Drones and the US-Mexico border: the new one-mile restriction

From the evening of 19 October 2026, US time, drones may not fly within one nautical mile of the US-Mexico border without permission. The restriction lasts a year, runs from the ground to 400 feet, and applies to every drone flight. Here is what the FAA has published, how to check it before you fly, and how to ask for permission. Everything here is correct as of 19 October 2026.

What changed

On Friday 16 October 2026, the Department of Transportation, the Department of War and the Department of Homeland Security announced a temporary flight restriction for drones along the southern border. The FAA issued it as three NOTAMs, each covering one stretch of the border:

• ZLA 6/9954, covering California and Arizona
• ZAB 6/9978, covering Arizona, New Mexico and Texas
• ZHU 6/9956, covering Texas

Apart from the stretch of border each one covers, the three NOTAMs say the same thing.

Where, how high, and when

• Where: within 1 nautical mile (about 1.85 km, or 1.15 miles) inland from the US side of the border, along the line set out in each NOTAM. Mexican airspace is excluded.
• How high: from the surface to 400 feet above ground level.
• When: from 00:00 UTC on 20 October 2026 until 23:59 UTC on 19 October 2027. The NOTAMs give the dates in local time as 19 October 2026 to 19 October 2027, so the restriction starts on the evening of 19 October in the border states.

The joint announcement called the restriction effective on 16 October, but the NOTAMs and the FAA's Domestic Notice both date it from 19 October.

Who it covers

The NOTAMs prohibit all drone flights in the area. They make no exception for recreational flyers or for pilots flying under Part 107. The only way in is with prior approval coordinated with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The conditions the NOTAMs set for an approved flight name operations in direct support of national defense, homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting, medical evacuation, search and rescue or disaster response, and operations in support of events. An approved flight must also meet every other FAA rule. The NOTAMs don't say whether other work, such as a commercial survey, can be approved.

What the NOTAMs say about enforcement

The NOTAMs classify the area as national defense airspace and set it under special security instructions (14 CFR 99.7). They warn that pilots who don't follow the procedures may be intercepted, detained and interviewed, and that the FAA may impose civil penalties or suspend or revoke certificates. The government may also bring criminal charges, or use deadly force against an aircraft judged to be an imminent security threat.

For drones specifically, the NOTAMs say the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice may interfere with, seize, damage or destroy a drone judged to be a credible safety or security threat.

How to check before you fly

1. Search the NOTAMs. On the FAA's NOTAM Search, search the location ZLA, ZAB or ZHU and look for 6/9954, 6/9978 or 6/9956. Each NOTAM holds the coordinates of its stretch of the border.
2. Read the Domestic Notice. It has one graphic showing all three NOTAMs together. The FAA says the graphic is "for situational awareness only", so the NOTAM text is what counts.
3. Check the TFR list too, but don't rely on it alone. The NOTAMs point operators to the FAA's TFR list. When we checked it on 19 October, before the restriction began, these three NOTAMs were not on it, so its silence is not a clear to fly.
4. Check again before every flight. The Domestic Notice and the NOTAMs both recommend checking NOTAMs often, because the restriction can change.

Terasor's flight planner does not show temporary flight restrictions, so it will not show this one.

How to ask for permission

Send your request to CBP at least 48 hours before the flight. The address is in the FAA's Domestic Notice. Each request must include:

• the operator's name, FAA certifications and phone number
• the proposed date, time and location of the flight
• the drone's Remote ID, make, model and serial number

The Domestic Notice says first responders and other organisations responding to natural disasters or other time-sensitive emergencies may be eligible for expedited coordination, and it gives them a separate CBP contact.

Where to read more

• FAA: DOT, DoW, DHS Join Forces to Protect Southern Border Airspace, 16 October 2026
• FAA: Domestic Notice, U.S. Southern Border Temporary Flight Restrictions for UAS
• FAA: NOTAM Search
• FAA: Temporary flight restrictions list

More on flying in the US

For the rest of the US rules, see our US drone laws page.