Can I fly a drone in Lyon?
Drone zones in and around Lyon
The zones below are the ones nearest the centre of Lyon, measured from 45.7491, 4.8479. Distance is to the edge of the zone, so “over the centre” means the city centre itself is inside it. Restricted up to is how far the zone reaches above the ground – the restriction applies from the surface to that height, so it is not an altitude you may climb to.
| Zone | Restriction | Distance | Restricted up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vol interditÉvolution interdite en espace public en agglomération sauf conformément à l'arrêté Espace. | Prohibited | Over the centre | not stated |
| Hauteur maximale de vol de 30 mAltitude de référence de l'aérodrome : 200 m | Conditional | 4 km | 30 m AGL |
| Hauteur maximale de vol de 100 mAltitude de référence de l'aérodrome : 316 m | Conditional | 7 km | 100 m AGL |
| Hauteur maximale de vol de 50 mAltitude de référence de l'aérodrome : 198 m | Conditional | 7 km | 50 m AGL |
| Hauteur maximale de vol de 60 mAltitude de référence de l'aérodrome : 327 m | Conditional | 12 km | 60 m AGL |
Who to ask for permission
The zones around Lyon name one responsible body, so who you ask depends on which zone you are flying in.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fly a drone in Lyon?
The centre of Lyon sits inside a published drone zone (Vol interdit), so flying there is prohibited without an exemption. 5 restricted zones fall within 12 km of the centre in total. Lyon is in France, where the UAS geographical zones are published by DGAC / IGN (France) under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15. Always confirm against the official source before a flight.
Where can't I fly a drone in Lyon?
Inside Lyon's UAS geographical zones. Within 12 km of the centre canfly? tracks 5 restricted zones: 1 prohibited, 4 conditional. They are published by DGAC / IGN (France) and shown on the map at https://canfly.io/map.
How high can I fly a drone in Lyon?
The EU open category caps you at 120 m above ground across France, and lower where a zone says so. No zone over the centre of Lyon publishes a height at which its restriction stops, so treat 120 m as the limit and check the zones nearby before you launch.
Who do I ask for permission to fly a drone in Lyon?
DGAC / IGN (France), which publishes France's UAS geographical zones under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15. Its official source is https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/donnees/restrictions-pour-drones-de-loisir.
How this page was worked out
- Zones published by
- DGAC / IGN (France)
- Official source
- https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/donnees/restrictions-pour-drones-de-loisir
- Last refreshed by canfly?
- 2026-07-31
- Area covered
- Within 12 km of 45.7491, 4.8479
- Legal basis
- Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15
Zone counts are measured from the point above, which is Lyon's centre as recorded by GeoNames; a zone counts if any part of it falls within 12 km of it. That radius scales with population and is not Lyon's administrative boundary, so a zone just outside the city limits still appears - which is what matters when you are deciding where to take off. Population 520,774 (GeoNames, record updated 2025-12-09). City data from GeoNames, licensed CC BY 4.0. Zone data is the official France dataset, unmodified except for normalisation to ED-269.
Other cities in France
canfly? has zone pages for 10 cities in France. See the whole country, or another city: