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Can You Bring a Camera Lens Into NBA Arenas? Venue Rules

Of the 30 NBA arenas we have verified for camera lenses, 4 allow them with limits, 22 ban them and 4 do not say. Rules can change by event, so check the event page for your date too. Each venue below shows its own rule, the official page it comes from and the date we read it.

Last updated

At a glance

NBA Arenas compared
30
State a rule
26
Last check
Oct 4, 2026

How the verified NBA arenas treat camera lenses

Allowed with limits: Toyota Center, Kaseya Center, Scotiabank Arena and Little Caesars Arena.

Not allowed: Madison Square Garden, United Center, Fiserv Forum, Chase Center, Crypto.com Arena, TD Garden, Barclays Center, Xfinity Mobile Arena, Ball Arena, State Farm Arena, Target Center, Delta Center, Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Paycom Center and 8 more.

Not mentioned on the pages we read: Capital One Arena, Spectrum Center, Smoothie King Center and Mortgage Matchup Center. We do not guess for these, so ask the venue or check the event page.

A verdict here is a summary of the venue's own wording, and the rows below give that wording. Rules can change by event, so a game and a concert at the same venue can differ. See the camera lenses guide for how every kind of venue treats them.

What each of the 30 NBA arenas says

Each row is the venue's own rule, with the official page it came from and the date we read it.

Detachable lens

  • American Airlines CenterNot allowed

    Cameras with telephoto or interchangeable lenses are not permitted at any time.

    American Airlines Center arena FAQ page, checked

  • Ball ArenaNot allowed

    Interchangeable or detachable lenses, and cameras with lenses longer than four inches, are prohibited.

    Ball Arena prohibited items page, checked

  • Barclays CenterNot allowed

    Detachable lenses and lenses greater than 3 inches are prohibited.

    Barclays Center prohibited items page, checked

  • Capital One ArenaNot stated

    The pages do not mention camera lenses.

    Capital One Arena policies page, checked

  • Chase CenterNot allowed

    Lenses over 3 inches long are prohibited, and so are telephoto and interchangeable lenses.

    Chase Center A to Z guide, checked

  • Crypto.com ArenaNot allowed

    Cameras with telephoto or interchangeable lenses are professional equipment and are not permitted at any time.

    Crypto.com Arena general information and FAQ page, checked

  • Delta CenterNot allowed

    Professional and commercial cameras with interchangeable or detachable lenses are prohibited.

    Delta Center arena policies and FAQ page, checked

  • FedExForumNot allowed

    Detachable lenses are not permitted, and a lens cannot be longer than 3 inches.

    FedExForum know before you go page, checked

  • Fiserv ForumNot allowed

    Lenses longer than 3.5 inches, including through zoom, and detachable or interchangeable lenses are prohibited.

    Fiserv Forum A-Z guide, checked

  • Frost Bank CenterNot allowed

    Cameras with detachable lenses or lenses longer than 3 inches are prohibited.

    Frost Bank Center bag policy page, checked

  • Gainbridge FieldhouseNot allowed

    Cameras with a detachable lens longer than 6 inches, large lenses or lenses that extend more than 2 inches are prohibited at Pacers and Fever games.

    Gainbridge Fieldhouse prohibited items page, checked

  • Golden 1 CenterNot allowed

    Cameras with interchangeable or detachable lenses are not allowed.

    Golden 1 Center prohibited items page, checked

  • Intuit DomeNot allowed

    Professional or commercial cameras with interchangeable or detachable lenses are not permitted.

    Intuit Dome A-Z guide, checked

  • Kaseya CenterConditional

    Lenses up to 6 inches are fine for HEAT games, and the guide asks for only one lens. Professional camera equipment and auxiliary lenses are prohibited.

    Kaseya Center A-Z guide, checked

  • Kia CenterNot allowed

    Cameras with detachable lenses longer than 3 inches when extended are prohibited at sporting events, and any detachable lens is prohibited at concerts.

    Kia Center policies and procedures page, checked

  • Little Caesars ArenaConditional

    Interchangeable or detachable lenses larger than eight inches are prohibited.

    Little Caesars Arena prohibited items and entry policies page, checked

  • Madison Square GardenNot allowed

    Professional cameras with telephoto or zoom lenses are not permitted inside the Garden.

    Madison Square Garden FAQs page, checked

  • Moda CenterNot allowed

    Only cameras without detachable lenses are permitted.

    Rose Quarter venue guide (A-Z), checked

  • Mortgage Matchup CenterNot stated

    The pages do not mention camera lenses.

    Mortgage Matchup Center policies and rules page, checked

  • Paycom CenterNot allowed

    Cameras with interchangeable or detachable lenses, or lenses over 3 inches long, are prohibited.

    Paycom Center security policies page, checked

  • Rocket ArenaNot allowed

    Any professional or commercial camera with interchangeable or detachable lenses is not permitted.

    Rocket Arena security policies page, checked

  • Scotiabank ArenaConditional

    NBA policy at Raptors games bans cameras with detachable lenses. NHL policy at Maple Leafs games allows non-flash photography with a lens up to 75 mm. Concert rules vary by event.

    Scotiabank Arena FAQ page, checked

  • Smoothie King CenterNot stated

    The pages do not mention camera lenses.

    Smoothie King Center A to Z guide, checked

  • Spectrum CenterNot stated

    The pages do not mention camera lenses.

    Spectrum Center A-Z guide, checked

  • State Farm ArenaNot allowed

    Interchangeable or detachable lenses, and fixed lenses larger than 3 inches, are prohibited.

    State Farm Arena prohibited items page, checked

  • Target CenterNot allowed

    Cameras with detachable or interchangeable lenses, or lenses of 3 inches or longer, are prohibited as a general rule.

    Target Center arena policies and FAQ page, checked

  • TD GardenNot allowed

    Any camera with a detachable lens is prohibited.

    TD Garden policies page, checked

  • Toyota CenterConditional

    Lenses not exceeding 4 inches, with no flash, may be allowed for some events.

    Toyota Center A-Z guide, checked

  • United CenterNot allowed

    Cameras with detachable lenses are on the prohibited list, so a camera with a removable lens does not get in.

    United Center FAQ page, checked

  • Xfinity Mobile ArenaNot allowed

    Detachable lenses and lenses longer than 2.5 inches are not permitted.

    Xfinity Mobile Arena security policy page, checked

Keep comparing

Questions about camera lenses at NBA arenas

  1. It depends on the venue. Of the 30 NBA arenas we have verified, 26 state a rule for camera lenses, and the rows above show each one with its source.

  2. Madison Square Garden, United Center, Fiserv Forum, Chase Center, Crypto.com Arena, TD Garden, Barclays Center and Xfinity Mobile Arena and 14 more ban them, according to the official pages we read.

  3. Often. The venues we have verified say rules can change by event, so check the event page for your date and the venue page linked above.

Sources for this page

Every rule above comes from one of these official pages. They open in a new tab.

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Not affiliated with any venue. Always confirm with the venue for your event. How we verify