Original research
Where you can fly a drone in Michigan: 58 cities checked
Our pilots checked FAA airspace data, facility map ceilings, no-drone zones and local launch rules for 58 Michigan cities, plus Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Chicago and Windsor. Here is what we found.
RAW Digital Group checked FAA airspace data for 58 Michigan cities between September 2026 and October 2026. 42 of them (72%) sit in uncontrolled Class G airspace at the city center, where a Part 107 drone flight below 400 feet needs no FAA airspace authorization. 13 include a 0 ft LAANC grid that needs a separate FAA request.
Checked September 2026 to October 2026. Updated .
Key findings
42 of 58
Michigan city centers are uncontrolled Class G airspace, so a Part 107 flight below 400 feet needs no LAANC or other FAA airspace authorization there. Local launch rules still apply.
16 of 58
Michigan city centers sit inside or are split by controlled airspace at the center (9 Class D, 2 Class C, 2 Class B, 3 split block by block). Commercial flights there need authorization, usually through LAANC.
13 of 58
Michigan cities include a 0 ft facility-map grid over a named part of the city, where LAANC cannot approve the flight and the request goes to the FAA through DroneZone: Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Clinton Township, Commerce Township, Flint, Jackson, Lansing, Macomb Township, Muskegon, Traverse City, Waterford, West Bloomfield, Ypsilanti.
5 of 58
Michigan cities have a college football stadium whose game-day flight restriction covers the center: Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Mount Pleasant, Ypsilanti. On home game days the FAA bars drones within 3 nautical miles from one hour before to one hour after the game.
2 of 58
Michigan cities have a 24-hour FAA national security no-drone zone inside city limits: Battle Creek, Warren.
4 of 58
Michigan cities sit on the Canadian border, where a U.S. Part 107 certificate stops at the international line: Grosse Pointe, Port Huron, St. Clair Shores, Wyandotte.
What this means if you are hiring a drone pilot
In most Michigan downtowns the FAA side is simple, and the rules that decide a shoot are on the ground: who owns the launch spot, whether a park or campus bans takeoffs, and whether the city wants a film permit. Where a city sits in controlled airspace, a commercial pilot needs authorization before the flight, and a 0 ft grid or a stadium day can push the date. Ask any pilot you hire to show you the airspace check for your exact address.
Every row below links to the city page with the full check: the airport, the facility map ceilings, the landmarks and the local launch rules. For the state rules, see our Michigan drone laws guide, and for stadium dates, the game-day drone calendar.
How we did it
For each city, our FAA Part 107 certified pilots checked the FAA's Class Airspace data and UAS facility map ceilings at the downtown or civic center and across the city, the FAA's national security UAS flight restrictions and its stadium list, then the park, campus, venue and film permit rules that apply locally. "City center" means the downtown or civic center named on each city page; where controlled airspace splits the center, the row says "Split." The study reflects FAA data on the dates each page was checked. Airspace and local rules change, so confirm with B4UFLY or a LAANC app before every flight. This is general information, not legal advice. Our full method and disclosure are on how we check our facts.
Cite this study: RAW Digital Group, "Michigan Drone Airspace Study (2026)," rawdigitalgroup.com/michigan-drone-airspace-study/. The full table is free to download as a CSV file.
The data
58 Michigan cities
Airspace at the city center, what a commercial flight needs, and the limits worth knowing before you book.
