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You walk outside the morning after the front passes. Shingle tabs are in the yard, the roof is still wet, and a stranger in a branded polo is already at your door offering a “free inspection.” Your adjuster is days away, and you are not climbing that roof.
This is where a drone inspection earns its place, and where it gets abused.
The Short Version: After a storm, hire an FAA Part 107-certified pilot with at least $1M in liability insurance to capture dated, geotagged imagery within a few days. Budget roughly $150-$400 for an average home. Expect a 24-48 hour report. Treat the drone as an evidence tool, not a coverage decision.
Key Takeaways
- A drone replaces the climb, not the repair estimate. It cuts fall risk and produces timestamped evidence, but it can miss damage under the shingles.
- Part 107 certification, $1M in liability coverage and a written report with original image files are the minimum bar.
- “Free” drone inspections usually come bundled with a roofing sales pitch. That’s legal, but know what you’re getting.
- Insurers dispatch drones after hail and hurricanes. Your evidence needs to be as organized as theirs.
Why Drones, and Why Now
Falls account for more than one-third of construction fatalities annually, according to OSHA data that drone vendors cite. A roof that is wet, steep, or structurally compromised by a storm is the worst place to find that out.
Speed is the other half. A standard post-storm roof capture takes 20-30 minutes on an average home, with some operators quoting 10-20, and yields hundreds of images. The same flight can cover façades, gutters, chimneys, windows, solar panels and surrounding land.
Here’s what most people miss: the real value is the paper trail. Dated imagery, GPS-tagged damage locations and thermal data are what turn “we had hail” into a claim file an adjuster can work with.
Drone vs. Ladder vs. Adjuster Walk
| Method | Typical time | Fall risk | Evidence quality | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drone (RGB, optional thermal) | 10-30 min for a home | Low | Dated, geotagged, high-res | Misses under-shingle rot and some complex roof geometry |
| Ladder/roof walk | 1+ hour | High, especially wet or damaged roofs | Depends on the inspector’s photos | Slower, and the roof may be unsafe |
| Insurer-dispatched drone | Varies | Low | Insurer-controlled | Not your copy of the evidence |
Reality Check: Drones miss what’s under the surface. Hidden rot beneath shingles can mean thousands in repair bills if nobody checks by hand. For anything the images flag, get a hands-on follow-up. See our take on where AI and automation stop.
What to Do, and When
- During the storm: Nothing aloft. Drones aren’t built for wet, high-wind flight.
- Once it’s safe, within days: Photograph from the ground yourself. Call your insurer to open the claim. Make temporary repairs such as tarps, and keep receipts.
- Book the pilot early. Capture should happen “ideally within a few days,” and good operators fill up fast.
- Get the deliverables in writing: capture from multiple angles, a description of each damaged area, GPS markers, and original files with their date and time stamps intact.
- Expect the report in 24-48 hours. Send the full set to your adjuster, not a cropped slideshow.
Pro Tip: Ask for the original, unedited image files alongside the PDF. Adjusters trust metadata more than annotated screenshots.
Region by Region
The research doesn’t support a state-by-state rulebook, so here’s what it does support.
- Gulf Coast: Insurers dispatch drones after hurricanes, so expect competition for local pilots. Start with New Orleans providers before the season’s next storm, not after. Hurricane response may also bring flight restrictions, so a pilot who knows airspace rules matters. FEMA IS-1505 UAS Disaster Operations training is the relevant credential.
- Chicago: Flat and shingle roofs both get drone and infrared scans locally. Browse Chicago pilots and our Chicago guide.
- New York: Façade and roof inspection is a mature local market because of FISP compliance. See New York pilots and the New York guide.
- Texas and Florida: Both are deep markets, with Houston and Miami covered in our Houston and Miami guides.
What It Costs
Public storm pricing is thin. Many vendors bundle capture into roofing or claims work. Here’s what the data shows:
| Scope | Reported range |
|---|---|
| Average home drone roof inspection | $150-$400 |
| Pilot hourly rate | $80-$250 |
| Commercial roof documentation | $425-$850 |
| Large or multi-structure project | $1,000-$100,000+ |
Roofers often include a drone inspection free with an estimate. One provider adds a free inspection for properties within 30 miles. Price moves with roof size, thermal imaging, report type and dispatch charges. Our full cost guide has more.
Licensing: Part 107
Commercial flights require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. In practice that means daylight operations unless the pilot has the night-flying training and lighting, visual line of sight, and an altitude ceiling of 400 feet above ground. Controlled airspace needs prior authorization. Ask for the certificate number and a certificate of insurance. Read why Part 107 matters and certified vs. uncertified.
Storm-Chaser Red Flags
- Door-knocking with a pressure deadline
- No Part 107 certificate or proof of $1M insurance
- A contract to sign before you’ve seen any images
- No written report, or images you can’t download
- A “free” inspection that only ever finds a full replacement
More in our seven red flags and review checklist.
By the Numbers
According to AeriScout directory data (see industry statistics):
- 351 verified providers across 47 states
- Most providers: California (30), Texas (25), Florida (20)
- Part 107 appears under three different listing labels: 45 (13%), 20 (6%), and 9 (3%)
- Average years in business, where published: 20.5
Practical Bottom Line
- Call your insurer first, then book a Part 107 pilot.
- Verify the certificate and $1M liability before anyone flies.
- Demand dated, geotagged originals plus a written report.
- Schedule a hands-on check for anything the drone flags.
Start with the complete guide to drone inspection services, then use our 15 questions before you hire.
Done reading? Get quotes from drone inspection services near you.
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Nick built this directory to help general contractors and risk managers find FAA Part 107-certified drone inspectors without wading through generalist photography outfits that added a drone as an upsell — a conflict of interest he ran into when trying to document storm damage on a commercial roof and couldn’t tell which operators carried the commercial liability insurance to back their reports.
