Can a Roofer Use a Drone to Film a Roof Job?

Yes, a roofer can use a drone to film a roof job, as long as the flight follows the FAA's Part 107 rules for civil small unmanned aircraft. In practice that means a pilot holding a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, a flight kept under 400 feet above ground level, the aircraft in sight the whole time, and a check of the airspace before takeoff. This is general information, not legal advice.

Do roofers need a license to fly a drone for work?

The short answer is that the person at the controls needs a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating. The federal rule that sets this up is titled "Requirement for a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating," and it opens with the line that, with limited exceptions, no person may manipulate the flight controls of a small unmanned aircraft system unless they meet its requirements.

Part 107 covers civil small unmanned aircraft systems. If you are unsure whether your flight falls under it, ask the FAA directly before you fly.

Two details trip people up:

• The rule is written about the person at the controls. Owning a drone does not make a business compliant. Someone has to hold the certificate and act as the remote pilot in command.
• Certificates need upkeep. A remote pilot in command may not use the privileges of the certificate unless they have completed a recency requirement "within the previous 24 calendar months." Ask any pilot you hire when theirs was last renewed.

What does Part 107 say about how high and how far I can fly?

The operating limits are written for every flight, and a roof job touches several of them at once. The table below lists the ones that matter most for roofing footage.

Notice that the rules are about the aircraft and the pilot, not about the job. A roof tear-off, a shingle install, and a storm inspection all fall under the same limits. For the full text, read the eCFR rule on operating limitations and the rule on visual line of sight.

Can a drone fly over my crew and the homeowner?

This is the rule roofers should read twice. The regulation states that no person may operate a small unmanned aircraft over a human being unless the operation meets the requirements of at least one of the operational categories in subpart D. Read the full text in the rule on operation over human beings.

A roof job is full of people: a crew on the ladder, a homeowner in the driveway, a neighbor walking a dog. That changes how you plan the flight:

1. Fly the crew out of the frame. Plan the passes so the aircraft is never over a person. A roof shot taken from the side or from a corner of the yard works without crossing the work area.
2. Brief everyone before takeoff. Tell the crew and the homeowner when the drone is up and where it will and will not travel.
3. Pause the work for the overhead pass. If the shot needs to pass over the roof itself, schedule it for a moment when nobody is on it, such as before the crew arrives or after cleanup.

That last point is also good filmmaking. The strongest roof footage is usually a clean before shot with no trucks or tarps, and a clean after shot once the debris is gone. Both are naturally people-free.

Do I need permission to fly near an airport on Long Island?

Sometimes, yes. The airspace rule says no person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace, or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport, unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC). The text is in the rule on operation in certain airspace.

The practical habit is simple: check the airspace for the address before you commit to a shoot day, and build the schedule so there is room to wait for an authorization if the address needs one. We cover the local picture in more detail on our real estate drone rules page.

What makes good drone footage of a roof job?

Compliance gets the drone in the air. What makes the footage worth posting is planning. A roofing company gets the most from a drone in three situations:

• The before and after. The same angle, the same time of day, a clean roof line.
• The full-property reveal. A slow pull back from the finished roof to show the whole house, the landscaping, and the street. It sells scale and craftsmanship in a few seconds.
• The inspection and detail pass. A close, steady pass along ridges, flashing, and valleys. This is useful for showing what a repair actually covered, and it keeps people off the roof for the shot.

Pair the aerial clips with ground-level footage: crew at work, materials staged, the homeowner walking out to look at the result. A drone shot on its own is a postcard. A drone shot cut between people and process is a story. If you are building a regular posting rhythm for your roofing company, our page on social media content for roofers covers how those pieces fit together.

How does Core Media Co. handle drone work on a roof job?

Every drone flight at Core Media Co. is flown by an FAA Part 107 certified remote pilot, and the studio is fully insured, with coverage that includes drone work. We come to the job site with the full setup, and keep the flight inside the rules above.

On the production side, we film, edit, caption, and cut the footage for each platform, then hand everything over in a shared delivery folder. You own the finished work with no usage restrictions. The business posts the content and runs its own accounts; Core Media Co. does not post, boost posts, or run ads. If you want aerial work as part of a regular content plan, a monthly content day is usually half a day at your location, and the month's pieces are batched into that one visit. See monthly content and our drone photography page for how that works.

If you are hiring any drone operator, not just us, ask three things: do they hold a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, are they current on the recency requirement, and does their insurance cover drone flights. A good operator answers all three without hesitation.

What should I do next?

Before the shoot, walk through this short checklist:

1. Confirm who holds the certificate and that it is current.
2. Check the airspace for the job address and allow time for any authorization.
3. Look at the forecast for visibility and wind.
4. Brief the crew and the homeowner, and plan the flight path away from people.
5. Decide on the before and after shots so you can fly them at the right moments.

If you would like aerial footage planned into your next roof job, send us an inquiry through the contact page. If we are a fit, we send an agreement and pick a date.