Maximum drone altitude in Italy
What is the maximum drone altitude in Italy?
Drone flights in Italy are held to a published general height limit of 120 m above_nearest_obstacle. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
- General height limit
- 120 m
- Reference datum
- above_nearest_obstacle
The general height limit that applies to drone flights, and what changes it.
Italy applies the European Union / EASA framework. Rules marked as framework rules below are inherited, not uniquely national — see the European Union / EASA answer.
What the rules say
Each line is resolved from published facts of Italy. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.
- General height limit120 mConditional
- Reference datumabove_nearest_obstacleYes
- Category-specific limitsConditional
- Aerodrome-related limitConditional
- Structure exceptionConditional
- Authorised exceedanceConditional
- Conditional limitsConditional
- ExceptionsConditional
What changes the answer
The published rules distinguish the open category of operation.
- altitude
Flight altitude at or below 120 m
- altitude
Flight altitude below 120 m
- altitude
Flight altitude at or below 15 m
The rules behind this answer
- Binding lawNational rule
Civil Airports with Instrument Flight Procedures - Orange Area
In the Orange Area of civil airports with instrument flight procedures, UAS operations are restricted from a height of 25 m (85 ft) AGL up to unlimited height.
- Binding lawNational rule
Civil Airports with Instrument Flight Procedures - Orange Area Limits
In geographical zones near civil airports with instrument flight procedures, the Orange Area extends from 6 km to 10 km longitudinally and from 2.5 km to 4 km laterally, restricting flights from 25 meters (85 feet) AGL up to unlimited height.
- Binding lawNational rule
Civil Airports with Instrument Flight Procedures - Red Area
In the Red Area of civil airports with instrument flight procedures, extending up to 6 km longitudinally and 2.5 km laterally from the runway, UAS operations are restricted from ground level up to unlimited height.
- Binding lawNational rule
Civil Airports with Instrument Flight Procedures - Red Area Limits
In geographical zones near civil airports with instrument flight procedures, the Red Area extends up to 6 km longitudinally from the runway in both directions and up to 2.5 km laterally, from ground level up to unlimited height.
- Binding lawNational rule
Civil Airports with Instrument Flight Procedures - Yellow Area
In the Yellow Area of civil airports with instrument flight procedures, UAS operations are restricted from a height of 45 m (150 ft) AGL up to unlimited height.
- Binding lawNational rule
Civil Airports with Instrument Flight Procedures - Yellow Area Limits
In geographical zones near civil airports with instrument flight procedures, the Yellow Area extends from 10 km to 15 km longitudinally and from 4 km to 8 km laterally, restricting flights from 45 meters (150 feet) AGL up to unlimited height.
- Binding lawNational rule
Civil Airports without Instrument Flight Procedures - Red Area
In the Red Area of civil airports without instrument flight procedures, extending up to 3 km longitudinally and 1 km laterally from the runway, UAS operations are restricted from ground level up to unlimited height.
- Binding lawNational rule
Civil Airports without Instrument Flight Procedures - Red Area Limits
In geographical zones near civil airports without instrument flight procedures, the Red Area extends up to 3 km longitudinally from the runway in both directions and up to 1 km laterally, from ground level up to unlimited height.
Official sources
- Disposizione GENDISP DG 23/2022 — modifica del paragrafo 6.4 della Circolare ATM-09A — Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione CivileOpen
Other drone rules in Italy
- Do I need to register my drone in Italy?Registration in Italy is governed by a published mass threshold of 0.25 kg, alongside the further conditions cited below. Whether it applies to a given flight depends on those conditions, each cited to its rule.
- Can I fly a drone near an airport in Italy?Drone flights near aerodromes in Italy are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
- When does a drone operation need authorisation in Italy?Whether an operation in Italy 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 Italy?Remote pilot competency in Italy scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.
- Do I need drone insurance in Italy?Drone insurance in Italy is published with a minimum third-party cover of 0.75 million SDR. Whether cover is required for a given flight depends on the published conditions below.
Built around official regulatory sources
- Official sources
- Regulation-level citations
- Coverage and freshness checks
- Location-aware data where available
Built from 63 published facts (41 binding) held for Italy. Dataset ds_55k3jghy8xqzcekzeepwdmanya · generated 2026-09-02 · sources last verified 2026-08-24.
Ask Drone Assistant about altitude limits in Italy
This page answers "What is the maximum drone altitude in Italy?" for the general case. Ask about your own aircraft, weight and location to see which of the 8 rules above actually apply to you.
This page gives general regulatory information. It is not flight clearance, operational authorisation or legal advice, and it does not guarantee that a flight is legal. See sources and methodology and terms.