Saskatchewan drone laws: the one province whose parks allow drones
Saskatchewan is the outlier: it is the only province in Canada that does not ban drones in its provincial parks. The rule is a 30-metre horizontal distance from any person at all altitudes, plus a request to check with the park office about compatible areas. That leeway is balanced by the strictest trespass regime in the country — a corporation faces fines up to $200,000 — and by a Saskatoon bylaw prohibiting flying on or above any city property. Saskatchewan is also the only province with a dedicated RPAS pesticide applicator licence.
Provincial parks: allowed, with conditions
Saskatchewan Parks publishes an actual drone page, and it does not prohibit. The stated position:
- Drone use in provincial parks is subject to The Parks Act regulations and Transport Canada’s Canadian Aviation Regulations.
- Operators must not disturb or harass wildlife, or annoy or disturb people.
- Operators must keep at least 30 metres (100 feet) horizontal distance from any person, at all altitudes.
- Because of that distance rule, flight is effectively prohibited in campgrounds, swimming areas, beaches and playgrounds in use.
- Contact the park office for areas within the park that are compatible with drone use.
So: no blanket prohibition, no published permit requirement, and park-office discretion on where within a park is suitable. The separate provincial parks policies page makes no mention of drones at all.
Note what the 30-metre rule is not. Transport Canada’s Basic-operations distance from bystanders is also 30 metres horizontally — but Advanced certification lets you fly closer, and it does not apply at all altitudes in the same way. Saskatchewan’s park rule applies at every altitude regardless of your certificate. An Advanced pilot legally entitled to overfly bystanders under the CARs is still bound by the park rule while inside a Saskatchewan provincial park.
The statutory frame is The Parks Act, SS c.P-1.1: s.25 (no person shall enter, use or occupy park land except in accordance with the Act and regulations), s.15(2)(a) (minister may issue permits and authorizations for use and occupation, up to five years), s.27(1) (regulation-making power including prohibited activities by zone), and s.34(1) — a summary-conviction fine of not more than $50,000, plus possible restitution, cost recovery and park-access bans. That $50,000 is the Act’s general maximum, not a drone-specific penalty; the Act contains no aircraft-operations provision at all.
Trespass: the strictest regime in Canada
This is where Saskatchewan gets serious, and it is the rule most likely to catch a drone operator looking for a launch point.
The Trespass to Property Act, SS 2009, c.T-20.2, was substantially amended in 2019 and 2022 to flip to a consent-required model. Saskatchewan no longer requires the landowner to post signs or give notice — the default is that you may not be there.
- s.3 — “Without the consent of the occupier of a premises, no person who is not acting under a right or authority conferred by law shall … enter in or on the premises when entry is prohibited.”
- s.2 — “premises” includes lands, structures, water, ships, vessels, trailers, trains, and aircraft when not operating. The inclusion of water closes the “I launched from the lake” argument.
- s.14 — penalties: an individual faces a fine up to $5,000 and up to six months’ imprisonment on a first offence, rising to $25,000 for subsequent offences. A corporation faces up to $200,000.
That corporate figure is the highest trespass exposure in the country by a wide margin, and it applies to incorporated drone service businesses. If you operate through a company in Saskatchewan, launch-point permission is not a courtesy — it is the single largest legal risk in your operation.
Privacy: PIPEDA applies directly
Saskatchewan has no private-sector privacy law. Its own Information and Privacy Commissioner confirms that PIPEDA is the federal statute applying to businesses in Saskatchewan, and has publicly asked whether the province should develop its own legislation as Alberta and British Columbia have.
The practical consequences differ from the neighbouring provinces in three ways: the federal “commercial activity” threshold applies; the federal Privacy Commissioner rather than a provincial one is the regulator; and there is no non-profit coverage equivalent to BC PIPA, so an unpaid shoot for a community group sits outside the private-sector regime in a way it would not in Vancouver.
On the public side, FOIP covers provincial bodies, LA FOIP covers local authorities — relevant if a municipality or police service is the operator — and HIPA covers health information. Saskatchewan also has a Privacy Act, RSS 1978, c.P-24, creating a statutory privacy tort including surveillance, but I could not fetch its text from a primary source and will not quote a section I have not read.
Municipal: Saskatoon is the broadest in Canada
Saskatoon
Bylaw No. 5729, s.2.1, added by council on 29 January 2020: “No person shall fly a remotely piloted aircraft in, on or above property owned by the city, or leased by the city, or under the jurisdiction and control of the city, except as permitted by the city.” Section 6(1) sets penalties at up to $2,000 for an individual and $5,000 for a corporation.
Two things make this the broadest municipal drone rule in the country. First, it is city-wide across all civic property, not merely parks. Second, it reaches flight “above” that property — which is regulating airspace, a federal head of power. That is the most constitutionally exposed drafting in Canada alongside Edmonton’s, and no Canadian court has ruled on a drone bylaw yet. An unresolved question is still a ticket you would have to fight.
The “except as permitted by the city” mechanism is not specified in the bylaw text; the City runs an application through its Parks pages. Do not cite the older Bylaw No. 7767 (Recreation Facilities and Parks Usage) for drones — I read it, and it contains no drone, UAV, model-aircraft or aircraft provisions at all.
