By Mike "Jabs" JaballahFounder and Director. CASA Licensed Drone Pilot.
A drone permit in Melbourne is rarely one permit. It's CASA's rules for every flight, airspace approval if you're near controlled airspace, and permission from whoever manages the land you launch from. CASA is the aviation side. Councils and land managers are the ground side. You need both.
Lead times catch people out. Parks Victoria needs at least 20 business days for any permit involving a drone, and the City of Melbourne needs at least 5. Start early.
Do you need a permit to fly a drone in Melbourne?
It depends on why you're flying and where. Recreational flying under CASA's standard rules needs no permit in most open areas. Commercial flying, or flying in parks, near airports or over public land, usually needs at least one approval, and often two or three.
Most people say "drone permit" as if it's one thing. In Melbourne it's usually a mix of these:
| Who | What they control | When you need them |
|---|---|---|
| CASA | The rules for every flight, licences and accreditation | Always, and approvals when you fly outside the standard rules |
| Airspace approval | Flying in controlled airspace | Near controlled aerodromes, CBD helipads or restricted areas |
| Parks Victoria | Parks, the Yarra and land it manages | Any drone filming or photography on its land |
| Your local council | Taking off and filming in council parks and streets | Commercial filming in public spaces. Rules vary by council |
| Private landowner | The site you launch from | Any flight from private property |
| Event organisers | Crowds and event zones | Any flight at or near an event |
Can you fly a drone in Melbourne?
Yes, as long as you follow CASA's standard rules and stay out of restricted areas. Fly in daylight, keep the drone in sight, stay under 120 metres, keep 30 metres from people, and never fly over crowds.
Those headline CASA rules apply to every flight, recreational or commercial. Airports are the other big one. Flying within 5.5 km of a controlled airport without approval is prohibited, and Melbourne has several, from Tullamarine and Essendon to Moorabbin and Avalon.
Before any flight, check a CASA-verified drone safety app like OK2Fly. It shows controlled airspace, aerodromes, helipads and no-fly zones for the exact spot you're standing on. For more on flying well once you're up there, see our drone photography tips.
Where can you fly a drone in Melbourne?
You can fly in open areas outside controlled airspace, away from airports, crowds and restricted sites. You can't fly a recreational drone on Parks Victoria-managed land, and council parks vary, so check before you launch.
That Parks Victoria rule surprises a lot of people. Recreational drones aren't permitted on land it manages, which includes many of Melbourne's best-known parks and stretches of the Yarra. The CBD is the other tricky zone. On our Downtown Dumpling Market shoot at Birrarung Marr, we were flying around multiple helipads with the public close by, and not flying over the crowd was a condition of the permit.
The national drones.gov.au rules page also lists Victoria-specific rules, including for flying near correctional and youth justice facilities, and guidance for school drone use.
How do you get a commercial drone permit in Melbourne?
Get a commercial drone permit by working through CASA first, then the land. Confirm your category and licence, check the airspace, get any CASA approval you need, then apply to the land manager or council for the site. Miss one step and you either can't fly, or you fly and regret it.
Confirm recreational or commercial
Recreational is flying for fun. No money, no business purpose, no client outcome. Commercial is anything tied to work: a paid job, content for a business, real estate, construction progress or marketing.
Lock in your drone and operating category
Drone weight matters. Under 2 kg has different options to heavier platforms. Your planned flight matters too: close to people, over a busy area, near controlled airspace or at night all change what's possible and what approvals you need.
Get an Aviation Reference Number (ARN)
If you're doing anything with CASA systems, start with an ARN. It's your identifier inside CASA, used for accreditations, portal access and some applications.
Check the airspace before you plan the shoot
What looks like a normal suburb can still be inside a controlled zone, a restricted area or under a flight path. Check for aerodromes, helipads, military areas and temporary restrictions. This one step can save you from pitching a shot that can't be flown.
Work out what you need from CASA
Outside controlled airspace, within the standard rules, you may not need a specific approval for the flight itself. Near controlled airspace, in a restricted area, or outside the standard rules, like closer to people or at night, approvals become essential.
Get land manager permission
Even if CASA says yes, you still need permission to operate from the location. On private property, that's the owner. On public land, it's often a council or Parks Victoria. If your job includes crew, talent or any setup, treat it as filming, not just flying.
