Aerial Imaging Services in Fairbanks, AK

FAA Part 107 Requirements

Commercial flights over Fairbanks fall under FAA Part 107: the pilot must hold a current Remote Pilot Certificate. Network operators are checked before matching.

State Drone Laws

Drone rules in Fairbanks layer two ways: Fairbanks operates under Alaska state drone law, including Alaska Statute 11.61.320 privacy protections, and FAA Part 107 regulations. plus Alaska statewide UAS law (AS 44.09.020; AS 11.61.320; SB 21 (2014); FAA Part 107; 43 CFR 9260 (BLM UAS policy)) governing commercial flights. Full Alaska drone law →

Local Ordinances

Fairbanks operates under Alaska state drone law, including Alaska Statute 11.61.320 privacy protections, and FAA Part 107 regulations. The City of Fairbanks requires a commercial activity permit for drone takeoff and landing on city-owned land, including the Chena River Greenway, City Park, and municipal beaches. The Fairbanks North Star Borough issues commercial use permits for drone operations on borough land and within the Talkeetna Range trailhead and recreation corridors. The City also requires a film and video permit for commercial drone photography used in advertising, film, or television, coordinated through the Fairbanks Film Office. University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) campus operations and the downtown C Street historic district require private or institutional landing permissions. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (via DLNR for state lands and the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for federal lands) governs takeoff and landing in the Chugach National Forest and National Forest lands that surround the city. The FAA requires Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification for all commercial operations, and LAANC authorization is required for flights within FAY controlled sectors or Eielson AFB approach corridors.

Restricted Airspace

• Eielson Air Force Base (approximately 12 miles southwest of downtown) is the headquarters of Alaskan Command and home to the 11th Airlift Wing, which operates C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft, A-10 and U-20 helicopter missions, and high-volume flight training. The base and its surrounding approach and departure corridors are a major source of low-altitude military traffic in southern Fairbanks. Commercial drone operations within the Eielson Class D and surrounding controlled airspace require LAANC authorization and a NOTAM check, and operators should expect intermittent training TFRs during exercise weekends.
• Fairbanks International Airport (FAY) is the primary commercial gateway for Interior, Northern, and Arctic Alaska. The airport sits under a mix of Class E surface area and uncontrolled airspace. Any commercial flight within the controlled sectors over or near the airport must request LAANC, and operators should confirm active NOTAMs because the terminal handles high seasonal traffic including bush planes, floatplanes, and cargo operations.
• The Talkeetna Range and Chugach National Forest rim the city to the north and north-central, and include the headwaters of the Chena and Susitna Rivers. These areas contain National Forest lands where the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service require permits for commercial drone operations, and where backcountry and wilderness designations can prohibit takeoff and landing entirely. Operators working on trail, road, or utility projects in the mountain corridor must confirm land tenure and permit requirements before flight.
• Alaska winters impose hard operational limits: daylight hours drop to 3 to 6 hours in December and January, ambient temperatures routinely reach -40 F, and ice and fog form quickly over the Chena River. Battery performance drops sharply in the cold, so flight times and payload capacity are significantly reduced. Commercial operators should plan morning flights in summer for stable conditions and expect shortened mission windows in winter. The extreme cold also accelerates equipment failure, so spare batteries and insulated storage are standard practice.
• Municipal and borough park areas along the Chena River Greenway, the historic Elfin Creek district, and the Talkeetna Mountain Trailhead corridor sit on borough and state land. The Fairbanks North Star Borough requires a commercial use permit for drone takeoff and landing on borough property, and state park lands under the Chena and Chistochina River corridors are subject to state park permits. Operators near the historic downtown C Street district and the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus should confirm private-property landing permissions in advance.