recreational flyers and another, called Part 107, for commercial work. Its user identification tool sorts out which applies to you.
Parks and public land around Billings
The FAA controls the air. Whoever manages the ground decides whether you can take off and land there. Here is what each agency's own pages said when we checked in November 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency before you fly.
- Montana state parks, including Pictograph Cave and Lake Elmo. Launching or operating a drone from a state park is prohibited unless a commercial use or special use permit covers it, or the park manager has designated an area for it (Administrative Rule of Montana 12.8.816).
- City of Billings parks, including Riverfront Park. The city's park pages do not address drones. Billings Parks and Recreation, (406) 657-8371, is the place to ask about a specific park.
- Yellowstone County parks, including Two Moon Park. The county parks ordinance does not mention drones. It does close the parks from half an hour after sunset until half an hour before sunrise, and the county asks for a permit for special events. The parks office is at (406) 254-7926.
- Bureau of Land Management land, including Four Dances. The BLM's page for Four Dances lists it as nonmotorized day use only and does not address drones. Ask the Billings Field Office, (406) 896-5013, before flying there.
- National parks. The National Park Service says launching or landing a drone is, for the most part, prohibited in national parks.
Private property and neighbors
The FAA regulates the airspace, and privacy and property laws still apply to what a drone does over someone's land. Since 2025, Montana law makes it a trespass offense to knowingly fly a drone 200 feet or lower over another person's property or residence without the owner's or resident's authorization. Flying a drone over private property in Montana covers the law and its exceptions.
Our approach is simple: we plan each flight to stay over the property we were hired to shoot and the public street, we don't hover over neighbors, and the camera stays pointed at the subject.
How to check an address yourself
- Open one of the FAA-approved B4UFLY apps or the FAA's UAS Facility Maps.
- Find the address. The map shows whether it is in controlled airspace and, if it is, the altitude the FAA has mapped for that square.
- In controlled airspace, request authorization through a LAANC app before you fly.
- Find out who manages the ground you plan to take off from, and check their rules.
Outside the city
Much of Yellowstone County outside the city is outside the airport's airspace and needs no authorization. Smaller airports and private airstrips are scattered around the county, so the check is still worth doing for every address.
How we handle it for a shoot
We check the airspace for every address before we quote and request whatever the location needs before the shoot. Flight planning, the airspace check and any FAA authorization the location needs are included in the rate. Send the address as early as you can.
This page is a plain summary, not legal advice. The agencies linked above are the authority, and their rules change. Last checked November 13, 2026.