Drone & UAV surveying · Utah · Since 1975

Drone & UAV Land Surveying in Utah. Aerial Speed, Surveyor Accuracy.

Topography, orthomosaics, surface models and volumes mapped from the air, tied to ground control by licensed Utah surveyors, and delivered ready for design. Drone surveys from $1,500, quoted as a fixed fee.

Surveys directed by Daryl Penrod, PLS · Utah No. 5331527Engineering by J. Brett Ludlow, PE

Request a Drone Survey Quote → See Pricing

Aerial view over a Utah city with the Wasatch Mountains behind — Aerial mapping tied to surveyed ground control

The short answer

What a Drone Survey Is.

A drone (UAV) survey maps a site from the air: overlapping photos or scans are processed into a measured orthomosaic image, a 3D surface and contours. On its own a drone makes pictures. What makes it a survey is the ground control: points measured by a surveyor that tie the mapping to real coordinates and elevations, and check points that prove how accurate it is.

Drones are fastest on larger, open sites. Boundaries, corners and fine detail still come from a licensed surveyor on the ground, and most of our drone projects use both.

Best forTopography of large sites, construction progress, stockpile volumes
Typical cost$1,500–$20,000+, fixed fee
You receiveOrthomosaic, surface & contours, point cloud, volumes
Not forProperty lines: that's a boundary survey

01 · Uses

When a Drone Survey Makes Sense

The drone earns its keep on size, repetition and access. Here's where we use it.

Topography for design

Contours and a surface model of the whole site for grading, drainage and road design, often in a fraction of the field time on open ground.

Large and rural parcels

Acreage, ranch ground and subdivisions where walking every grade break would take days.

Construction progress

Repeat flights document earthwork and progress for owners, lenders and contractors.

Stockpiles and volumes

Cut, fill and stockpile quantities computed from surfaces instead of estimates.

ALTA and site context

Imagery that shows features across a large commercial or industrial tract, with Table A Item 15 handled in writing.

Hard-to-reach or unsafe ground

Steep slopes, active pits and sites where putting a crew on foot is slow or risky.

02 · Choosing

Drone Survey vs. Ground Survey

Neither replaces the other. The right answer is usually a mix, decided by the site.

Situation	Drone	Ground survey
Open site over a few acres	Fast, complete coverage	Slower; points at grade breaks only
Small residential lot	Rarely worth the setup	Usually faster and cheaper
Heavy trees or brush	Can't see the ground under the canopy	Measures the ground directly
Curbs, pipes, floor elevations	Limited detail	Precise
Repeat construction or stockpile measurements	Efficient, consistent	Labor-intensive
Property lines and corners	Not possible	Required: boundary survey

03 · Deliverables

What You Receive From a Drone Survey

Pick what your project needs; we'll quote exactly those.

Imagery

Orthomosaic

A georeferenced, scale-correct aerial image of the site, ready to measure from or use as a base map.

Surface

Surface model & contours

A ground surface with contours at the interval your designer needs, delivered for AutoCAD Civil 3D and other design software.

3D data

Point cloud

The dense 3D points behind the surface, for engineers who want the raw data.

Quantities

Volume report

Stockpile, cut and fill quantities between surfaces or against a design grade.

Survey

Stamped topographic map

When the drone data is combined with ground survey, a topographic survey signed by a Utah PLS.

Accuracy

Control & check report

Where the ground control and check points were, and how closely the mapping matched them.

04 · Process

How a Ludlow Drone Survey Works

Five steps, with the surveyor involved from control to check.

Scope: the area, the accuracy and the deliverables your designer needs, and any FAA airspace authorization.
Ground control: our crew sets and measures control and check points with GNSS and a total station.
Flight: the site is flown under FAA Part 107 in a planned pattern with enough overlap for mapping.
Processing & checks: imagery becomes an orthomosaic, surface and point cloud, then is checked against the independent check points.
Delivery: files for your design software, with ground survey and a PLS-stamped map added where needed.

Two GNSS survey receivers on tripods against a blue sky — GNSS receivers measure the ground control that ties a drone survey to real coordinates.

05 · Cost and timing

Drone Survey Cost in Utah (2026)

Planning ranges. Your quote is a fixed fee, with travel shown separately.

Project	Typical cost	What drives it
Small site mapping or a single volume	$1,500–$3,500	Setup, control and processing are most of the cost.
Drone topography, 5–50 acres	$3,500–$10,000	Acreage, contour interval, vegetation, ground checks.
Large tracts, corridors and industrial sites	$10,000–$20,000+	Size, airspace, number of flights, deliverables.
Repeat construction or stockpile flights	Quoted per flight	Frequency and report format.

