How Much Does Drone Photography Cost for a Utah Listing?

The real numbers

Drone-only, added to a base photography shoot: $149+.

Included free: 8 drone stills come standard in my $379 Signature package (2,000–4,000 sq ft), and drone stills plus a short aerial video come with the $649 Luxury package (4,000+ sq ft or premium listings).

If you're already booking a full shoot, drone add-on pricing is usually cheaper than hiring a separate drone-only operator, since there's no second trip charge, no second invoice, and no coordinating two people's schedules around the same house.

What actually pushes the price up

Lot size and setback. A quarter-acre suburban lot in Sandy takes one flight pattern. A 2-acre property in the East Bench foothills or a rural parcel near Herriman takes more air time to actually show the land, which is part of what you're paying for on acreage listings.

Airspace restrictions. Property near Salt Lake City International Airport or under any of the flight paths into it sits inside controlled airspace, which means LAANC authorization has to be requested for that specific flight — sometimes same-day, sometimes not, depending on the airspace class. This isn't optional paperwork; flying commercially in controlled airspace without it is a real FAA violation, not just a formality.

Weather and reshoots. Wind above roughly 20mph or active precipitation grounds a drone, full stop — not a judgment call, an FAA and safety one. If a shoot gets weathered out, it gets rescheduled rather than flown unsafely, which is why booking a day or two of flexibility around a hard closing deadline is worth building in.

Video vs. stills. Aerial stills are quick to capture and process. A 30–60 second cinematic flythrough (included in Luxury, $199 as an add-on) takes meaningfully longer to fly and edit than a handful of stills, which is reflected in which package includes it.

Is it worth it for your listing?

Drone photography earns its keep on:

• Anything with usable outdoor space — pools, large yards, acreage

• Listings where lot lines or proximity to amenities (parks, water, trails) are a selling point a street-level shot can't show

• New construction, where the surrounding community and lack of neighboring clutter photograph well from above

• Any listing over roughly 4,000 sq ft, where an aerial establishing shot helps buyers understand the property's scale before they walk it

It's less essential on a tight in-city lot with no real yard — an interior gallery does more selling work there than an aerial ever would.

Licensing, in plain terms

Commercial drone photography in the US requires an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate — this isn't the same rule as a hobbyist flying a drone in a park. Ask any photographer you're considering whether they're Part 107 certified before booking; it's a fair question, and one your MLS compliance team may ask about too if there's ever a dispute over a listing's media.