Class D areas should normally extend upward from the surface up to and including 2,500 feet AGL. The altitude must be converted to MSL and rounded to the nearest 100 feet.
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It is the responsibility of the pilot to ensure that ATC clearance or radio communication requirements are met prior to entry into Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace. The pilot retains this responsibility when receiving ATC radar advisories. (See 14 CFR Part 91.)
(b) Unless otherwise authorized or required by ATC, no person may operate an aircraft at or below 2,500 feet above the surface within 4 nautical miles of the primary airport of a Class C or Class D airspace area at an indicated airspeed of more than 200 knots (230 mph.).
John Moore, NACO, recapped this issue. At some airports that have part-time control towers, the Class D surface airspace becomes a Class E Surface Area during the hours the tower is closed. At other airports, the Class D airspace becomes Class G (uncontrolled) airspace.
Class D airspace: No transponder is required unless otherwise specified by ATC (Pilots only require two-way radio communication in this class of airspace).
(1) Unless required by the applicable distance-from-cloud criteria, each pilot operating a large or turbine-powered airplane must enter the traffic pattern at an altitude of at least 1,500 feet above the elevation of the airport and maintain at least 1,500 feet until further descent is required for a safe landing.
What is a Special VFR clearance? Special VFR clearances allow VFR pilots to land at surface E, class D, and some C and B airports when the field is IFR, but only if the pilot can maintain clear of clouds and the visibility is at least 1 SM. So, that's the official definition, but it's more complicated than that.
Restrictions in Class D airspaceMinimum visibility requirements of 3 statute miles. Cloud clearance minimums are 500 feet below, 1,000 feet above, and 2,000 feet horizontally. No VFR flights if ceiling is less than 1,000 feet AGL.
You can identify the Class D on a VFR sectional by a dashed blue line. The airspace will follow the extended lines of the instrument approaches to accommodate the arrival and departure paths of IFR traffic. The airspace normally extends from the surface up to a designated MSL altitude, normally 2500 ft. AGL.