| City | Airspace at center | FAA authorization | Limits worth knowing | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor Washtenaw County | Class D | LAANC | 0 ft grid: Michigan Medicine hospital complex; Stadium TFR: Michigan Stadium | Downtown is in ARB's Class D with 400 ft LAANC ceilings, but U-M property needs a written waiver and home football days close the airspace within 3 nm. |
| Auburn Hills Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | All of Auburn Hills is Class G with no LAANC needed, but Amazon Prime Air drones cruise at 205 to 370 ft over parts of the city. |
| Battle Creek Calhoun County | Class D | LAANC | 0 ft grid: most of the west side incl. Leila Arboretum, Fort Custer Industrial Park, airport; Security no-drone zone: Battle Creek Air National Guard Base (two installations), Marine Forces Reserve training center, Fort Custer Training Center | Downtown allows 200 to 400 ft via LAANC, but the west side is a 0 ft grid with four 24-hour national security no-drone zones. |
| Bay City Bay County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | No FAA authorization is needed under 400 ft; floatplanes use James Clements Municipal Airport just south of downtown. |
| Birmingham Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Airspace is Class G, but Birmingham issues production filming permits for shoots on public or private property, and Oakland/Troy's runway ends a third of a mile east. |
| Bloomfield Hills Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Class G with no LAANC needed; Cranbrook does not allow drones or aerial photographs over its campus. |
| Brighton Livingston County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown and the Grand River corridor are Class G with no LAANC grid; the state recreation areas need written DNR permission for paid shoots. |
| Canton Wayne County | Class D | LAANC | None found at the FAA level | Canton splits three ways: Class G north, Willow Run Class D in the center and Detroit Metro surface Class B in the southeast. |
| Clarkston Oakland County | Split | LAANC | None found at the FAA level | PTK's Class D line runs through downtown near Washington Street: City Hall needs LAANC, blocks just north do not. |
| Clinton Township Macomb County | Split | LAANC | 0 ft grid: eastern edge near Mount Clemens and Harrison Township line | About half the township, the east side, is in Selfridge's Class D with ceilings stepping from 400 ft down to 0 ft near Mount Clemens. |
| Commerce Township Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | 0 ft grid: Long Lake (about 80%) and Commerce side of Union Lake | About 95 percent of the township is Class G, but 80 percent of Long Lake sits under a 0 ft grid that LAANC cannot approve. |
| Dearborn Wayne County | Split | Varies by block | None found at the FAA level | West Dearborn's downtown is in Detroit Metro's surface Class B and needs LAANC; East Dearborn is Class G. |
| Farmington Hills Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | All of Farmington Hills is Class G with no LAANC grids anywhere in the city. |
| Ferndale Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | All of Ferndale is Class G; Coleman A. Young's Class D begins about a mile southeast across Eight Mile. |
| Flint Genesee County | Class C | LAANC | 0 ft grid: Genesee Valley Center | Downtown sits in Bishop International's Class C with 400 ft LAANC ceilings; Genesee Valley Center is a 0 ft grid. |
| Frankenmuth Saginaw County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Class E starts at 1,200 ft and there is no facility map, so no LAANC is needed; festivals limit flights over crowds. |
| Grand Blanc Genesee County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown sits just outside Bishop's Class C surface area, but LAANC apps can show a ceiling at addresses that are actually outside controlled airspace. |
| Grand Haven Ottawa County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown, the state park and the pier are Class G; Muskegon County Airport's Class D begins a little over 2 miles north. |
| Grand Rapids Kent County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown is Class G under GRR's Class C shelf, so no LAANC; GVSU requires written approval and $1 million in drone insurance. |
| Grosse Pointe Wayne County | Class G | None below 400 ft | Canadian border | Most of the Pointes are Class G; the western side of Grosse Pointe Park falls inside Coleman A. Young's Class D. |
| Holland Ottawa County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Holland is Class G with no LAANC grids; Hope College requires pre-approval at least 10 days ahead. |
| Howell Livingston County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | All of Howell is Class G with no LAANC grid; Balloonfest bans drones under any circumstance. |
| Jackson Jackson County | Class D | LAANC | 0 ft grid: Henry Ford Jackson Hospital and west side near the airport | Ceilings are low citywide: 100 ft over west downtown, 50 ft at the Cascades and Ella Sharp Park, 0 ft at the hospital. |
| Kalamazoo Kalamazoo County | Class D | LAANC | Stadium TFR: Waldo Stadium | Downtown allows 400 ft via LAANC, but WMU home football games close the whole central city (downtown is 0.7 nm from Waldo Stadium). |
| Lake Orion Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | The village and all of Orion Township are Class G with no facility map grids. |
| Lansing Ingham County | Class C | LAANC | 0 ft grid: north side close to the airport; Stadium TFR: Spartan Stadium | Downtown Lansing is in surface Class C at 200 to 300 ft, while downtown East Lansing is outside it under a shelf. |
| Livonia Wayne County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Livonia has no LAANC grids anywhere; Hines Park filming needs a Wayne County permit at $100 a day. |
| Mackinac Island Mackinac County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | FAA airspace is open, but a city council permit is required to fly and the state park commission usually denies professional requests. |
