Drones in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: zones, paperwork and contacts

Who it is for

• Industrial firms, local authorities, property managers and hotels commissioning a drone job in Provence or on the Riviera
• Foreign and French professional pilots working between Marseille, Toulon, the Côte d'Azur and the southern Alps
• Producers and agencies planning a shoot on the coast or in the mountains

What this guide does not do: This guide grants no authorisation and does not replace checking Géoportail and the French AIS on the day of the flight · It does not cover Monaco, a non-EU state with its own drone rules

Contents of the complete guide

1. What changes when you fly in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (free extract below)
2. Airports, airfields and military bases
3. Prohibited, restricted and sensitive sites
4. National parks, reserves, coast and mountains
5. Major towns: what is specific
6. Préfectures: where and how to notify
7. Events and seasons with heavy restrictions
8. Three concrete cases in PACA, from request to flight
9. Regional checklist and official sources

Included: 13 checklist items and 5 decision or reference tables.

Introduction

This regional edition gathers everything specific to Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) when you want to fly a drone or commission a drone job: the control zones of the coastal airports, the large military sites, the published restricted areas, the four national parks, the forests closed in summer, the six préfectures and their procedures, and the major events that close the sky. It is written first for business clients (industry, local authorities, real estate, hospitality, production) and the pilots who work for them, including teams coming from abroad.

How to read it: chapter 1 for the regional logic, then the chapters relevant to your job (airspace, prohibited zones, natural areas, towns), then the checklist in the last chapter. The general framework (open category, STS-01 and STS-02, the French decree of 23 December 2025) is assumed.

Up to date as of 30 September 2026. Zone boundaries change (decrees, AIP supplements, temporary zones): the official Géoportail drone restriction map and the publications of the French aeronautical information service (SIA) on the day of the flight always prevail.

What changes when you fly in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

After the Paris region, PACA is where a drone meets the most constraints. Here are the eight specifics that change how a job is prepared.

1. A coastline almost entirely under controlled airspace

From Marignane to Menton, the control zones (CTRs) of Marseille-Provence, Toulon-Hyères, Cannes-Mandelieu and Nice-Côte d'Azur follow one another. Along the coast, Géoportail shows reduced maximum heights, sometimes zero. A job above the displayed height requires an air navigation agreement (see our guide to drone missions inside an airport CTR).

2. Major military sites

Istres-Le Tubé air base 125 (with the restricted zone LF-R 108 Istres, created by a decree of 13 October 2008), Salon-de-Provence air base 701, Orange-Caritat air base 115, Toulon naval base, Hyères naval air station, the Canjuers military camp in the Var, the army light aviation school at Le Cannet-des-Maures. Around these sites the contact is military, with its own lead times and refusals.

3. Four national parks where flying is banned in practice

Calanques, Port-Cros (the islands of Port-Cros and Porquerolles), Mercantour and Écrins: over their core areas, overflight by powered aircraft below 1,000 m above ground is prohibited unless the park director authorises it. Since a drone does not fly at 1,000 m, this is a de facto ban.

4. Forests close in summer

From 1 June to 30 September, access to forested massifs is regulated by prefectoral order in the Mediterranean départements; at severe risk it is prohibited. The level is published the evening before for the next day. A summer forest job needs fallback dates.

5. Permanent low-level helicopter traffic

Nice-Monaco shuttles, flights to Saint-Tropez, the Cannes heliport, medical helicopters, Civil Security water bombers in the fire season: on the coast, a dedicated airspace observer is not a luxury.

6. Heavy industry around Fos and the Étang de Berre

The region's largest source of B2B jobs, and the most tightly controlled: upper-tier Seveso sites, restricted port areas, prevention plans, under the Marseille-Provence and Istres environment.

7. Events that close the sky

The Cannes Film Festival (temporary prohibited zone published by AIP supplement: 12 to 24 May in 2026), the Nice Carnival, the Avignon Festival, major conferences, summits. Plus the border with Monaco: a flight crossing it falls under Monegasque law.

8. The mistral and the terrain

The mistral in the Rhône valley and Provence, and slope and mountain winds in the southern Alps, shorten flying windows. In the mountains, the 120 m limit is measured from the ground overflown, not from the take-off point.

Frequently asked questions

How do I receive the guide?

Right after payment you are redirected to the complete guide's page. Bookmark it, or print it to PDF (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P, “Save as PDF”). Stripe also emails you the receipt.

Do I get an invoice?

Yes: Stripe generates the invoice and emails it. You can enter your company name and VAT number at checkout.

Is the guide kept up to date?

Yes. The guide's page is updated when the rules change; your access stays valid and you always read the latest version.

Does this guide replace the official texts or a training course?

No. C-DRONE is neither the French civil aviation authority (DGAC) nor a training organisation: the guide explains and organises the paperwork, with links to the official sources, which alone are authoritative.

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