Maine state law: Drone use in state parks

Maine state parks, state historic sites, and Public Reserved Lands are administered by the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry under 12 MRS Chapter 220 (§ 1801 et seq.) and 12 MRS § 1803 (which authorizes the Bureau to make rules for state parks). The Bureau's posted park rules — printed at trailheads, on the Maine.gov park pages, and in 04-058 CMR — prohibit operation of unmanned aircraft (drones) within state park boundaries without a special-use permit issued by the Bureau or the Director of Parks and Lands. This includes takeoff, landing, and overflight where overflight requires drone operation within line-of-sight of the operator on park property. Acadia National Park is administered by the National Park Service under federal law; NPS regulations at 36 CFR § 1.5 and the NPS-wide UAS policy (Policy Memorandum 14-05) prohibit launching, landing, or operating an unmanned aircraft from or on lands and waters administered by the NPS — punishable under 36 CFR § 1.3 and 16 U.S.C. § 3 as a federal misdemeanor up to $5,000 fine and 6 months imprisonment. Municipal parks are governed by local ordinances enacted under 30-A MRS § 3001 home-rule authority and the city's authority over its real property. Most Maine cities and towns that have considered drones have adopted park ordinances banning UAS takeoff, landing, and operation in city parks except in designated model-aircraft fields (rare) or by Parks-Department permit. Portland's Department of Parks, Recreation & Facilities, for example, treats drone use as a special-event activity requiring advance permitting. These municipal park-property rules are enforceable property-management restrictions and are not preempted by 25 MRS § 4501 (which addresses law-enforcement drone use) or by federal airspace regulation (which addresses navigable airspace, not takeoff/land from a specific surface parcel). State Park Rangers and municipal police enforce park drone rules on the ground.

State park rule violations: civil penalty under 12 MRS § 1813 (penalties for park-rule violations) and ejection from park property. NPS Acadia violations: federal misdemeanor under 36 CFR § 1.3 — up to $5,000 fine and 6 months imprisonment. Municipal park drone violations: civil fine per local ordinance, typically $100-$500 per offense, plus ejection. Federal FAA Part 107 / 49 U.S.C. § 44809 enforcement may layer on top.