Protect your belongings

Secure your valuables, especially on Burn night. Consider locking valuables in your car. Take pictures of your valuables, record serial numbers, and report them missing immediately; police can’t easily investigate otherwise. (Tip: Make two spare door keys — hide one and carry one.) Introduce yourself to neighbors and local Black Rock Rangers. Work together to keep your neighborhood secure.

Lasers & laser safety

Handheld lasers are not permitted in Black Rock City. Mounted lasers are only permitted on art pieces, mutant vehicles and in theme camps if they are licensed and comply with specific restrictions. Learn about them here. Unsafe laser installations will not be permitted to operate and may be confiscated. If you have any questions about lasers and their use on playa, please email lasers@burningman.org.

Drones

Flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as drones, is forbidden in Black Rock City without prior registration and permission. If you’re not sure if you have permission to fly your drone, then you don’t! All registered drones must be tagged by the BRC Safety Team prior to being allowed to fly. Drones are subject to restricted fly zones and other rules of operation. To learn more about drones in BRC, you can visit the Drones webpage. 

DO NOT BRING A DRONE TO BLACK ROCK CITY IF YOU ARE NOT PRE-REGISTERED!

Structural safety: Designing and building a structure at Burning Man

Since you are responsible for the safety of any structure you construct, here are some important questions you should ask yourself when designing and building a structure:

  • What’s the load capacity of your platform?
  • How many people can it hold based on the load capacity?
  • How will you prevent it from becoming overcrowded?
  • Railings are required to be strong enough to be leaned against; how will you accomplish that?
  • Have you ensured that your design can resist the high winds that are likely in the Black Rock Desert?
  • What is your rescue plan?
  • If over two stories, how would emergency services enter and respond?
  • Is there an area with only one door that will hold people?
  • What is your exit plan?
  • Where will your extinguishers be located?
  • Is the entrance stair the same as the exit stair?
  • How wide is that stairway?
  • Are there adequate exit pathways in case of an emergency?

If you have not fully considered all aspects of your plan from a structural engineering perspective, you have more research to do.

The Event Safety team conducts inspections of structures during the event. If you have any questions about structural safety, ask the Event Safety team or contact the Event Safety Officer, Gabe Kearney.