Drone rules for roofing photos and video: a plain summary

Step 1: Know which weight class your drone is in

Transport Canada sorts drones by operating weight, which includes cameras and anything else attached, but not the remote control. Per its categories page:

Many popular compact camera drones are marketed close to the 250 g line. Adding a filter, a larger battery or a strobe can push operating weight over it. That matters, because the requirements change completely at 250 g.

Step 2: Is this a Basic or an Advanced operation?

For small drones, Transport Canada separates Basic and Advanced operations. The basic operations page lists the conditions. A flight is Basic only if all of these are true:

• the drone is flown within visual line of sight
• it stays in uncontrolled airspace
• it is more than 30 m (100 ft) horizontally from any person
• it is more than 5.6 km from the centre of a certified airport and more than 1.9 km from the centre of a heliport
• the pilot is at least 14 and holds a Pilot Certificate – Basic Operations, earned by passing the online Small Basic Exam

If any of these is not met, Transport Canada says you are conducting advanced or complex operations.

Why roofing shoots often land in Advanced

Think about a typical re-roof: a house on a city lot, neighbours in their yards, someone walking a dog along the sidewalk, your own crew on the driveway. Keeping 30 m from every person throughout the flight is often not realistic. Many cities also sit inside controlled airspace near airports.

Under the advanced operations page, an Advanced pilot can fly small drones closer to people, and in controlled airspace with air traffic control permission, provided the drone carries the right manufacturer safety declaration for that operation. Flying between 5 m and 30 m from uninvolved people, or within 5 m or over them, each requires the drone to meet declaration requirements. The Advanced certificate requires a minimum age of 16, the advanced online exam, a flight review and, as listed on the page, a $25 fee through the Drone Management Portal.

Sheltered operations: new since November 2025

Transport Canada's 2025 summary of changes added "sheltered operations" to the Advanced certificate from 2025-11-04. In plain terms, these are small-drone flights close to a building or structure: no more than 30 m above it, within 61 m (200 ft) horizontally of it, and at least 30 m from uninvolved people. Flights close around a building are the core of roof photography, so this category is worth asking a pilot about. The same update brought in a Level 1 Complex certificate (minimum age 18) for lower-risk flights beyond visual line of sight, which is unlikely to matter for marketing shoots.

Step 3: Registration, marking and paperwork

According to Transport Canada's safe and legal flying page:

• drones of 250 g or more must be registered and marked
• the pilot must carry a valid Transport Canada pilot certificate, printed or electronic
• insurance is not required for standard categories but is recommended, and proof may be needed where a Special Flight Operations Certificate is involved

The 2025 summary also notes the drone registration fee rose to $10 from 2025-04-01.

Step 4: Where you cannot fly

Transport Canada's where-to-fly page lists several limits that affect roofing work directly:

• Airports and heliports: stay 5.6 km from certified airports and 1.9 km from certified heliports unless following an established procedure, and use NAV CANADA's NAV Drone tool to request permission in controlled airspace.
• Emergency sites: never fly over or within the security perimeter of an emergency response, such as a flood or accident scene. After a storm, that can include streets you would like to film.
• Wildfires: stay 9.3 km away.
• Advertised events: a Special Flight Operations Certificate is required, even for microdrones.
• National parks: take-off and landing are not allowed without the superintendent's permission.
• Buildings: Transport Canada recommends getting permission from building owners or occupants before flying near or over buildings.

Step 5: Understand the penalties

Transport Canada lists fines, as of October 2026, of up to $1,000 for an individual flying without a pilot certificate and up to $5,000 for an unregistered or unmarked drone. For corporations, those maximums are $5,000 and $25,000, with up to $15,000 for flying where not allowed or putting people at risk. Multiple broken rules can bring multiple penalties. A roofing company's marketing footage is not worth that exposure.

So, does your shoot need a licensed pilot?

Transport Canada calls it a pilot certificate rather than a licence, and here is the summary in a single place:

1. Drone under 250 g: no pilot certificate, registration or marking, but microdrone rules apply, including no flying at advertised events without permission.
2. Drone 250 g to 25 kg, all Basic conditions met: a Basic certificate (age 14+) and a registered, marked drone.
3. Drone 250 g to 25 kg, closer than 30 m to people, in controlled airspace or flying close around a structure: an Advanced certificate (age 16+), a drone with the right safety declaration, and air traffic control permission where needed.

When in doubt, the answer is the pilot's, informed by Transport Canada, not ours.

What to ask a drone pilot before you book

• Which certificate do you hold, and can I see it?
• Is the drone registered and marked, and what is its operating weight with the camera setup you will use?
• Which category will this flight fall under at this address, and do you need air traffic control permission here?
• Do you carry liability insurance?
• How will you keep neighbours and passers-by out of frame and at a safe distance?
• Will you get the homeowner's permission in writing, or should we?

Once the flight is planned, the shot list guide covers what to capture, and the consent guide covers the permission side. Our drone photo program packages all of it into a repeatable routine. Questions? Get in touch.