| Macomb Township Macomb County | Class G | None below 400 ft | 0 ft grid: small area at far southeast corner near Hall Road | About a quarter of the township, the southeast wedge, is in Selfridge's Class D; the rest, including township offices, is Class G. |
| Madison Heights Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Every point checked is Class G with no facility map grid; Coleman A. Young's Class D ends 1.3 miles south. |
| Midland Midland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown, the Tridge and the Dow campus are uncontrolled below 700 ft; only the far southeast corner touches MBS's Class D. |
| Milford Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Milford and all of Milford Township are Class G with no LAANC grid. |
| Monroe Monroe County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | No controlled airspace or LAANC grid; the River Raisin battlefield bans drone launches and Sterling State Park needs 60 days and a $50 fee. |
| Mount Pleasant Isabella County | Class G | None below 400 ft | Stadium TFR: Kelly/Shorts Stadium | Class G with no LAANC needed; CMU home football days close the airspace within 3 nm of Kelly/Shorts Stadium. |
| Muskegon Muskegon County | Class D | LAANC | 0 ft grid: Lakes Mall area (Fruitport Township) and MKG airport | Downtown is in MKG's Class D at 400 ft, while Pere Marquette Park, the channel and the state park are Class G. |
| Northville Wayne and Oakland Counties | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown and The Downs are Class G; Mill Race Village requires a paid permit and bars shoots on Sunday afternoons. |
| Novi Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Every point checked in Novi is Class G under Detroit Metro's stepped Class B shelf, with no LAANC grid. |
| Petoskey Emmet County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Petoskey, Bay View, Bay Harbor and Harbor Springs are Class G; controlled airspace starts around Pellston, north of Harbor Springs. |
| Plymouth Wayne County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown Plymouth is Class G, but rules change a few miles south in Canton. |
| Pontiac Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown, the old Silverdome site and M1 Concourse are Class G; only a thin western strip is in PTK's Class D. |
| Port Huron St. Clair County | Class G | None below 400 ft | Canadian border | No FAA authorization is needed, but the Canadian border runs down the St. Clair River and Transport Canada lists 60 business days for commercial approvals. |
| Rochester Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Airspace is all Class G, but the City of Rochester requires a $750 film permit even on private property. |
| Rochester Hills Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Class G throughout, but Amazon Prime Air drones fly below 400 ft over parts of the city, roughly 100 to 200 deliveries a day. |
| Royal Oak Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Class G with no LAANC; the Detroit Zoo bars launches and overflight and confiscates drones that land there. |
| Saginaw Saginaw County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Downtown and Old Town are uncontrolled below 700 ft; only the northwest edge of Saginaw Township touches MBS's Class D. |
| Shelby Township Macomb County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | The whole township is Class G with no Class D and no facility map grids. |
| Southfield Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Southfield is Class G citywide; Part 107 lets a drone exceed 400 ft only within 400 ft of a tower. |
| St. Clair Shores Macomb County | Class G | None below 400 ft | Canadian border | Most of the city, including the Nautical Mile, is Class G; the lakeside northeast corner is in Selfridge's Class D at 200 to 300 ft. |
| Sterling Heights Macomb County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | No controlled airspace anywhere in the city; the nearest national security restriction is the Detroit Arsenal about 5 miles south. |
| Taylor Wayne County | Class B | LAANC | None found at the FAA level | Every point checked is in Detroit Metro's surface Class B; ceilings run from 350 ft on the east edge to 100 ft in the southwest corner. |
| Traverse City Grand Traverse County | Class D | LAANC | 0 ft grid: Northwestern Michigan College main campus, south end of Boardman Lake, Traverse City State Park, east bayfront | Downtown is capped at 150 ft by Cherry Capital's facility map, and NMC's campus and Traverse City State Park are 0 ft grids. |
| Troy Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the FAA level | Troy is Class G even around its own airport, but planes on final are below 400 ft near both runway ends. |
| Warren Macomb County | Class G | None below 400 ft | Security no-drone zone: U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal (NOTAM FDC 7/7282) | Warren splits three ways: Coleman A. Young Class D in the south, Class G in the north, and a 24-hour no-drone zone over the Detroit Arsenal. |
| Waterford Oakland County | Class D | LAANC | 0 ft grid: about a fifth of the township incl. Williams, Maceday, Elizabeth lakes and Cass Lake shore | About 97 percent of the township is in PTK's Class D, and about a fifth sits under 0 ft grids LAANC cannot approve. |
| West Bloomfield Oakland County | Class G | None below 400 ft | 0 ft grid: Union Lake and northwestern Cass Lake | About 85 percent is Class G, but Union Lake and the northwest half of Cass Lake sit mostly under 0 ft grids. |
| Westland Wayne County | Class B | LAANC | None found at the FAA level | Most of Westland, through Central City Park, is in Detroit Metro's surface Class B; City Hall sits right on the boundary. |
| Wyandotte Wayne County | Class G | None below 400 ft | Canadian border | Every point checked is Class G; Fighting Island across the river is Canadian, so flights stay on the U.S. side. |
| Ypsilanti Washtenaw County | Class D | LAANC | 0 ft grid: American Center for Mobility on the Willow Run site; Stadium TFR: Rynearson Stadium | Downtown and Depot Town allow 400 ft via LAANC, but EMU home football days close the whole old city. |
Beyond Michigan
Ohio, Chicago and Windsor
The same check for the cities our Detroit crew travels to most.
