Manitou Springs, CO Drone Rules: Event Drone Restrictions (2026)

040 requires a permit to use land owned or controlled by the city to launch or land a pilotless aircraft, and the section narrows who can get one: permits "shall only be granted" for the launching or landing of drones in association with an educational activity or a special event already permitted by the city. That means a hobbyist who simply wants to fly a drone at a city park festival, or an operator hoping to film a permitted street event from city land, needs this separate drone permit layered on top of whatever special event or activity permit already covers the gathering.

030's twelve operating prohibitions, including bans on weaponized drones, surveillance without legal permission, reckless flying, and flying over active emergency response efforts, remain fully enforceable during a permitted event flight. 020. 070 exempts on-duty law enforcement, emergency responders and authorized military personnel from the permit requirement, along with critical infrastructure operators monitoring their own facilities. 080 makes flying at an event without the required permit, or outside its educational or special-event scope, a misdemeanor under Chapter 1, Section 16, with the drone itself subject to city impoundment.