Real estate drone rules on Long Island

The basics

Part 107 for listing work

Flying for a listing is commercial, so it falls under the FAA's small drone rule, 14 CFR Part 107.

• A remote pilot certificate

  The person flying must hold an FAA remote pilot certificate, or fly under the direct supervision of someone who does (107.12), and must have passed a knowledge test or recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months (107.65).

• A registered drone that broadcasts Remote ID

  The drone must be registered with the FAA (107.13) and broadcast Remote ID under Part 89. The FAA ended its grace period for Remote ID enforcement on March 16, 2024.

• Altitude, sight, and weather limits

  No higher than 400 feet above the ground, or 400 feet above a structure the drone is within 400 feet of (107.51). The pilot or a visual observer keeps it in sight unaided (107.31). Visibility must be at least 3 statute miles, with 500 feet below and 2,000 feet across from clouds.

• Dusk and night

  Twilight aerials are allowed. In civil twilight, the 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset, and at night, the drone needs anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles (107.29), and night flight needs the pilot's updated training.

• People and moving cars

  Part 107 limits flying over people who are not part of the operation, unless they are under cover or inside a stationary vehicle, or the drone meets one of the FAA's categories for flight over people (107.39). On a listing shoot, that means timing aerials around neighbors, passersby, and traffic.

Controlled airspace

Authorization and LAANC

• When authorization is required

  Class B, C, or D airspace, or the Class E surface area around an airport, requires air traffic control authorization before the flight (107.41), by day or night.

• How LAANC works

  LAANC, the FAA's Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, lets a Part 107 pilot request that authorization through an FAA approved supplier's app. Requests are checked against the FAA's UAS Facility Maps, which set the highest altitude that can be approved in each grid square around an airport, and approvals below it come back in near real time.

  Above a square's ceiling, up to 400 feet, the pilot files a further coordination request, which the FAA reviews by hand and which can be filed up to 90 days ahead. Airports without LAANC go through the FAA's DroneZone.

Long Island airspace

The airports that shape Long Island airspace

From the FAA's airspace data and Chart Supplement, September 2026. Tower hours are local time and can change.

• JFK and LaGuardia

  The New York Class B reaches the ground around John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia. Farther out over Nassau County its floor rises: 1,500 feet above sea level over Port Washington, Manhasset, Roslyn, and Great Neck, and 3,000 feet over Glen Cove, Oyster Bay, and Cold Spring Harbor, well above a drone's 400 foot limit.

• Republic Airport (FRG), Farmingdale

  Class D from the surface while the tower is open, 7 am to 11 pm. At other hours the airspace is Class G.

• Long Island MacArthur (ISP), Town of Islip

  Class C from the surface while the tower is open, 6 am to midnight. At other hours it becomes a Class E surface area, which still requires authorization.

• Francis S. Gabreski (FOK), Westhampton Beach

  Class D from the surface while the tower is open, 7 am to 11 pm. At other hours the airspace is Class G.

• East Hampton Town (JPX)

  Class D while the seasonal tower is open, 8 am to 8 pm from the Saturday before Memorial Day to the Sunday after Labor Day, and a Class E surface area otherwise.

• Brookhaven (HWV), Shirley

  No control tower and no controlled airspace at the surface, though pilots still watch for its traffic.

What it means by town

What that means for the towns we cover

From the FAA's airspace data at each town's approximate center. An address nearer an airport can differ, so every flight is checked by address.

• Inside controlled airspace at the center

  Nesconset and Lake Grove sit inside MacArthur's Class C surface area, and Melville inside Republic's Class D. A flight there needs authorization, usually through LAANC.

• Near the edge

  Hauppauge, Saint James, and Smithtown sit within about a nautical mile of MacArthur's Class C surface area, and Dix Hills close to Republic's Class D, so it depends on the address.

• No controlled airspace at the surface

  Stony Brook, Setauket, Port Jefferson, Kings Park, Miller Place, Fort Salonga, Commack, Huntington, Northport, East Northport, Centerport, Greenlawn, and Cold Spring Harbor in Suffolk, and Port Washington, Manhasset, Roslyn, Great Neck, Glen Cove, and Oyster Bay in Nassau, are Class G at the ground at their centers. Below 400 feet there, no airspace authorization is needed, though every other Part 107 rule still applies.

Limits

When a flight cannot happen

• Weather

  Wind, rain, low cloud, and poor visibility ground a flight, whatever the airspace.

• Temporary flight restrictions

  The FAA tells drone pilots to check NOTAMs and temporary flight restrictions before every flight. A standing restriction covers 3 nautical miles around stadiums with 30,000 or more seats, up to 3,000 feet, from an hour before to an hour after Major League Baseball, NFL, and NCAA Division I football games and major motor speedway races. VIP movements bring their own restrictions.

• State parks and public land

  New York State Parks allows drones to take off, land, or fly on park property only with a prior written permit, so a flight beside parkland is planned from the listing itself. Before taking off from any other public land, check the local rules.

What to ask a drone operator

Before the shoot, not on the day.

1. Can I see your FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate, and is your recurrent training current?
2. Is the drone registered, and does it broadcast Remote ID?
3. Is this address in controlled airspace, and how will you get authorization?
4. What happens if weather or a flight restriction cancels the flight?
5. Do you carry liability insurance that covers drone work?
6. Are aerial photos, aerial video, or both included in the price?