| City | Airspace at center | Authorization | Limits worth knowing | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | Class G | None below 400 ft | Stadium TFR: Soldier Field, Wrigley Field, Rate Field | The Loop is Class G, but Chicago's own drone ordinance carries $500 to $5,000 fines and the Soldier Field game-day ring covers the Loop and Navy Pier. |
| Cleveland, OH | Class D | LAANC | 0 ft grid: North Coast Harbor (Rock Hall) and Huntington Bank Field; Stadium TFR: Progressive Field, Huntington Bank Field | Downtown is in Burke Lakefront's Class D with 300 ft LAANC grids, but the Rock Hall and Huntington Bank Field sit in 0 ft grids. |
| Columbus, OH | Split | None below 400 ft | Stadium TFR: Ohio Stadium | Downtown west of the Statehouse is Class G, but the Statehouse block and everything east sit in CMH's Class C at 200 ft. |
| Delaware, OH | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the federal level | Downtown, Ohio Wesleyan and both state park lakes are Class G with no LAANC grid; county parks bar drone launches without a permit. |
| Dublin, OH | Class D | LAANC | None found at the federal level | Bridge Park and Historic Dublin are in Don Scott's Class D with 150 to 300 ft ceilings; police drones fly from four rooftop docks. |
| Sandusky, OH | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the federal level | Downtown, Cedar Point and the islands are Class G, but Cedar Point needs Six Flags' written approval and Coast Guard Station Marblehead is a no-drone zone. |
| Toledo, OH | Class G | None below 400 ft | None found at the federal level | Downtown and the riverfront are Class G with no LAANC grid, but Metroparks Toledo bans drones on its property. |
| Windsor, ON | Canadian airspace | Transport Canada rules | Canadian border | Windsor is Transport Canada territory: downtown is in YQG's ground-up control zone and a US pilot needs a foreign SFOC with a 60 business day service standard. |
FAQ
Michigan drone airspace questions
Do you need FAA permission to fly a drone in Michigan?
Not in most Michigan downtowns. RAW Digital Group's 2026 check of 58 Michigan cities found 42 (72%) are uncontrolled Class G airspace at the center, where a Part 107 flight below 400 feet needs no airspace authorization. The other 16 need FAA authorization, usually through LAANC, and every commercial pilot still needs a Part 107 certificate.
Which Michigan cities have no-drone zones?
In RAW Digital Group's study, Battle Creek, Warren have FAA national security UAS flight restrictions inside city limits, which ban drones from the surface to 400 feet around the listed sites at all times. Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the Detroit Arsenal also create restricted zones near neighboring cities.
Can you fly a drone on game day in Ann Arbor, East Lansing or Kalamazoo?
Not near the stadium. The FAA's stadium flight restriction bars drones within 3 nautical miles of a qualifying stadium from one hour before to one hour after a game. In the study, that ring covers the center of Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Mount Pleasant, Ypsilanti on home game days.
What is a 0 ft LAANC grid?
It is a square on the FAA UAS facility map where the automatic LAANC ceiling is 0 feet, usually close to an airport runway or a hospital helipad. LAANC cannot approve a flight there, so the operator files a further-coordination request with the FAA through DroneZone, which takes longer.
How was this study done?
For each city, RAW Digital Group's pilots checked FAA Class Airspace data, the UAS facility map ceilings, national security UAS flight restrictions and the FAA stadium list, then the local park, campus and film permit rules. Each row links to the city page with the full check. Airspace changes, so confirm with B4UFLY or a LAANC app before every flight.
Drone shoots in Michigan
Need aerials at one of these addresses?
Send the address and date window. We check the airspace and permissions and send a fixed quote. Published starting prices are on our Michigan drone page.