C-DRONE GUIDE · 2 APRIL 2026
Reading the Géoportail drone restriction map: a complete how-to
Before every flight, one reflex: open the UAS restriction map on the IGN's Géoportail. It is France's official reference for where you may fly in the open category and at what height. But misread — or taken for what it is not — it leads to serious mistakes. This guide covers how to read it, its limits and the tools that complement it.
Accessing the map and understanding its colour code
The map opens on geoportail.gouv.fr, layer "Restrictions UAS catégorie Ouverte et aéromodélisme" (it is also available on the IGN's cartes.gouv.fr portal). It shows, for mainland France, the limitations applicable to open-category drones. The colour code is simple: bright red, flight prohibited (maximum height 0 m); shades of orange and yellow, height capped at 30, 50, 60 or 100 metres depending on the zone; no colour, the general 120-metre ceiling. Clicking a zone displays the exact height and, often, the reference of the restriction (CTR, P, R or D zone).
Large cities appear massively red: central Paris is entirely prohibited (zone P-23), and most urban centres are covered by airport CTRs. An essential reminder: these heights are measured above ground level (AGL) at the drone's position — on a hillside, the reference follows the terrain, not the take-off altitude.
CTR, P, R and D zones: what the restrictions cover
Behind the colours lie different aeronautical realities. CTRs (airport control zones) impose reduced heights in concentric rings around runways: typically 0 m within 2.5 km, then 30, 50 and 100 m further out. P zones (prohibited) ban all overflight: nuclear power plants, prisons, military sites, Paris. R zones (restricted) are off-limits when active — military training areas, very-low-altitude "RTBA" corridors where fighter jets fly at 150 m above ground and 900 km/h. D zones (danger) flag hazardous activity without a formal ban.
Added to these are the non-aeronautical restrictions built into the map: nature reserves where overflight is limited or prohibited (Calanques, Vanoise, bird sanctuaries), hospital helipads, and localised sensitive sites. The trap with R zones: their activation varies by hour and day. The Géoportail map displays them statically; their actual status on the day must be checked in the aeronautical publications (AIP, SUP AIP and AZBA for the very-low-altitude network).
What the map does not show
First and most important limit: the Géoportail map only covers the open category and model aircraft. It says nothing about what is possible in the specific category — a professional under STS-01 with a protocol may fly where the map shows restrictions, and conversely some scenario conditions can be stricter than the map. Second limit: it does not depict the French prohibition on leisure open-category flight above public space in built-up areas. A small town with no colour at all on the map is still off-limits for a leisure drone over its streets — only professional flights have been allowed there since 1 January 2026, with no overflight of people and daytime only.
Third limit: temporary bans do not appear in real time. Temporary restricted zones (ZIT) created for an international summit, a forest fire or an official visit, particularly during major events, are published via SUP AIP and NOTAM. Finally, the map ignores everything relating to ground law: private property, privacy, departmental park rules or municipal orders restricting take-off from certain areas. Flying "in a white Géoportail zone" has never meant flying legally in every respect.
The remote pilot's complementary tools
Serious mission preparation cross-checks several sources. For the day's airspace: the SIA (aeronautical information service) publishes the AIP, drone SUP AIPs and NOTAMs; the AZBA chart gives the activation slots of the military very-low-altitude network, a must-check in rural areas crossed by the RTBA. Private apps aggregate this data and make field reading easier, but in the event of an inspection only the official publications are authoritative.
For flights near an aerodrome, the aerodrome's VAC chart shows the circuit patterns to know before requesting any protocol. For terrain elevation and obstacles (high-voltage lines, masts, wind turbines), the IGN layers on Géoportail remain the best free source. Recommended method: check the zone a week ahead to anticipate any agreement request, re-check NOTAMs and AZBA the day before, then keep a dated screenshot of the map in the mission file — valuable evidence of good faith in the event of a dispute.
Case study: preparing a flight on the edge of a large city
A typical example: a roof inspection 8 km from a regional airport. On Géoportail, the address falls within an orange "maximum height 50 m" ring of the CTR. First consequence: the flight remains possible in the open category below 50 m if the site is outside the built-up area and off public space; otherwise it moves to STS-01. Second check: a click reveals a hospital helipad 1.2 km away imposing 0 m locally — the edge of that parcel is untouchable. Third check: the day's SUP AIP announces no temporary restricted zone, and the AZBA chart shows the RTBA inactive in the morning.
Operational decision: flight at 45 m maximum, C2 drone in A2 (site staff briefed and the public kept beyond 30 m), no préfecture notification needed outside a populated area, Géoportail screenshot and NOTAMs archived. This funnel reasoning — map, then the day's publications, then ground law — takes ten minutes once practised. It is exactly what your drone provider should be able to walk you through for your site; their ability to do so is an excellent professionalism test before signing a quote.