Death Valley National Park
Death Valley's filming and photography rules after the EXPLORE Act, plus the extreme heat and dark-sky conditions that dictate when you shoot.
Guidance, not legal advice
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: Death Valley National Park Special Use Permits office
Cost: No NPS permit for groups of 8 or fewer meeting the EXPLORE Act conditions; location and cost-recovery fees apply to permitted shoots
Processing: Plan ahead for permitted productions
Groups of eight or fewer using hand-carried gear in public areas, without exclusive use and without extra cost to the park, generally need no permit under the EXPLORE Act. The park has a long commercial-film history, so larger productions reach the permit and location-fee track quickly.
Drone / airspace
Effectively banned: launching, landing, or operating a drone within park boundaries is prohibited
NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 directs each superintendent to close the park to drone use under 36 CFR 1.5. For airspace, Part 107, and legal flying nearby, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes for personal and editorial photography throughout the park
Standard visitor photography is welcome.
Practical notes
- Mesquite Flat Dunes and Zabriskie Point are crowded at sunrise; shoot the dunes early for untracked sand.
- Summer heat regularly exceeds 120F, which is dangerous and hard on gear; most serious work happens at dawn, dusk, and night.
- It is a Gold-tier dark-sky park and the largest park in the lower 48, so locations are far apart with no services; flash floods can wash out backcountry roads.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: