Which drone can measure a roof
Kestrel wants one kind of flight. A slow orbit about 100 feet over the house, at least 16 photos, from a 20 megapixel camera. About one centimeter of roof per pixel. The FAA decides who may fly that for the business.
Three questions before you buy
- Is this flight for the business? A roof you will measure, price, or sell is a business flight. Business flights use the FAA's small-drone rule, Part 107. A recreational registration does not cover that job.
- Will a certificated remote pilot be in command? Part 107 requires that certificate on a drone under 55 pounds. The weight of a small drone does not remove the certificate.
- Can this drone fly the Kestrel orbit? If it can, the camera size is enough. The bands below are about that flight.
Too little, just right, too much
Too little
The camera is under 20 megapixels, or the drone cannot hold a slow orbit about 100 feet and bring back at least 16 photos of the whole roof.
Just right
A slow orbit about 100 feet, at least 16 photos, 20 megapixels, about one centimeter of roof per pixel. A larger camera drone that can still fly that orbit stays here.
Too much
A flight that goes higher, faster, or farther than that orbit. A bigger drone does not help if it will not fly the close pass Kestrel uses.
The rules for a roof job
These are the FAA rules we checked on October 9, 2026. The FAA pages below are the authority. This page is a guide for your team, and your remote pilot still has to know the current rule.
- A drone under 55 pounds, flown for work, follows Part 107. The remote pilot needs a Remote Pilot Certificate.
- Register each Part 107 drone for $5. The registration lasts 3 years. A drone under 250 grams can skip registration only when it is flown under the recreational exception. That recreational registration cannot be used for a Part 107 flight. How to register.
- Stay at or below 400 feet above the ground. You may fly within 400 feet of a structure, and no higher than 400 feet above the top of that structure. The Kestrel orbit is about 100 feet. 14 CFR 107.51.
- You can fly at night when the remote pilot has passed the Part 107 initial knowledge test or completed applicable training within the previous 24 calendar months, and the drone shows flashing anti-collision lights visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. A night flight in controlled airspace under 400 feet still needs an airspace authorization. 14 CFR 107.29.
- A drone that must carry a registration number has to broadcast Remote ID, unless you fly it inside an FAA-recognized identification area.