Can you fly a drone for real estate photos in Washington, DC?
No. All of Washington, DC sits inside the Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ), a ring of roughly 15 miles around Reagan National that the FAA classifies as national defense airspace. Drone flights there need joint FAA and TSA authorization, and the FAA states that promotional requests such as marketing photos and virtual tours are not routinely authorized. That applies to every photographer, UMedia included, and to agents or homeowners with their own drones. Flying without authorization can bring civil penalties of up to $75,000 per violation.
The same zone covers the close-in suburbs: Arlington, Alexandria and Old Town, Falls Church, McLean, Tysons, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, and College Park. Farther out, in the outer ring (Reston, Herndon, Ashburn, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Manassas), our FAA Part 107 pilots can fly once we have checked the exact address against FAA airspace data. Towns on the line, such as Rockville, Fairfax City, Vienna, and Great Falls, are decided address by address.
What we shoot for DC listings instead:
- Twilight exteriors: a dusk hero shot with the windows glowing, the strongest cover-photo upgrade inside the FRZ.
- Elevated ground angles: shots from upper windows, balconies, and across the street that show the lot and streetscape without leaving the ground.
- Matterport 3D tours and floor plans: in the District, buyers want layout, light, and flow more than a roofline.
- Listing video: gimbal walk-throughs and exterior motion shots.
If you ask for drone coverage on a DC address, we will tell you at booking, never on shoot day. For the full zone-by-zone breakdown, read Can you fly a drone at your DC listing?
