Drone pilots in Houston
Aerial photos, listing video and roof checks at fixed prices, flown by Part 107 pilots based in the metro.
Astral Pic is not open in Houston yet. Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Tampa and Orlando are next. Join the list and we will tell you when Houston opens.
If you book before Houston opens, you pay nothing unless a pilot accepts; your dashboard shows when one does. Astral Pic is open in Dallas-Fort Worth today.
Updated October 2026
Join the Houston list
Tell us whether you want to book or to fly, and we will send one email when Houston opens. Every pilot listed here will first have shown us a current Part 107 certificate, their registration label and a $1 million insurance certificate. You can book before Houston opens; you pay nothing unless a pilot accepts.
What can you book in Houston?
The same four fixed-price packages and two quoted services as every Astral Pic metro, at the same prices. Aerial Photos, Aerial Video, the Listing Bundle and a Roof Check each carry one price for you and one payout for your pilot. Construction progress flights and event or wedding coverage are quoted by the pilot who flies them. In Houston they can be flown once the first pilots are verified.
| Package | What you get | On site | You pay | Pilot earns | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial Photos | 12 to 15 edited stills of the house, lot and street. | Up to 30 min | $179 | $143 | Details about Aerial Photos |
| Aerial Video | A 60 to 90 second edited 4K clip plus 5 stills. | Up to 45 min | $299 | $239 | Details about Aerial Video |
| Listing Bundle | 15 stills plus the 60 to 90 second clip, one visit. | Up to 60 min | $349 | $279 | Details about the Listing Bundle |
| Roof Check | 30 to 50 stills of every slope, ridge, valley and penetration, plus a short written note. | 30 to 50 min | $229 | $183 | Details about the Roof Check |
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Construction progress
Weekly or monthly flights over a site, quoted by the pilot who flies them. Describe the site and the window, and verified pilots nearby name their price.
About progress flights -
Events and weddings
A Part 107 pilot films the venue, the arrivals and the exit from outside the crowd. Typical aerial add-ons for a wedding run $200 to $500; the pilot names the price.
About event coverage
Where can a drone fly in Houston?
Most of the metro, with FAA authorization near the airports and a hard stop over refineries. Bush Intercontinental and Hobby sit under Class B airspace and both are LAANC-enabled, so a pilot in most neighborhoods gets near-real-time authorization through an FAA-approved app. Ellington, Sugar Land, Hooks and Conroe add Class D rings of about four and a half miles. Where a facility map ceiling is low, the pilot files 72 hours ahead.
Houston's other airspace question is industrial. Texas Government Code chapter 423 makes it an offense to fly a drone at or below 400 feet over a critical infrastructure facility such as a refinery, chemical plant, port or power station without the owner's consent, with an exception for commercial flights that meet every FAA rule and hold every required authorization. A pilot who gets a job that abuts the Ship Channel or a plant will plan the flight to stay off that property, or decline it. Game days bring a three mile temporary flight restriction around NRG Stadium and the downtown ballpark from an hour before to an hour after the event.
Texas law also allows aerial images of private property with the consent of the owner or occupant, which is why the booking form asks you to confirm you own, lease or represent the property. Pilots keep the camera on your property, not the neighbors.
When is the best time to book in Houston?
Most of the year, with mornings best from June to September. Houston flies in every month; the limits are sustained wind over 20 mph, rain and visibility under three miles. Summer afternoons bring heat, humidity and pop-up storms, so pilots prefer morning windows then. Hurricane season runs June to November, and roof checks book fastest in the weeks after a storm. Listing season runs from late March to June.
Houston is the second largest housing market in the country by volume: 88,706 homes sold and 129,072 new listings in 2025 according to Redfin's metro tracker, and it led the US in new-construction sales in a 2024 SmartAsset count, which is why progress flights matter here. About 3,750 Part 107 holders list a releasable address in the metro in the FAA's October 2026 airmen file; the true number is higher because many pilots withhold their address.
- Airports and airspace
- Class B at Bush Intercontinental and Hobby, both with LAANC. Class D at Ellington, Sugar Land, Hooks and Conroe. No flights over refineries, plants or port facilities without consent (Texas Government Code 423). Allow 72 hours where a facility-map ceiling is low.
- Weather windows
- Flying weather most of the year. Mornings from June to September to beat afternoon storms and heat. Hurricane season June to November. No flights in rain, sustained wind over 20 mph or under three miles of visibility.
- Listing season
- Late March to June, with new construction all year. 88,706 homes sold and 129,072 new listings in 2025 (Redfin).
- Typical price band
- US price guides put stand-alone listing aerials at about $249 and up, drone photo and video packages at $249 to $499, and a drone roof inspection at $150 to $400 (2025 and 2026). Our prices: $179 to $349 per package and $229 for a Roof Check, with the pilot payout printed next to each.
Pilots in Houston right now
A pilot appears here only after showing us a current FAA Part 107 certificate, the FAA registration label on their drone and a liability insurance certificate of at least $1 million, checked by a person. The list is live from our records and shows the real number, including zero.
No pilots are listed in Houston yet. Verification starts when the metro opens.
Are you a pilot in Houston? See how drone pilot jobs work on Astral Pic, then join the list above as a pilot and we will email you when we start verifying in Houston.
Houston questions
Can a pilot fly near the Ship Channel or a refinery?
Not over it. Texas law bars drone flights at or below 400 feet over critical infrastructure such as refineries, chemical plants, ports and power stations unless the owner consents, and the exception for commercial flights depends on full FAA compliance. If your property sits next to one, your pilot keeps the aircraft over your lot and the public street, frames the shots away from the plant, and tells you before the flight if the shot list has to change. A job the pilot cannot do legally is declined, and you pay nothing.
What happens if a storm or hurricane hits my window?
Your pilot decides whether it is safe and legal to fly. FAA rules require three miles of visibility and clear distance from clouds; our pilots also do not fly in rain, in sustained wind over 20 mph, or under a temporary flight restriction. If your pilot calls it off for weather, you pay nothing extra and you pick a new window within 14 days. After a hurricane, roofs across the metro need checks at once, so book your Roof Check early and give a window of three days or more.
Can I book progress flights for a new build?
Yes, through a quote. Progress flights depend on the size of the site, how often you want them and what you need back, so the pilot who flies them names the price. Choose Something else on the booking form, describe the site, the schedule and the deliverable, and verified pilots nearby send prices. You accept one and pay by Stripe invoice after the pilot is confirmed. The construction progress page explains what a typical visit covers.
Need a pilot now?
Astral Pic is open in Dallas-Fort Worth today, with the same packages and prices. If your property is in North Texas, book there. Otherwise join the Houston list above and we will email you when Houston opens.