Using Drones for Behind-the-Scenes Filming in New York City (2026)

Every commercial drone operation in New York City must clear two independent regulatory layers before it can lawfully begin. The federal layer is administered by the FAA; the city layer is administered by the NYPD. Neither layer substitutes for the other. Clearing federal requirements does not satisfy the city permit, and holding a city permit does not authorize you in the national airspace. Both must be satisfied in full, and there is no industry exemption from any part of the stack.

BTS Footage Is Still a Commercial Flight

Behind-the-scenes content — sweeping shots of the set, aerial coverage of the crew at work, promotional reels — is an increasingly standard production deliverable. From a regulatory standpoint, capturing it with a drone is no different from any other commercial aerial operation in the city: it requires the full federal stack and the city's permits.

The FAA + NYPD Two-Layer Stack

Under NYC Administrative Code § 10-126(b) and (c), taking off or landing an unmanned aircraft anywhere in the five boroughs without authorization is unlawful. Drone work in NYC is therefore legal but requires authorization — the path runs through the NYPD permit portal at dronepermits.nypdonline.org, not around it.

The Dual City Permit: MOME + NYPD

When drones appear in an NYC film or television production, two separate city permits typically come into play. The MOME film permit covers production logistics — street closures, parking, equipment on public property — and is required when the crew is five or more people on public property or the shoot uses public roads, sidewalks, parks, or city-owned property. The NYPD drone permit covers the drone operation itself and is required for every take-off and landing in the city. The MOME permit does not authorize drone flight. Both permits must be obtained independently, and their flight dates must align.

Waivers Larger Shoots May Need

Behind-the-scenes work often means flying near people. Operations over people may require a Part 107 waiver under 14 CFR § 107.39, and other common production waivers cover beyond-visual-line-of-sight tracking shots (§ 107.31), operation from a moving vehicle (§ 107.25), and multiple-UAS operations (§ 107.35). Note that Part 107 already permits night operations with anti-collision lighting under 14 CFR § 107.29, so a night BTS shot does not need a waiver solely because it is dark.

The Manhattan Airspace Constraint

Most of Manhattan sits beneath LAANC grid cells with a 0 ft AGL ceiling. A 0 ft ceiling means the automated LAANC system will not approve any altitude, so an operator must instead seek a manual authorization through FAA DroneZone — a process that can take 90+ days and is rarely granted for routine commercial work. The outer boroughs are generally more workable: Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx often show 100–200 ft ceilings, and Staten Island is frequently the most feasible borough. LAANC ceilings change, so always verify the current ceiling in an FAA-approved app before planning any flight. Even where airspace is available, the NYPD permit remains separately required.