Can a drone photograph my listing? Houston airspace, explained
Some Houston addresses need FAA permission before a drone can fly, and some are off limits on game days. Here's how I check an address before I fly.
When an agent or seller asks for aerials, the first thing I need is the address. It’s not for the price, which is on the drone page. It’s so I can check the sky above the house. Around Houston, that check decides whether I can fly on the day you want, whether I need the FAA’s permission first, and now and then whether I can fly at all.
Who can fly a listing for pay
Flying a drone for a business, listing photos included, falls under the FAA’s Part 107 rules. The pilot needs an FAA Remote Pilot certificate and a registered drone. I’ve held my certificate since 2021. If someone offers you cheap aerials, it’s fair to ask to see theirs.
The 400-foot ceiling
Under Part 107 I fly below 400 feet above the ground. For homes I’m usually much lower than that. I want to be low enough to keep the house the hero, and high enough to show the lot, the trees and what sits around it.
Controlled airspace: where permission comes first
The sky around busier airports is controlled airspace. A drone needs an FAA authorization before it flies there, even far below 400 feet.
Houston’s biggest block of it is Class B airspace, built around two airports: Bush Intercontinental and Hobby. Smaller airports with control towers have controlled airspace of their own.
So two houses a few miles apart can have very different answers. The only way to know is to check the exact address.
How the permission works
Near many airports the FAA uses a system called LAANC. A pilot asks for an authorization through an FAA-approved app. The request is checked against the FAA’s maps, which show how high a drone may fly near each airport, and when it’s approved, the answer comes back in near real time.
Some spots allow less height than others. If a shoot needs more height than the map allows, up to the 400-foot limit, the request goes to the FAA for a manual review. Pilots can file one up to 90 days ahead. That’s one more reason to send the address early, not the morning of the shoot.
Game days and other short-term limits
Some limits come and go. Drones may not fly within three nautical miles (about 3.5 miles) of a stadium hosting a Major League Baseball, NFL, NCAA Division I football or major auto racing event. The limit runs from an hour before the event until an hour after it ends. The FAA lists those events and their times on its SEAMS site, so for a listing near a stadium that hosts those events, I check the schedule for the day.
Other temporary flight restrictions come and go too. LAANC checks each request against them and against the FAA’s notices, and pilots still have to check those notices themselves before a flight.
What I check for every address
- Whether it sits in controlled airspace, and how high the FAA’s map allows a drone to fly there
- Temporary flight restrictions and notices for the day
- Games or races at nearby stadiums
- The wind and the weather
You’ll hear the answer when I reply to your request, within one business day. If the airspace rules out the day or the height you wanted, I’ll say so then.
What helps on your side
Send the address on the quote form as early as you can. On the day, the drone page and the listing prep checklist cover getting the house and yard ready: cars out of the driveway, pets and kids inside during the flight. Agents, the for agents page covers how listing shoots work from booking to delivery.
FAA rules change. The FAA pages below are the source, and I check the airspace and restrictions for every address before I fly.
