# Can I fly a drone in Zürich, Switzerland?

The centre of Zürich sits inside 2 published drone zones (CTR ZURICH, CTR DUEBENDORF), so you need authorisation or must meet stated conditions before flying there. 19 restricted zones fall within 12 km of the centre in total.

## Key facts
- Restricted zones within 12 km of the centre: **19**
  - Requires authorisation: 19
- Zones covering the city centre: **2**
- No zone over the centre states a height at which its restriction stops; the EU open-category limit of 120 m applies
- Published by: FOCA / BAZL (Switzerland), data via swisstopo
- Official source: https://map.geo.admin.ch/?layers=ch.bazl.einschraenkungen-drohnen
- Data version: 2026-07-31
- Measured within 12 km of 47.3667, 8.55

## Zones nearest the centre of Zürich

| Zone | Restriction | Distance from centre | Restricted up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTR ZURICH | Requires authorisation | over the centre | not stated |
| CTR DUEBENDORF | Requires authorisation | over the centre | not stated |
| Gefängnis Zürich | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 150 m AGL |
| LSMD Dübendorf | Requires authorisation | 2 km | not stated |
| Gefängnis Zürich West | Requires authorisation | 2 km | 150 m AGL |
| LSZH Zürich | Requires authorisation | 4 km | not stated |
| Substation Auwiesen | Requires authorisation | 5 km | 200 m AGL |
| Substation Fällanden | Requires authorisation | 6 km | 200 m AGL |
| Substation Seebach | Requires authorisation | 6 km | 200 m AGL |
| LSMD Dübendorf (Airport perimeter) | Requires authorisation | 7 km | not stated |
| Massnahmenzentrum Uitikon | Requires authorisation | 8 km | 150 m AGL |
| Water Bird and Migratory Bird Reserves Greifensee (ZH) | Requires authorisation | 8 km | not stated |
| LSZH Zürich (Airport perimeter) | Requires authorisation | 8 km | not stated |
| Zentrum für ausländerrechtliche Administrativhaft | Requires authorisation | 8 km | 150 m AGL |
| Justizvollzugsanstalt Pöschwies | Requires authorisation | 9 km | 150 m AGL |
| LSZN Hausen am Albis | Requires authorisation | 9 km | not stated |
| Rümlang | Requires authorisation | 10 km | not stated |
| Gefängnis Limmattal | Requires authorisation | 12 km | 150 m AGL |
| Substation Regensdorf | Requires authorisation | 12 km | 200 m AGL |

## Who to ask for permission

- **FOCA (BAZL)** - info@bazl.admin.ch (19 zones near Zürich)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I fly a drone in Zürich?
The centre of Zürich sits inside 2 published drone zones (CTR ZURICH, CTR DUEBENDORF), so you need authorisation or must meet stated conditions before flying there. 19 restricted zones fall within 12 km of the centre in total. Zürich is in Switzerland, where the UAS geographical zones are published by FOCA / BAZL (Switzerland), data via swisstopo under Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15. Always confirm against the official source before a flight.

### Where can't I fly a drone in Zürich?
Inside Zürich's UAS geographical zones. Within 12 km of the centre canfly? tracks 19 restricted zones: 19 requiring authorisation. They are published by FOCA / BAZL (Switzerland), data via swisstopo and shown on the map at https://canfly.io/map.

### How high can I fly a drone in Zürich?
The EU open category caps you at 120 m above ground across Switzerland, and lower where a zone says so. No zone over the centre of Zürich 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 Zürich?
The zones around Zürich name one responsible body, so it depends which zone you are in. The most frequently named is FOCA (BAZL) (info@bazl.admin.ch). Each zone's authority is listed on this page.

## How this was worked out

A zone counts if any part of it falls within 12 km of 47.3667, 8.55 - Zürich's centre as recorded by GeoNames. That radius scales with population and is NOT the administrative city boundary, so a zone just outside the city limits still appears. Population 415,367 (GeoNames record updated 2026-04-13).

City names, coordinates and populations from GeoNames (https://www.geonames.org/), licensed CC BY 4.0. Zone data is the official national dataset, unmodified except for normalisation to ED-269.

Full country picture: https://canfly.io/drone-zones/switzerland
Interactive map: https://canfly.io/map?country=CHE&lat=47.3667&lon=8.55&radius=12000

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**Citing this page:** canfly?, “Can I fly a drone in Zürich?”, https://canfly.io/drone-zones/switzerland/zurich (data as of 2026-07-31).
canfly? aggregates the official UAS geographical zones that EU and EEA states publish under
Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 15. It is not an air-traffic or flight-authorisation service;
critical flights must be confirmed against the national authority.