Flights are usually a day or less; processing and delivery typically take 1–3 weeks. Wind and weather can move the flight date. Compare: ground topographic surveys ($1,500–$4,500) · all survey costs.

06 · From our files

Thousands of Surveys Since 1975. Drones Are the Newest Tool.

We've surveyed Utah since the days of transits and steel tapes. Our records hold 5,606 projects since 2000, including 142 topographic surveys, and drone mapping on projects across Juab, Utah and Sanpete counties since 2024.

Sections 33 & 34, T8S R2E, SLB&M · near Salem · 2026

Drone topography into design

A drone flight tied to surveyed ground control produced the topographic surface our engineers designed from in Civil 3D.

Sections 12 & 13, T11S R1W, SLB&M · near Mona · 2025

An ALTA survey with a drone

On a large tract, drone imagery mapped the site features while the boundary and title items were surveyed on the ground. More: drone ALTA surveys.

Sections 14 & 23, T14S R1W, SLB&M · near Levan · 2024

Topo, utilities and a rail project

Topography and existing utilities for railroad construction, with drone mapping covering the corridor and ground survey on the details.

Section 34, T12S R1E, SLB&M · Nephi · 2024

Construction flights

Drone flights documenting an active construction site, alongside staking for the contractor.

Lesson 01

The tools change. The control doesn't.

Transits gave way to total stations, then GNSS, now drones. Every one of them is only as good as the control it's tied to, which is why our surveyors set it.

Lesson 02

A drone can't find a corner.

Property lines come from deeds, plats and monuments in the ground. We fly the site and survey the boundary, and keep the two on one coordinate system.

Lesson 03

Sagebrush and trees hide the ground.

Central Utah's brush and juniper can sit above the real ground. We add ground shots where vegetation would throw off the surface.

Lesson 04

Wind and snow set the schedule.

Afternoon canyon winds and snow cover are Utah realities. We plan flights for calm mornings and bare ground.

07 · Rules

FAA and Utah Rules for Drone Surveys

What makes a drone survey legal, and what makes it a survey.

FAA Part 107. Commercial drone flights require a certificated remote pilot and a registered aircraft, flown generally no higher than 400 feet above the ground and within visual line of sight.
Airspace. Flights in controlled airspace near airports need FAA authorization, usually through LAANC, arranged before the flight date.
People and property. Flights are planned to avoid flying over people who aren't part of the operation.
Licensed survey work. Boundary determinations and stamped survey maps in Utah require a Professional Land Surveyor (Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 22). Drone data supports that work; it doesn't replace it.

Related services

Topographic surveys: ground-measured elevations and features.
Drone ALTA surveys: Table A Item 15 imagery on large tracts.
Construction staking and as-built surveys.
Site planning & design from the same data.
All land survey services.

08 · Direct answers

Drone Survey Questions, Answered.

How much does a drone survey cost in Utah?

Most drone mapping projects run $1,500 to $20,000 or more, depending on acreage, the accuracy and deliverables you need, the amount of ground control, and travel. Every Ludlow quote is a fixed fee.

How accurate is a drone survey?

Accuracy depends on the ground control, flight height, terrain and vegetation. We tie every mapping flight to surveyed ground control, check it against independent check points, and report the accuracy we achieved, so your engineer knows what the data supports.

Can a drone survey find my property lines?

No. A drone maps what it sees. Boundaries come from deeds, plats and monuments recovered on the ground by a licensed surveyor. For lines and corners you need a boundary survey, which we can combine with the drone flight.

When is a drone better than a ground survey?

On larger, open sites, for repeat construction flights, for stockpile volumes, and where ground access is slow or unsafe. On small lots, under heavy tree cover, or where hard surfaces and utilities need precise detail, ground survey is usually faster and better. Many projects use both.

Is the drone flown legally?

Commercial drone mapping in the U.S. is flown under the FAA's Part 107 rules by a certificated remote pilot, with a registered aircraft, generally below 400 feet, within visual line of sight and with FAA authorization in controlled airspace.

What files will I receive?

Typically an orthomosaic image, a surface model with contours, and on request the point cloud and a volume report, in formats for AutoCAD Civil 3D and other design software. A stamped topographic map is available when combined with ground survey.

How long does a drone survey take?

The flight itself is often a day or less. Processing, checking and drafting usually take one to three weeks, depending on size and deliverables. Weather and wind can move the flight date.

Do you do drone surveys outside central Utah?

Yes. We're based in Nephi and fly projects across Utah, with travel shown as its own line on the quote.

Licensed Utah surveying · Since 1975

Tell Us the Site and What You Need.

Send the location or parcel numbers, the approximate acreage and the deliverables your designer needs. We'll recommend drone, ground survey or both and send a fixed fee, usually within one business day.

Request a Drone Survey Quote →Call (435) 623-0897