Maximum drone altitude in Australia

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Australia. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• General height limit121.92 mConditional
• Reference datumAGLYes
• Category-specific limitsNot resolved
• Aerodrome-related limitNo
• Structure exceptionNot resolved
• Authorised exceedanceNo
• Conditional limitsConditional
• ExceptionsNo

What changes the answer

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or below 400 ft

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Altitude limit for RPA outside approved areas

  A person must not operate a very small, small, or medium RPA outside an approved area above 400 feet AGL without CASA's approval.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Approval required for operations above 400 feet AGL outside approved areas

  A person must not operate a very small, small, or medium RPA outside an approved area above 400 feet AGL without CASA's approval.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Log details exemption for light RPA in VLOS

  The requirement to record VLOS/BVLOS status and flight segment heights in the RPAS operational log does not apply to an RPA with a gross weight of less than 2 kg operated in VLOS.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Maximum Altitude and Day-Only Operation

  An RPA operated under standard RPA operating conditions is operated at or below 400 feet AGL and only during the day.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Maximum operating height

  A person must not operate an unmanned aircraft above 400 feet AGL unless the operation is conducted in an approved area for that class of aircraft in accordance with any approval conditions, or is otherwise permitted under Part 101.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Operation above 400 feet AGL near aerodromes

  A person must not operate an unmanned aircraft at an altitude above 400 feet AGL within 3 nautical miles of an aerodrome unless the operation is permitted by another provision of Part 101 or permission has been given under regulation 101.080.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Operation in controlled airspace above 400 ft AGL

  A person must not operate an unmanned aircraft above 400 feet AGL in controlled airspace unless the operation is conducted within an approved area for that kind of aircraft, complies with all approval conditions, and is authorized by an air traffic control clearance.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Operation of certificated RPA over populous areas

  A person must not operate a certificated RPA over a populous area at a height lower than the height from which it would be able to clear the area if any of its components fail, unless they have obtained approval from CASA.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• CASR 1998 — Division 101.F.5: Operation of certain RPA for hire or reward — Civil Aviation Safety AuthorityOpen
• Part 101 Manual of Standards 2019 — Chapter 14: Permissible modifications to registered RPA — Civil Aviation Safety AuthorityOpen

Known limitations

• 2 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in Australia

• Do I need to register my drone in Australia?Registration in Australia depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in Australia?Drone flights near aerodromes in Australia are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in Australia?BVLOS in Australia runs through a defined authorisation pathway rather than an open permission: the published conditions below set out what that pathway requires.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Australia?Whether an operation in Australia needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Australia?Remote pilot competency in Australia scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.

All drone laws in Australia