Clackamas County, OR Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned devices
- Drones, RC airplanes, RC cars, remote-control devices
- Exceptions
- None; ban applies with no permit route
- Fine
- $97 under county parks fee schedule
- Where it applies
- Every county park, forest, recreation area
- Enforcement
- Parks staff, camp hosts, peace officers cite violators
Summary
Clackamas County outright bans flying drones, and any other remote-control device, in every county park, forest and recreation area. Code § 6.06.050(H)(8) also covers RC airplanes and RC cars, and the county's parks fee schedule sets a $97 fine for a violation, with no permit process offered to allow the activity.
H. Park Property & Property Destruction
1. No person shall mutilate, deface, damage, or remove any table, bench, building, sign, marker, monument, fence, barrier, fountain, faucet, traffic recorder, or other structure or facility of any kind in any park area.
2. No person shall dig up, deface, or remove any dirt, stones, rock or other substance whatever, make any excavation, quarry any stone, lay or set off any blast, roll any stones or other objects, or cause or assist in doing any of said things, in any park area.
3. No person shall erect temporary signs, markers, or inscriptions of any type in any park area, without the permission from the Parks Manager and/or their designee.
4. No person shall set up or use a public address system in any park area without the written permission from the Parks Manager and/or their designate.
5. No person shall wash any clothing or other materials, or clean any fish, in a lake, stream, river, or pond, in any park area.
6. No person shall use abusive or threatening language or gestures, create any public disturbances, or engage in riotous behavior, in any park area.
7. No person shall operate or use any noise-producing machine, vehicle, device, or instrument in any park area in a manner that is disturbing to other park area visitors.
8. No person shall operate any remote control device in any park area (i.e., drones, airplanes, cars, etc.).
Full Breakdown
050(H) of the Clackamas County Code addresses damage and interference with park property, and within that same subsection, item 8 states plainly: no person shall operate any remote control device in any park area, giving drones, airplanes and cars as examples. Unlike several of the neighboring rules in the same subsection, which allow an activity with written permission from the Parks Manager, the remote-control ban carries no such exception; the code simply prohibits the conduct everywhere in the park system, from developed day-use areas like Carver and Boones Ferry Marina to more remote sites such as Wilhoit Springs and Feldheimer.
060(A): a County employee designated by the Business and Community Services Department, a peace officer, or an appointed camp host can issue a citation to anyone flying a drone in a park. The county's adopted parks fee schedule lists a $97 civil penalty for operating a remote-control device, payable to the Sheriff's Office within twenty days of the citation. This rule only governs county park, forest and recreation areas; it does not address drone use on private property or elsewhere in unincorporated Clackamas County, which falls under separate federal FAA airspace rules rather than this park-specific code section.
Violations & Fines
Flying a drone or operating any other remote-control device in a Clackamas County park draws a $97 fine under the county's adopted parks fee schedule. As with other park-rule citations, the fine doubles automatically if the cited person fails to pay or request a hearing within twenty days, and a denied citation goes before the county's Hearings Officer, who must set a hearing within thirty days of the denial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fly my drone at a Clackamas County park?
Does the ban cover RC cars and planes too, or just drones?
What's the penalty for flying a drone in a park?
Are drones allowed anywhere in the county outside of parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clackamas County
Compare Clackamas County to another location·View the Oregon drone rules overview
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