Minnehaha County, SD Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)

The three county parks each have a distinct character: Wall Lake Park sits on a 233-acre natural lake popular with swimmers, boaters, and anglers; Bucher Prairie Park is a 138-acre restored tallgrass prairie managed primarily for habitat; Perry Nature Area is a 26-acre trail and wildlife area along the Big Sioux River. Because the county ordinance is silent on UAS, the operative considerations are: (a) FAA controlled-airspace status — Wall Lake and the western parks may fall within the Sioux Falls Class C airspace shelf at low altitudes, requiring LAANC authorization; (b) the dawn-to-dusk park hours effectively bar twilight and night flights without specific FAA night-operation rule compliance (Part 107.29 anti-collision lighting); (c) the general prohibition on disturbing visitors means a drone flight that buzzes swimmers at Wall Lake or harasses wildlife at Bucher Prairie may be grounds for removal even without a specific drone rule; (d) SDCL 22-21-1 invasion of privacy still applies if a drone is used to record swimmers or boat occupants without consent. Adjoining state parks: Palisades State Park (managed by SD GFP) and Big Sioux State Recreation Area separately require permission for UAS operations under GFP park rules — operators planning multi-park missions should call GFP at (605) 773-3391 in advance.