Check council filming permits
Some councils require permits for commercial filming in public spaces, and drones are part of that. It isn't consistent across Melbourne. A small, quick capture with no crowd control is often simple. A bigger footprint with crowds, traffic or road occupancy needs permits and extra lead time.
Have the right licence
RePL is the licence to fly commercially. ReOC is the operator certificate for businesses, covering procedures, safety systems and approvals. If you're booking a pilot, ask what they're operating under and what approvals they can actually secure for your location. If they can't answer cleanly, move on.
Plan the safety side
Check the site for obstacles and people flow, check the wind at altitude, check batteries and aircraft health, and brief anyone on site who could walk into your operating area. Make a clear go or no-go call based on conditions.
Check the airspace again on the day
Temporary restrictions happen fast. Emergency services and major events can lock areas down with little notice. Check airspace on the day, not the week before.
How long does a drone permit take in Melbourne?
Allow at least 5 business days for the City of Melbourne and at least 20 business days for Parks Victoria when a drone is involved. Other councils vary, and CASA approvals add their own time, so start a month out for anything complicated.
| Authority | Minimum notice | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Parks Victoria | 20 business days with a drone | 10 without one. The clock starts once all documents are in |
| City of Melbourne | 5 full business days | 7 with traffic management. Drones have extra requirements. Pay by 4pm, 2 business days before |
| City of Port Phillip | 5 working days | Commercial drone filming needs a copy of the operator's RPA licence. Albert Park is Parks Victoria's |
| City of Casey | 10 business days for public land | The council doesn't approve drones itself. CASA approval goes with your application |
The sources: Parks Victoria, the City of Melbourne, the City of Port Phillip and the City of Casey. The City of Melbourne also points drone operators to Parks Victoria for any flying over the Yarra River. Fees change, so check each authority's page. For what permits add to a shoot's cost, see our guide to drone photography costs in Melbourne.
Do you need a licence to fly a drone commercially?
Yes, in some form. Under 2 kg, you can fly for business under CASA's excluded category with an ARN, operator accreditation and a registered drone. Heavier drones, or jobs outside the standard rules, need a RePL and ReOC. Some land managers ask for more than CASA does.
The sub-2 kg excluded category lets you fly a small drone for business without a RePL or ReOC, as long as you stay inside the drone safety rules. But Parks Victoria is stricter. Its commercial drone permit requires a remote pilot licence, a CASA operator's certificate and a certificate of currency for drone liability insurance. So a sub-2 kg operator without a ReOC can't get one.
That's one of the most common reasons a cheap quote falls over. If your shoot is in a park, the operator needs a RePL and a ReOC. We hold both, and carry $20 million public liability. Councils hiring drone contractors usually ask for the same, which is the kind of work our drone services are set up for.
What usually trips people up?
Most permit problems in Melbourne come down to two things. People only check CASA, or they only check the council. You need to check both, early, and match the flight plan to what's actually legal and safe.
The other one is temporary restrictions. When Melbourne hosted the ASEAN summit in March 2024, CASA put temporary restricted airspace over parts of the city, where only approved operators could fly and no recreational drones got permission. Major events and emergencies can do the same with little notice. That's why the on-the-day airspace check is the real permit habit.
Questions we get asked
Do I need a permit to fly a drone in a Melbourne park?
Usually, yes. Recreational drones aren't permitted on Parks Victoria-managed land, and any drone filming there needs a permit with at least 20 business days' notice. Council parks vary, so check with the council that manages the park.
Can I fly a drone over the Yarra River?
Not without checking first. The City of Melbourne refers drone operators to Parks Victoria for permission to fly over the Yarra River, and parts of the river sit near CBD helipads and controlled airspace.
How far in advance should I apply for a drone permit?
At least 5 business days for the City of Melbourne and at least 20 business days for Parks Victoria with a drone. For anything involving CASA approvals or several authorities, allow a month.
Who issues drone permits in Melbourne?
No single body. CASA handles the aviation rules and approvals, and the land manager, whether Parks Victoria, a council or a private owner, gives permission to fly from the site.
Can I fly a drone in the Melbourne CBD?
Only with care, and often only with approvals. The CBD has controlled airspace, multiple helipads and crowds, and temporary restrictions are common during major events. Check a CASA-verified app before every flight.
Want the permits handled?
Send us the location, the date and what you need captured. We'll check the airspace and the permits, and tell you what's realistic before you promise anything to a client.