Regina
Parks and Open Space Bylaw No. 2004-27, s.11(1)(p) prohibits using “any remote controlled airplane or vehicle” in parks and open space. Section 17(1) sets penalties at up to $2,000 for an individual and $5,000 for a corporation. Critically, s.8’s permit list does not include remote-controlled aircraft — so unlike Calgary, Regina offers no permit route. It is a flat prohibition. And like Vancouver’s, the drafting predates modern RPAS and says “remote controlled airplane,” leaving the same interpretive question for a quadcopter.
The RPAS pesticide licence — unique in Canada
Saskatchewan is the only province with a dedicated RPAS category in its provincial pesticide applicator licensing scheme. Under The Pest Control Products (Saskatchewan) Act and The Pest Control Products Regulations, 2015, there is a licence category for “application of pesticides by RPAS,” and applicants must supply a copy of their Transport Canada RPAS Operator Certificate.
Requirements: 18 or over, an approved training programme, work under a licensed service company or government entity, carry the licence while applying, and $100 annually. Licence holders keep daily records for three years, including meteorological data and GPS spray records.
For contrast: Manitoba’s eleven licence categories include “Aerial” but no drone or RPAS category, and British Columbia’s aerial certificate refers only to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. That makes Saskatchewan the cleanest province in which to run a commercial spray-drone operation on the provincial licensing side — and since spray operations are almost always Level 1 Complex or SFOC territory federally, this is a meaningful head start for anyone building that business.
Hunting. Saskatchewan clarified a ban on drones used for hunting in 2014. I was only able to reach news coverage rather than the regulation text, so I am not going to cite a section number. Treat it as: do not use a drone in connection with hunting in Saskatchewan, and confirm the current wording with the Ministry of Environment if it matters to your work.
Wildfire
Enforcement is federal here, as in Manitoba and Alberta. CARs s.601.15 — nothing over a forest fire area or within five nautical miles of one below 3,000 feet AGL, applying automatically without a NOTAM. CARs s.601.16 lets the Minister define or expand the volume by NOTAM. Transport Canada penalties reach $3,000 for an individual and $15,000 for a corporation. Saskatchewan and Manitoba have both seen water bombers grounded by unauthorized drones in recent seasons.
If you are working toward certification
None of this changes the exam or the flight review. The Advanced written exam is 50 questions in 60 minutes at an 80% pass mark, written online through Transport Canada’s Drone Management Portal from anywhere in Canada, and the certificate is valid nationally. What the material on this page changes is the operational judgement you are assessed on — a reviewer expects you to distinguish airspace authorization from land-use permission and say which one you hold for the site you are standing on.
Free preparation: the practice exam and the Advanced certificate walkthrough. Paid: the Canadian RPAS Operations Guide.
Related reading
- All 13 provinces and territories compared — parks, permits, trespass and privacy side by side
- Manitoba drone laws — regulatory silence, and the strongest privacy tort in Canada
- Alberta drone laws — Calgary and Edmonton bylaws, and trespass without signage
- Where can I fly a drone in Canada? — airspace authority versus land-use authority
- Canadian drone rules at a glance — every federal limit on one page
Questions
Can I fly a drone in a Saskatchewan provincial park?
Yes — Saskatchewan is the only province that does not prohibit it. The published rule is that you must stay at least 30 metres (100 feet) horizontally from any person at all altitudes, must not disturb wildlife or annoy people, and should contact the park office about which areas are compatible. Because of the distance rule, flight is effectively prohibited in campgrounds, swimming areas, beaches and playgrounds in use.
Does my Advanced certificate let me ignore the 30 metre park rule in Saskatchewan?
No. Transport Canada's Advanced privileges let you fly closer to bystanders under the Canadian Aviation Regulations, but the Saskatchewan parks rule is a separate land-use condition that applies at all altitudes regardless of your certificate. Inside a Saskatchewan provincial park, both apply and the stricter one governs.
Can I fly a drone in Saskatoon?
Not on or above city property without permission. Bylaw No. 5729 s.2.1, added in January 2020, prohibits flying a remotely piloted aircraft in, on or above property owned, leased or controlled by the city, except as permitted by the city. Penalties reach $2,000 for an individual and $5,000 for a corporation. It is the broadest municipal drone rule in Canada — city-wide rather than parks-only.
What is the trespass fine for launching a drone from private land in Saskatchewan?
Under The Trespass to Property Act, an individual faces up to $5,000 and six months on a first offence, up to $25,000 for subsequent offences, and a corporation faces up to $200,000 — the highest trespass exposure in Canada. Saskatchewan uses a consent-required model since the 2019 and 2022 amendments, so no signage or notice is needed for entry to be an offence. “Premises” expressly includes water.
Can I spray pesticides with a drone in Saskatchewan?
Saskatchewan is the only province with a dedicated RPAS category in its pesticide applicator licensing scheme, under The Pest Control Products (Saskatchewan) Act and Regulations. Applicants must be 18 or over, complete approved training, supply a copy of their Transport Canada RPAS Operator Certificate, work under a licensed service company or government entity, and pay $100 annually. Daily records including meteorological and GPS spray data must be kept for three years. Federal requirements apply separately.
Written by Chris Jones, Transport Canada-certified RPAS pilot and flight reviewer. Last reviewed 8 August 2026. Spot an error? Tell me and I'll fix it.