Bannock County, ID Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)

Section 12.20.070, the property preservation and nuisance restrictions provision of Chapter 12.20, defines "unmanned aircraft" broadly in § 12.20.020 to include model airplanes, quadcopters and drones used for any recreational or commercial purpose, including devices with cameras. Subsection F of § 12.20.070 prohibits operating, launching or landing any unmanned aircraft from or on the property of the county's recreation and events services areas, meaning the Downey Fairgrounds, Events Center and Portneuf Wellness Complex, unless the board of county commissioners has given prior authorization. The section goes further than a simple takeoff/landing ban: it declares these properties "No Fly Zones," so a drone launched from adjacent land is also barred from being flown over them.

This sits alongside other § 12.20.070 restrictions covering vandalism of county property, glass containers, littering, greenbelt conduct and public defecation, all enforced the same way. Because the board holds the authorization power, a resident or business wanting drone access, for photography at an event, for example, must obtain the board's advance approval rather than the director's.